back to article Facebook: 'We didn't patent stalking logged-off users'

Facebook has rebuffed claims that a patent it was recently granted describes the ability to track logged-out users. A company spokeswoman told The Register that the “Communicating Information in a Social Network System about Activities from Another Domain” patent, which was granted by the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) …

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  1. Usually Right or Wrong
    Facepalm

    I must be thick or something

    'creating social experiences across the web without logging into Facebook repeatedly'

    When I worked on real computers and web sites, that meant being logged off. This web 3.0 stuff is way beyond me.

    1. Andy ORourke
      IT Angle

      Isn't this more like single sign on?

      Ok, on a much larger scale (Internet) but I sign into my works intranet once and I then don't have to sign in to the many disparate intranet sites that would otherwise require me to authenticate.

      I'm not saying its good or bad, just asking, that's all

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can using two browsers save me?

    If I run Google Chrome, say, just for FB, and leave myself logged into FB in that, but I then do all my surfing in a different browser - FF or Opera, say - will that stop FB from being told where I surf?

    1. Yet Another Commentard

      In the alternative, ditch facebook.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      yes but you need a third browser

      Opera or FF say to actually pay for anything online to avoid the TLS/SSL argentinian demo'ed BEAST encrypted-banking-cookie cross-site-javascript-pushed cred-slurping.

      I think we're running out of browsers again! or do we need a bucket of VMs each running Netscape??

    3. BoldMan

      Just install Ghostery which will block all the tracking shit that sites put into their pages - even ElReg with DoubleClick on this page for example...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Portable apps?

        Wouldn't be too hard to batch it to start clean each time either. I haven't used them in this manner or for this purpose before, but can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work.

  3. Gotno iShit Wantno iShit

    A unicorn shies away from an approaching patent lawyer

    Shame, a head down charge would have a much more beneficial outcome.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Holmes

    For the uspto that seems like a remarkably short time to grant a patent unless it's scope really is limited to just facebook's platform.

    Holmes because something needs more investigation.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm glad you included that picture of a unicorn.

    I had a completely different definition in mind. One which I'd certainly pay for some hunting of. And it's something that Facebook could probably do with 10 minutes of data mining.

    /joking

    /anon anyway...

  6. MJI Silver badge

    I got told off for

    putting

    127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

    127.0.0.1 www.facebook.co.uk

    in the hosts file on the family computer.

    Had to block a huge number of others though which are tracking.

  7. Saul Dobney

    Straight from the Big Brother manual

    How on earth did this get to be a patent?

    On the other hand Facebook aren't trying to hide their intentions...

    "In one embodiment, a method is described for tracking information about the activities of users of a social networking system while on another domain ... logging the actions taken on the third-party website in the social networking system ... correlating the logged actions with one or more advertisements."

    "the actions taken by users can be correlated to the vast array of information attributes that the social network system maintains in order to improve analytical and targeting processes"

    "...the user can be informed of online activities that the user's friends have taken outside the social network system ... Social ads thus allow advertisers to enjoy the credibility that consumers naturally give to their friends through word of mouth advertising"

    "One benefit of mixing the newsfeed stories and the social ads in a single list presented to a user is that there may be little or no differentiation between advertising and general information that a user would want to know"

    "The user's experience can be integrated between the third party website and the social network system such that the information is used in both domains"

    "...If the user clicks on a particular friend, the social network system may communicate to the third party website a list of items that the friend has purchased"

    1. Graham Marsden
      Big Brother

      Or, to put it more succinctly...

      ... Facebook is Watching You!

  8. Andrew Jones 2
    Flame

    not more patent stuff!

    I can only assume they will now be attempting to sue Google which also allows you to interact with their service without "repeatedly logging in".

    I assume this patent simply means that a user can click "like" on any domain across the web which has the iframe or javascript version of the "like" button installed on its pages.

    In which case - a user can also "+1" a page or send a tweet from a page that is not directly related to either service too..... contact the lawers in 3....2.....1.....

  9. Bradley Hardleigh-Hadderchance
    Big Brother

    @BoldMan

    ------------------------------------------------

    Just install Ghostery which will block all the tracking shit that sites put into their pages - even ElReg with DoubleClick on this page for example...

    -------------------------------------------------

    How strange, I have Ghostery installed and working and no DoubleClicks showing up here.

    I think they are probably blocked by my Hosts file.

    However, Ghostery finds the 'Facebook Social Plugins' that I *Think* (don't know) may be doing the tracking via the 'Like' jobbie, because of the rationale that 'Like' is included in said blocked URI.

    Did Ghostery not show up that particular 'bug' embedded in the Reg's pages, BoldMan?

    Am I missing something? Is it just me?

    "Curiouser and curiouser." Said Alice.

    "How deep does the irony have to run before we are drowning in it." Said Bill Drummond.

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