That Bridge Was Burnt
Facebook recently announced two separate expansions to its ad network: 1) One is called Atlas, by which advertisers can use Facebook’s extensive knowledge of individuals to place better ads on other websites. 2) The other scheme is called Audience Network and is only meant for mobile devices. If an advertiser buys an ad on Facebook, then Facebook will display those ads not only the Facebook app itself but also inside other apps on your phone. Ellis Hamburger describes it nicely: brace yourselves for a world where “the ads you see inside your apps might get creepier or “more relevant””. Now before you bring out your torches and pitchforks and burn Facebook at the stake, consider why exactly you are so horrified. Since Facebook is free to its users, surely they need to make money in some way, right? How many would join a paid social network that promised that it wouldn’t track and sell data about you? That alternati...