Comments on: Zuck apologizes for Beacon — announces a full opt-out http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/ News About Tech, Money and Innovation Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:10:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Beacon backlash continues: Class action lawsuit filed gainst Facebook » VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-825646 Beacon backlash continues: Class action lawsuit filed gainst Facebook » VentureBeat Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:52:02 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-825646 [...] Beacon program. The controversial program, which turned into a publicity disaster that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologized for, alerted a user’s friends about their activity on other sites, for example buying movie [...] [...] Beacon program. The controversial program, which turned into a publicity disaster that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologized for, alerted a user’s friends about their activity on other sites, for example buying movie [...]

]]> By: iWidgets thinks it has a way to monetize on the social nets. FriendFeed should steal it. » VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-817518 iWidgets thinks it has a way to monetize on the social nets. FriendFeed should steal it. » VentureBeat Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:48:57 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-817518 [...] Remember Beacon, Facebook’s clever little ticket to revenue?  The one that involved tracking your behavior on commercial sites and updating your friends about it without informing you first? If so, you’ll recall that it terrified privacy advocates, chased away advertisers and proceeded to go down in a blaze of user-generated fury. [...] [...] Remember Beacon, Facebook’s clever little ticket to revenue?  The one that involved tracking your behavior on commercial sites and updating your friends about it without informing you first? If so, you’ll recall that it terrified privacy advocates, chased away advertisers and proceeded to go down in a blaze of user-generated fury. [...]

]]> By: Live from the Facebook new profile meeting » VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-814206 Live from the Facebook new profile meeting » VentureBeat Wed, 21 May 2008 18:12:48 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-814206 [...] seen in the past with Facebook, users don’t always like change. Nor does it want another Beacon situation. This is no doubt one reason Facebook has us here today to help “break-in” users to [...] [...] seen in the past with Facebook, users don’t always like change. Nor does it want another Beacon situation. This is no doubt one reason Facebook has us here today to help “break-in” users to [...]

]]> By: Live from the Facebook new profile meeting » VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-814207 Live from the Facebook new profile meeting » VentureBeat Wed, 21 May 2008 18:12:48 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-814207 [...] seen in the past with Facebook, users don’t always like change. Nor does it want another Beacon situation. This is no doubt one reason Facebook has us here today to help “break-in” users to [...] [...] seen in the past with Facebook, users don’t always like change. Nor does it want another Beacon situation. This is no doubt one reason Facebook has us here today to help “break-in” users to [...]

]]> By: VentureBeat » Meebo introduces real-time chat in Facebook applications http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-677070 VentureBeat » Meebo introduces real-time chat in Facebook applications Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:42:15 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-677070 [...] community’s tolerance of such things (privacy, in case you haven’t noticed, has been hotly debated recently on [...] [...] community’s tolerance of such things (privacy, in case you haven’t noticed, has been hotly debated recently on [...]

]]> By: Startup Toolbox » Blog Archive » Not Ready for Sharing http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-667774 Startup Toolbox » Blog Archive » Not Ready for Sharing Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:34:46 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-667774 [...] was pleased to see Facebook do the right thing by letting users opt completely out of Beacon.  From the uproar it seemed clear that the world just wasn’t ready for that level of [...] [...] was pleased to see Facebook do the right thing by letting users opt completely out of Beacon.  From the uproar it seemed clear that the world just wasn’t ready for that level of [...]

]]> By: Dave http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-666052 Dave Thu, 06 Dec 2007 03:42:41 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-666052 This "apology" was more harmful than anything because it exposes Mark for being either extremely slimy or extremely gullible: "At first we tried to make it very lightweight so people wouldn’t have to touch it for it to work." Are you kidding me? This is sleaze-talk for "we were trying to sneak it in and not let users know what we were up to." "The problem with our initial approach of making it an opt-out system instead of opt-in was that if someone forgot to decline to share something, Beacon still went ahead and shared it with their friends." Lesson 1 with privacy involving THIRD PARTIES: Always make it opt-in. This is like setting all new free webmail accounts to receive spam by default and putting the burden on users to opt-out. Sorry, Zucky, but it doesn't work that way. You would think a multi-billion dollar valuated company would know better. This “apology” was more harmful than anything because it exposes Mark for being either extremely slimy or extremely gullible:

“At first we tried to make it very lightweight so people wouldn’t have to touch it for it to work.”

Are you kidding me? This is sleaze-talk for “we were trying to sneak it in and not let users know what we were up to.”

“The problem with our initial approach of making it an opt-out system instead of opt-in was that if someone forgot to decline to share something, Beacon still went ahead and shared it with their friends.”

Lesson 1 with privacy involving THIRD PARTIES: Always make it opt-in. This is like setting all new free webmail accounts to receive spam by default and putting the burden on users to opt-out.

Sorry, Zucky, but it doesn’t work that way. You would think a multi-billion dollar valuated company would know better.

]]> By: gigi http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-665716 gigi Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:16:11 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-665716 Has no one noticed that the opt-out policy allows you to opt out of having your info/activities sent to Facebook? "These settings only affect notifications on Facebook..." So facebook still gets a ton of valuable market information. Why is no one in outrage at the companies volunteering to share usage with Facebook and demanding that they also have an opt-out program to opt out of the data sharing ?!? Hello, Yelp? Epicurious? Blockbuster? Overstock? NYTimes? Has no one noticed that the opt-out policy allows you to opt out of having your info/activities sent to Facebook? “These settings only affect notifications on Facebook…” So facebook still gets a ton of valuable market information. Why is no one in outrage at the companies volunteering to share usage with Facebook and demanding that they also have an opt-out program to opt out of the data sharing ?!? Hello, Yelp? Epicurious? Blockbuster? Overstock? NYTimes?

]]> By: dave mcclure http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-665646 dave mcclure Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:41:14 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-665646 sweet beacon-on-fire image there. nice job :) sweet beacon-on-fire image there. nice job :)

]]> By: Jin http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/comment-page-1/#comment-665268 Jin Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:52:53 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/12/05/zuck-apologies-for-beacon-announces-a-full-opt-out/#comment-665268 "full opt-out" how very clever... “full opt-out” how very clever…

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