Facebook testing tech that can track your cursor movements on the site ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Its bad enough that Facebook openly sold user photos and information to sponsors. Now a new privacy breach is potentially on its way as the company is testing technology that can track minute user activity, even down how a someones cursor is behaving on the site. Facebook analytics chief Ken Rudin revealed the test during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, and said the social network may significantly expand the data it collects on its users. The tracking tech extends to measuring thingshow long someone holds their cursor over a certain part of the Facebook website and whether a users News Feed is visible on their desktop or mobile device. Rudin told the Journal that this information could be added to the companys data analytics warehouse,Facebook could use it to better gauge product development (like implementing a redesign) and create more targeted advertising. Facebook collects two kinds of data, demographic and behavioral, according to the Journal. Demographics documents thingswhere you live or went to school, while behavioral keeps tabs on your social interactions with friends and likes in real-time. Rudin said the info collection tests could generate burgeoning behavioral data for the social network. The tests are part of a larger technology testing program, and it wont be for a few more months until Facebook decides whether the data makes the cut. Naturally Facebooks plan raises issues of privacy protection, though it wouldnt be the first company to collect such small user activity info. Image repository Shuttershock uses Hadoop to analyze even the tiniest interactions,how long a user lingers over an image before deciding to buy it. Privacy has been a controversial topic for Facebook in the past, and the company has already settled one $20 million (about £12.9m, AU$22m) settlement over the use of Facebook users names, photos and personal info in ads without their permission. How much protection can be afforded a cursor hover isnt as cut and dry, but well keep an ear out for further developments.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 03:50:00 +0000
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