Is Facebook Tracking User Actions on Other Websites?

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With the ubiquity of mobile devices and the popularity of social networks, we’re increasingly connected as ever. But what if our favorite social network were tracking our each and every move?

Facebook holds the position of being the #1 social network, and in some places, the #1 accessed website. As such, other websites use Facebook’s API to build and maintain user credentials, to make it easier for users to login to their respective services. But is Facebook using this to gather personal information even while users are on other sites?

Michael Arrington shared a discovery about a patent that aims to track “information in a social network system about activities from another domain.” In his very short post, Arrington links to statements given by Facebook execs stressing that the social network does not track user activity outside of the site. A Facebook employee has additionally said they “have no interest in tracking people.”

However, Facebook seems to go against this ideal with a recent technology patent application that describes certain methods by which the social network can track user activity both within and outside of the site itself. We cite here a portion of the patent description:

The method includes maintaining a profile for each of one or more users of the social networking system, each profile identifying a connection to one or more other users of the social networking system and including information about the user. The method additionally includes receiving one or more communications from a third-party website having a different domain than the social network system, each message communicating an action taken by a user of the social networking system on the third-party website. The method additionally includes logging the actions taken on the third-party website in the social networking system, each logged action including information about the action. The method further includes correlating the logged actions with one or more advertisements presented to the one or more users on the third-party website as well as correlating the logged actions with a user of the social networking system.

At first glance, the description does seem to go against Facebook’s statements that they do not “track users across the Web.” To wit, Facebook wants the following features under the patent application:

1. Maintaining a profile on the social network;
2. Using said profile to connect with other users;
3. Using said profile to communicate with third-party websites;
4. Logging actions done by the user on other, third-party websites;
5. Correlating these actions with advertising information.

Should any of these points provide discomfort to Facebook users? I would say that points #1 to #3 are all right, and are well within what one might expect from a social network like Facebook. Connecting with third-party sites using one’s account provides convenience and ease of access. However, it might be points #4 and #5 that will be of interest and concern to users.

Facebook wants to log activities done by users while on other websites, which can theoretically be done with a combination of tracking cookies, Javascript code, and the like. Facebook might also require third-party sites to disclose information on user activities. However, one might also put it this way: aren’t third-party websites already giving Facebook information on user activity? For instance, social gamers might want to broadcast status updates to friends. Social dashboard users might want to update their Facebook feeds from third-party software. This might actually be the intent of the patent application.

The last point — which involves correlating actions with advertisements — might likewise be of concern. But isn’t this what other advertising companies (like Google) are already doing, by determining user activity and website context prior to displaying ads?

Perhaps the main issue here is the fact that Facebook is saying one thing and doing another. But this is just a patent application, after all, and we have yet to prove Facebook is, indeed, tracking everyone everywhere. But if they are, then privacy advocates are likely to go up in arms against Facebook.

There is, of course, a way to avoid being tracked by Facebook, and that is by not using this particular social network at all. But what if you want to use services that require a Facebook login, such as Spotify?

UPDATE:

We’ve received a response to this article from Facebook, specifically from Andrew Noyes / Facebook Communications, which casts further light on the matter and which we are more than happy to publish here rather than simply approve to the comments section:

Some people have suggested that this application is intended to patent tracking of logged out users. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, a careful reading of the portion of the application that purportedly describes tracking of logged out users (Paragraph [0099] shows that this excerpt is actually describing a fundamental part of Facebook Platform—social plugins that create social experiences across the web without logging into Facebook repeatedly or third party sites at all.

Our social plug-ins allow Facebook users to go to any website with a social plugin and see what content their friends have liked without logging into that website. the user must, however, be logged into Facebook to see this social content on third party websites. What is being described in section [0099] of the application is the fact that you don¹t have to log into Facebook again at each third party site in order to see social plugin content. You just have to be currently logged in to Facebook when you visit the site. If you continue reading the application (i.e. paragraphs [0100] and [0101]), you¹ll also find it is consistent
with our longstanding principles of notice, choice and control, and offers mechanisms and processes by which a person would be notified and could opt in or out.

There are other things mentioned in the patent application and, for many of those, it¹s important to understand how companies use patents. That is, technology companies patent lots of ideas. Some of these ideas become products or features and some don’t. As a result, current functionality and future business plans shouldn’t be inferred from our patent applications.

Andrew Noyes / Facebook Communications