http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/google-to-delete-identifying-information-in-its-logs-244435.php

Notice that Google is doing a lot things that aren’t in its best interest with that statement. It is going against the grain of what other businesses are doing. Facebook seems to go in the exact opposite direction.

I think both sites pose privacy risks, but Facebook is a bigger threat because it has no other way to really make money, or continue existing. That makes it more desperate. That makes it more dangerous.

1. I think you mean AdSense, not AdWords.

2. Users can opt-out of tracking through a combination of behavior (don’t use Google, et al.) and technology (browser settings, plugins, anonymizers, etc.).

3. To the extent that consumers want to avoid being tracked, there is a business opportunity for supplying such a service. But for it to become pervasive it will have to provide benefits that outweigh the personalization and targeting opportunities supplied by tracking.

4. As I said in my last comment, users can easily opt-out of Beacons.

What would a privacy bill of rights entail? Do you really think a political solution is a better tactic than a technical or behavioral solution?

Still, it’s not hard to avoid - I’ve been blocking third-party cookies for several years, a common browser setting. Most modern browsers also allow URL-based content filtering, which can target services like Google AdSense. There are certainly ethical issues involved here, but options exist.

In any case, I was a bit surprised by Nate’s reaction: “Unfortunately, it’s being done in a ‘you can opt-out’ manner, when it should be ‘you can opt-in’.” And why should Facebook offer you their service with zero compensation from you? I can understand people’s reluctance about the new system, but at the same time, Facebook is a business and their service costs them money. They have to pay the bills somehow.