You knew that, right? How else would Facebook know to serve that panda video straight into your newsfeed, and leave your college friend’s ill-informed rant about Pacific trade deals in the dark bowels of its servers?

Facebook knows what you like. It knows what you don’t like. It probably knows whether you have been naughty or nice, and will be selling that data to Santa this Christmas season.

This bothers many people, especially since Facebook keeps expanding the list of things it knows about you, and the ways it is willing to use that data to make money.

There’s an old saying in advertising: If you can’t figure out what’s being sold, then you’re the product. “Free” products and services usually aren’t; someone has to finance them, and if they’re not charging you for your use, then they’re charging someone else to use you.

Privacy matters, but privacy is not free.

bbabo.Net