Some users of the Facebook website are complaining that their recent marketing program is showing their purchases made online to their friends on the site. The new feature places a small box in the corner of Web browsers that keeps track of purchases made at Fandango, Overstock, and other online retailers. The box would alert users that information is about to be shared with Facebook unless they click “No Thanks.” The box would disappear after 20 seconds on its own if you don’t click anything and then consent to share information is automatically assumed. Users are given a second notice the next time they log on to Facebook, but they can miss it if they quickly click to visit a friend’s page or check e-mail.
The concept behind the idea of the tool is that if users see a friend buy something, they’d want to shop from the same place too or maybe buy the same item. Companies can even buy and ad next to the feed item with the friend’s picture. The tool raises concerns of privacy. Users can decline the sharing on a site-by-site basis, but they still have to be apart of the program.
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