Facebook, MySpace Confront Privacy Loophole

“Facebook, MySpace and several other social-networking sites
have been sending data to advertising companies that could be used
to find consumers’ names and other personal details, despite
promises they don’t share such information without consent.

“The practice, which most of the companies defended, sends user
names or ID numbers tied to personal profiles being viewed when
users click on ads. After questions were raised by The Wall Street
Journal, Facebook and MySpace moved to make changes. By Thursday
morning Facebook had rewritten some of the offending computer
code.

“Advertising companies are receiving information that could be
used to look up individual profiles, which, depending on the site
and the information a user has made public, include such things as
a person’s real name, age, hometown and occupation.”

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