Did you know Facebook is tracking you everywhere you go on the Web? Even after you log out of Facebook, they’re still tracking your footsteps and that data is tied to your Facebook User ID.
I’m a big fan of the Do Not Track option in Firefox, but why is Facebook tracking every website you visit after you log out? Because they can. This is done with a tracking cookie.
This morning, Nik Cubrilovic outlined the details in an article on his blog:
http://nikcub.appspot.com/logging-out-of-facebook-is-not-enough
To quote Nik:
“Facebook are only altering the state of the cookies instead of removing all of them when a user logs out.“
So what does Facebook have to say about all of this? According to Facebook Systems Engineer, Gregg Stefancik, this was essentially an “oversight.” Here’s his response to Nik’s findings:
Whatever Facebook was or was not tracking you around the web for, they were tracking you around the web. They can say they’re not using that data, but it still stands – they have that data.
To enable Do Not Track in your browser:
- Firefox – Firefox Button > Options > Privacy > Tell web sites I do not want to be tracked
- Chrome – Keep My Opt-Outs Extension
- Internet Explorer 9 – Tools > Safety > Tracking Protection > Personalized List > Enable (We strongly recommend NOT USING Internet Explorer)
Dean
I am a Software Developer, System Administrator, and consignment software specialist. I currently manage hundreds of consignment workstations, point of sale systems, and database servers all across North America and I am the developer of Peeps' Software, Peeps2Go, and Peeps' Consignor Login for iOS and Android. I've been helping consignment & resale store-owners since 2003. I started The Computer Peeps in February of 2010. Peeps' Software launched in 2016 and is now on hundreds of systems all across North America. I have successfully converted dozens of stores from all of the major consignment software systems. After 20 years of working with consignment stores, I understand the unique challenges consignment & resale store-owners face. From electrical issues in old buildings or strip malls, to advocating for them when their old consignment software keeps crashing.
So many thanks are due to computerpeeps! Not only do you alert us to problems, you tell us specifically how to solve them!
I only wish you had more hours in the day to help more shopkeepers. I’d give you some of my hours, if I could only figure out where they all go…
Thank you, Kate! We’re getting there! It’s my goal to be able to share as much as I can, as often as I can. We’ve brought on a really strong team member @Josh, or more appropriately termed, a Peep. There is SO MUCH out there and wrangling it all up into easily digestible chunks is a full-time job.
Thanks for being such a great partner in this industry, Kate. At the end of the day, store owners just want to run their businesses. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to do that!