Comments on: Facebook: Our targeted ads aren't creepy

In a statement prepared for a House hearing on behavioral advertising, the social network highlights the privacy controls that members have over their personal information.

[thisnamestoolong]

I am so tired of everyone talking about privacy on Facebook -- there is none!! You don't have to have a Facebook page, and if you do, you are going out of your way to make that information public! That is precisely the point! Has our society as a whole gone mad?

[loose_screw]

Agreed, just don't put stuff out there that you don't want people to know. There is no such thing as privacy on the internet.

[zclayton2]

Not mad, just collectively brain dead. if you put the onformation on the page, why would you then try to calim privacy over it? I have a facebook page, I don't put stuff on it that I don't want shared around.

[todd3617]

I don't see a problem with the ad system facebook has. The ads are based on what you put in on your page. On my page it says I like Lost. So I get lost ads. Who cares!

[calculatorwatch]

targeted ads never bother me, in fact, i kindof enjoy it when gmail misinterprets what you are talking about and gives you targeted ads that are completely unrelated

there is one exception though: when i'm single every ad facebook gives me is for one of those dating sites or a "meet sexy singles" thing. 1st of all, i know i'm single thanks for rubbing it in my face facebook, 2nd can't they target me with different ads based on the fact that i never click on those?

[leliathomas]

People are often very unrealistically frightened when it comes to online advertisements. The only thing you should be frightened of when it comes to online ads is going insane from seeing all the ********. (Tip: Use Firefox. Download Adblock Plus. Note, though, you sadly have to disable it to use FB.) Even if there were real privacy concerns--of which there aren't, really--people really need to wake up, be realistic and realize how unimportant most everyone is. Who cares if some random paper-pushing drone has some information on you, an unimportant stranger among many? I digress.

What gets me riled up about Facebook is how poorly it does advertise to me. I am engaged, and boy does Facebook know it. HERE, HAVE A WEDDING. HERE, LOSE WEIGHT NOW SO YOU CAN FIT INTO THAT WEDDING DRESS, CHUBBY. HERE, BUY THESE INVITATIONS. HERE, RINGS. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE PLANNING A PARTY! And so and so on. I've taken to marking the "lose weight" ones as offensive (for the record, I'm a skinny chick), as the whole emotive junk used in them is disgusting. ("Fit into the dress for your lover")

Facebook's ads are just as poorly targeted as all the rest, really, because they can't judge much about people, excepting hard facts. For that reason, FB can advertise wedding and wedding-related things to me, but it undoubtedly struggles when it gets to my other, abnormal profile entries. For the scripts, this is confusing, and I get advertised a lot of random crap because of it.

Oh well. I'm on Twitter mostly these days. Facebook Connect is nice, though....

[leliathomas]

I do so hate being censored, CNET! Since apparently this site's for kids, I'll revise: "bull honky."

[Nancy R]

www.savejordan.net has been closed down TWICE by EX-PARTE court order and has fought for two years in court and the owner, Nancy Rolfe is currently under the threat of incarceration. There is no kiddie porn or juvenile court prive documents on the site. When is C-NET going to do a story on this case!!! Facebook should not have to answer to anyone about their advertising. They OWN the site. If anyone doesn't like their advertising they also have the freedom to find a new place to post their info. Our forefathers fought for our freedom of speech. Everyone should be fighting for their first amendment rights for all. Today it is www.savejordan.net and Facebook. Tomorrow it will be the rest of America if we are not careful. The first Amendment issue must be fought for zealously. The fact that Facebook being forced in a position to defend their 'own site' is a travesty and against the 1st amendment?

[Orion Blastar]

Google for "adblock plus" for Firefox and "adblock pro" for Intertnet Explorer and install those add-ons to remove the annoying Facebook advertising. Some of them go to web sites that install a virus or have some "get rich quick using Google" scam that they won't give you the details to how to get rich unless you pay for a membership or books etc.