Facebook quizzes pose privacy threat according to the ACLU

You know those oh-so-popular Facebook quizzes that tell you what European country or Sopranos' character you're most like?  Or how your I.Q. compares to others on Facebook?  Admit it - you've taken at least one or two.  Well, before you take another one, consider this warning from the ACLU that these quizzes potentially provide their authors with a lot of very personal data about you including everything from your sexual preferences to your political affiliation.  Worried?  You should be:

It is difficult to know how third-party app developers use the data, which can be collected and sold for marketing and advertising campaigns, [an ACLU representative] said. Private investigators and political entities are known to create dossiers using technologies that automatically scour the Web. An individual bombarded by spam, for example, may have been targeted because of an affiliation posted on Facebook. "There is no way to know" [the ACLU] said. 

To warn the public about the privacy threats inherent in Facebook quizzes, the ACLU created its own called "What Do Facebook Quizzes Know About You?" [you need to be logged onto Facebook to access it].

It delivers its answer by opening a window that scrolls biographical data, attributed comments and photos. More than 8,000 participants have taken the ACLU's quiz since it was quietly released a few days ago, the ACLU said Wednesday. The group hopes to prompt Facebook to upgrade its privacy default settings for its users, now numbering more than 250 million.

You can read the full story here courtesy of SiliconValley.com

Hat tip to the BNA Internet Law News

(jbl)