Study Reveals Facebook May Be Outing Gay Users To Advertisers
source: http://techland.com/2010/10/21/so-much-for-privacy-study-reveals-facebook-may-be-outing-gay-...
-
-
- Future_America
- added this
A new study from Microsoft Research India and Max Planck Institute for Software Systems shows that companies are taking gender preferences into account when posting their ads on Facebook. Though that is completely logical, they also found out whether or not you reveal your sexual orientation on your profile, companies still somehow have access to the knowledge and are using it to their advantage.
The researchers set up profiles for straight men, straight women, gay men and lesbians. Gay men and lesbians were shown specific ads targeted toward their presumed lifestyle, but these same ads were not shown to straight individuals. Some neutral-sounding ads are only shown to gay users, which concerned the team because these seemingly innocent items could potentially be used as a barometer to judge a user's sexual preference.
For example, if a person has not revealed this information on their Facebook profile, companies could show them a slew of straight and gay targeted advertising that seems to be for everyone. Users that click on these hidden "gay-themed" ads would inadvertently be notifying the company that they might be homosexual, in essence outing that person.
More @ Link
The researchers set up profiles for straight men, straight women, gay men and lesbians. Gay men and lesbians were shown specific ads targeted toward their presumed lifestyle, but these same ads were not shown to straight individuals. Some neutral-sounding ads are only shown to gay users, which concerned the team because these seemingly innocent items could potentially be used as a barometer to judge a user's sexual preference.
For example, if a person has not revealed this information on their Facebook profile, companies could show them a slew of straight and gay targeted advertising that seems to be for everyone. Users that click on these hidden "gay-themed" ads would inadvertently be notifying the company that they might be homosexual, in essence outing that person.
More @ Link
