How do I block Facebook without breaking web surfing?

[Walter Dnes]

On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 12:08:00PM +0200, Ori Idan wrote
> Out of curiosity, why block facebook?

  Because they're tracking everybody they can, *REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR
NOT THEY'RE MEMBERS OF FACEBOOK*.  See the article at
http://www.thinq.co.uk/2010/11/30/facebooks-button-tracking-you/ for an
explanation of how it works.  And I quote...

> "However, when a site is visited which includes Facebook Connect,
> this application issues a cookie. From that moment on, visits to
> other websites which display the 'Like' button result in a request
> for the Like button from the Facebook server including the cookie."
> 
> Which means Facebook has swiped another batch of valuable data
> without asking for permission.
> 
> When you consider that 40 million unique visitors ended up on a site
> using Facebook Connect in a single month in March 2009, and that
> these particular cookies have a two-year expiry date, that ads up
> to a lot of user data flying around looking for a home.
> 
> "Based on the cookie, the entire web behaviour of an individual
> user can be followed," says Roosendaal. "Every site that includes
> some kind of Facebook content will initiate an interaction with the
> Facebook servers, disclosing information about the visited web site
> together with the cookie."
> 
> So you find yourself dragging all of this invisible data round with
> you like a piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe, even though
> you have never even been to Facebook, let alone signed up.

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes-SLHPyeZ9y/tg9hUCZPvPmw at public.gmane.org>
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