Filed under: Internet, Security, Mozilla, Browsers
Firefox addon blocks Facebook Beacon requests
Facebook has received plenty of criticism for its Beacon service. If you aren't familiar with Beacon, it allows Facebook to receive information from partner sites that can be used a couple of ways. First, it lets you share your activities on other website with your Facebook friends. Second, it allows Facebook to keeps tabs on you and generate a robust targeted advertising profile.
Not too excited about that? If you're a Firefox user, you might want to install the Facebook Beacon Blocker addon. It does what it says, and it's probably the simplest option available. It's currently experimental, so you'll need to log in to the addons site to install it.
There are other ways to do this - like blacklisting with the Block Site addon or your own proxy server, or, as suggested by gHacks, blocking facebook.com with NoScript.
[ via gHacks ]
Not too excited about that? If you're a Firefox user, you might want to install the Facebook Beacon Blocker addon. It does what it says, and it's probably the simplest option available. It's currently experimental, so you'll need to log in to the addons site to install it.
There are other ways to do this - like blacklisting with the Block Site addon or your own proxy server, or, as suggested by gHacks, blocking facebook.com with NoScript.
[ via gHacks ]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mythor said 5:03PM on 1-26-2009
Or you could just turn Beacon off in your Facebook Privacy Settings.
Settings >> Privacy Settings >> Applications >> Settings >> Don't allow Beacon websites to post stories to my profile.
Yes, it's buried a little deep. But the setting works regardless of browser and regardless of browser updates, no need for an addon! :)
Reply
michas_pi said 5:38PM on 1-26-2009
This does nothing to stop Beacon from collecting your data anyway.
Mythor said 8:01PM on 1-26-2009
That may be true, michas_pi. However if you're so worried about what Facebook might do with your "personal data", why are you on Facebook at all?
Honestly this is not one of the things you should be paranoid about. You should worry a lot more about sites exposing your credit card information, for example. No human at Facebook actually cares what books you buy from Amazon, it's just done to try and better target advertisements. Which ought to be a plus to you since the ads will be less likely to be completely irrelevant...
... and more importantly, if you're so paranoid that you're installing an addon to block Beacon you've surely got the ads blocked anyway.
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