Quick Hits: Internet Advertising in 2011, the Facebook Lockdown Guide, and More
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the future of Internet advertising, whether Facebook is going to build a search engine, and how a resourceful car wash owner tracked down a TV thief on Facebook.
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AdKeeper Raises Million Round of Funding
As debate rages on in Washington D.C. over the legality of Internet tracking and behavioral advertising, one company has received lots of attention for its innovative take on Web ads. AdKeeper, which recently raised a million second round of funding, gives Internet surfers the chance to skip advertisements by clicking an icon and “keeping” interesting web ads to browse later. The company already has a large group of advertisers on board, and will likely release its first public product this year.
Wall Street Journal: What Your Facebook Page May Tell ID Thieves
With the sheer mass of information available about each one of us online, it’s no wonder identity theft is such a big problem. This article in the Wall Street Journal explains how information shared on one’s Facebook page can become perfect fodder for identity thieves. Even the most seemingly inconsequential piece of data can help an ID thief, because, as the article states, “thieves steal identities in pieces and layer them on each other for a clearer picture.” That’s why maintaining control over your Facebook profile, and your personal data elsewhere on the Web, is so important.
ZDNet: Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
To help people get started on their Internet privacy resolutions for the New Year, ZDNet has compiled a four part guide to locking down a Facebook account. The multi-step guide offers insight into every part of the Facebook experience, including some of the lesser known features that allow backdoor entrances into user profiles.
Search Engine Land: Is Facebook Search Inevitable?
In an interesting article for Search Engine Land, Greg Sterling wonders what Facebook has planned for its recently announced 0 million round of funding. After discussing possible tweaks to Internet advertising, Sterling writes that the next possible step for the company would be a proper move into search either through the acquisition of a social search company like Blekko or some further development with current investor Microsoft (and its search engine Bing).
Car Wash Owner Tracks Down (and Friends) Thief Via Facebook
The tech and gadget website Gearlog recounts the unusual story of how one man found justice after a thief stole a TV from his car wash. After learning that a TV was stolen from his business’ bathroom, the car wash owner looked over security tape and saw that the thief had previously paid for his service with a credit card. Using the name on the Credit Card receipt, the owner looked up the robber on Facebook and friended him. The thief, who apparently accepts friend requests from anyone, accepted the request, giving the owner access to the young man’s pictures. Once the owner determined that the thief was indeed the same young man, he offered him one chance to return the TV without police involvement. After the thief deleted the owner as a friend, the owner informed the police who promptly arrested the robber.
ClickZ: What to Expect From Online Privacy in 2011
In an article for the marketing news website ClickZ.com, Kate Kaye breaks down some of the big privacy events of 2010 and analyzes what they might mean for the issue of Internet privacy in 2011. Specifically, Kaye discusses Internet advertising and the likely introduction of stricter privacy laws and regulations, such as the FTC’s “Do Not Track” rule, in the new year.]
Woman Sues Four Companies Over “History Sniffing”
In an article for Forbes, privacy blogger Kashmir Hill writes that a New York woman has filed a federal lawsuit against McDonald’s, CBS, Mazda, and Microsoft for using the advertising agency Interclick to track her online behavior. An Interclick spokesperson said the case has no merit, but similar lawsuits have settled out of court in the past, proving that there may be good money for law firms interested in suing over privacy issues.
