Recently, facebook launched a new ad program called Facebook Beacon, with much fanfare. First, it failed to elicit the expected positive response from the media. Then immediately after the launch, the tech blogosphere was full of news about how Facebook Beacon is intruding into user’s privacy and a way to block it in Firefox. Since then, there was a whole lot of negative press about this facebook ad program. MoveOn.org has launched an online petition and a facebook group to force facebook’s hand in this case. My opinion about privacy nightmare is similar to many others in the tech media. I want Facebook Beacon to be opt-in rather than opt-out system. This approach of facebook is akin to spammers sending spam emails with an option to opt-out rather than getting the recipient’s permission in advance. But, Facebook Beacon is not the only nightmare for the facebook users.

Facebook has now added an option in the application settings which allows users to decide whether they want to receive an email from application developer or not. Earlier, application developers could send emails to users without an option for the user to opt-out. Under such a scenario, this new feature to opt-out should be a welcome feature. Unfortunately, this is going to turn into a nightmare for those people who had already installed hundreds of applications in their facebook profile. There is no easy way to opt-out (AFAIK) and the users are forced to change the application settings one by one. An user with hundreds of applications is going to spend a lot of time just opting out of this email option. Why can’t facebook keep “opt-out” as default option and ask users to opt-in in case if they want to receive emails from the application developers. The way facebook is forcing users to opt-out manually than making it as a default option reminds me of Microsoft and Real Networks of the previous era. I thought we have moved to a new era in which users control what they want than being forced to use what the software companies want. The actions of facebook only confirms that we are still in those dark ages. It is time for them to realize that the companies that forced users into unwanted options have either given up on such tactics or totally lost out in the market.