Facebook is not the only social network having trouble balancing privacy with advertising efforts. According to a Wall Street Journal report, MySpace and some of its popular applications have been transmitting data to outside advertising companies that could be used to identify users.
A WSJ investigation found that information was being transmitted by MySpace when users clicked on ads. The website had pledged in the past to end the practice of sending personal data when users click on ads after a previous WSJ report in May. A MySpace spokesman told the paper that the data identifies the user profile being viewed but not necessarily the person who clicked on the ad.
The WSJ investigation also found that some MySpace applications were transmitting user IDs. Those apps included BitRhymes' TagMe, WonderHill's GreenSpot - a gardening game with 1.8 million users; and RockYou's RockYou Pets, a game with 6.1 million users.
MySpace told the paper that it does not allow app makers to share user data and user IDs: "It has recently come to our attention that several third-party app developers may have violated these terms and we are taking appropriate action against those developers," a MySpace spokesman said.
MySpace is owned by News Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal.
Source: WSJ
Comments
Re: MySpace Apps and Ads Indentify Users
As long as it just the users name and habbits from that username I do not see a real problem with that, now if it sends them all the info they have on you...well that is dumb. But sending statistics of user X,Y or Z not so much.
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