I know this diary isn't political, but deals with internet privacy, and we are all on a blog where most of us are anonymous. I'm sure many here are members of Facebook. Facebook looks to be embarking on a brave new world where all websites are part on one big social network.
For Facebook users, be aware that Facebook can now share you info on several websites if you are logged into Facebook and click a "like" or "recommend" button on the outside website. If you click these buttons, this information may be posted to all of your friends, and your friends may see your likes when they visit the outside website. This may be problematic for those with a huge friend list that contains business contacts, frenemies, family, etc.
SFGate:
The blue "Like" button, a plug-in for Web sites that comes with a thumbs-up logo, would allow greater expansion of the Palo Alto firm's platform for sharing and networking. Or as one analyst said, it's part of Facebook's "crusade of colonization."
snip
"The open-graph protocol really makes it easy to make any page a Facebook page," Bret Taylor, Facebook's director of platform, said during a news conference.
As an example, Taylor showed the crowd of developers gathered at the San Francisco Design Center how a Facebook member can visit CNN.com and, without logging on, see which friends also had liked the same story.
In another example, the Like button for a movie on the film information site IMDb.com created a Facebook status update and added the movie to the member's profile list of interests.
Supposedly, all Facebook users are already opted-in to 3 sites: Yelp, Pandora, and Microsoft Docs.com. From a Yelp webpage:
First, it's important to note that anyone who doesn't wish to take advantage of this new personalization feature can easily opt out, either here on Yelp or via Facebook. Starting today, you will see a blue notice at the top of any Yelp page with your Facebook profile picture, name, and an opportunity to turn off the new settings.
I've already opted-out of this service on Facebook, so I don't see the messages on Yelp or Pandora. Supposedly, Pandora will start playing music you have listed on your Facebook profile even if you are not logged into Pandora. Perhaps other users can report what they see. "Facebook everywhere" is spooky to me, but others may enjoy the experience of sharing music and other interests with friends.
To opt-out:
Account → Privacy Settings → Applications and Websites → uncheck "Instant Personalization"