Rumoured Facebook Ad network

[mainlime]

Interesting rumours over at Techcrunch about a Facebook ad network : Facebook’s Social Ad Network: What We (Think We) Know So Far

Basically they're suggesting that Facebook could drop a cookie identifying a particular user which could then be picked up by other sites using the ad platform enabling them to target ads to the user's demographics and Facebook profile.

[Firuze]

What if members of the facebook are not happy about the idea to get caught by the ads because they simply fill their profile? I think if facebook would like to follow a way like this, they need a permission from their users.

[JayCee]

Exactly, all users would (or perhaps already have in the long t&c's) have to agree that there demographical data could be shared with third parties.

If they can sort this out then they are *REALLY* onto something.

[kcheung]

isn't that already the case with regards to adding apps on facebook?

[wackimonki]

Originally Posted by kcheung isn't that already the case with regards to adding apps on facebook?

They are talking about outside of Facebook website/applications. Through facebook's ad network, advertisers can see users' demographics. The advertiser doesn't have to use a Facebook app. It can be anywhere.

That's powerful. I think they're on to a winner.

[lowndsy]

Very powerful, and while it could concern potent demographic data, it's also fairly anonymous, so they could probably get clearance to do it. Since the ads (whatever they turn out to be) would probably be integtrated into a client site adsense style, and probably won't actually integrate with the client site much, it could be argued that the demographic data isn't actually being given out. I would imagine the cookie will contain a machine readable string of values which aren't much use to anyone except an ad script.

What worries me is, if they're using cookies, What is to stop other sites / applications which have nothing to do with the facebook scheme reading or altering that same cookie? You can be sure that even if the cookie is encrypted, some 4 year old will crack it within a few minutes of it being released, and while it won't tell us sensitive things like names, or even ages, if facebook can use it then the data could well be useful to *any* ad network.

[mainlime]

I imagine it'll be done server side. The cookie will contain a hash value (a very long string of apparently random letters and numbers). The javascript on the web site will pass that hash back to Facebook with a request for an ad. Facebook match the hash to a user profile, pick an appropriate ad and send it back to the browser.

Cookies can't be read from the browser unless they are requested from the same domain that set them in the first place. And anyway without being able to query Facebook's backend database all you would get is a very long set of characters.

[dougs]

This is already going on all over the place

behavioral targeting - Google Search

Just ask your favour banner network....never wondered why those banners keep following your round the web......sky do loads of it


Doug

[mainlime]

Behavioural targetting is slightly different. It works on the basis of building up a profile of a user based on their behaviour over time. Social networks on the other hand have access to user-submitted profiles.

As an example, with behavioural targetting you could take a guess at my age based on the sites I visit or which news stories are of interest to me. Using my social network profile saves all that guesswork because I've given you my date of birth.

[dougs]

Agree

But many sites out their already have lots of your data and are using it in such a manner.....eg I do a search for car insurance .....they have your profile now.....and this is already happening.

Doug

[SIMONR85]

thats why MSN have just bought 1% of facebook for 100s of millions to target ads