back to article Yo, mall rats: Facebook and Cisco in Wi-Fi hookup to track your retail, social life

Facebook just got into the consensual Wi-Fi data-pumping game after it inked a deal with networking giant Cisco that will allow businesses to better target people's shopping and social habits. The free content ad network will play swapsies with its users by getting them to agree to hand over their "customer preferences and …

COMMENTS

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  1. Piloti

    ""which in turn will help them do a better job with targeted ads. ""

    The only "good job" with targeted adverts is..... no adverts.

    1. Elmer Phud

      Which is my best profile?

      Depends on which profile you choose to use.

      Maybe its time for another two or three FB profiles depending on where I'm going to shop.

      T'internet is becoming like Mr Benn and the fancy dress shop -- who will I be today?

      1. Black Rat

        Re: Which is my best profile?

        This month I'll be logging into 'The Cloud' wifi network with the name.. Dr Anton Phibes

        1. ecofeco Silver badge

          Re: Which is my best profile?

          "This month I'll be logging into 'The Cloud' wifi network with the name.. Dr Anton Phibes"

          Oh dear.

    2. Aldous

      If you are not paying a fee for a service

      ...then you are the fee or alternatively TANSTAAFL

      Don't like it, don't use it. Targeted ad's are there so that facebook et all can run their DC's etc. Doesn't make them right but you (currently) have a choice to avoid using these services, it's not mandatory to post your every action live using whatever wifi is available.

  2. Annihilator

    Thanks

    I'll continue to use my mobile connection to do what it was defined to do, thanks. Or use the existing free wifi that shops and shopping centres already provide.

    Targetted ads? Seriously? I bought a Velux blind about 2 months ago. I've had nothing but ads for Velux blinds ever since (locked down machine, no adblock etc). Because, y'know, buying that blind is going to be such a regular experience that it's good I see ads for it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Thanks

      " Or use the existing free wifi that shops and shopping centres already provide."

      Do you think that shopping centres are not harvesting data about you for commercial purposes?

  3. Kubla Cant
    Headmaster

    This solution, coined CMX for Facebook Wi-Fi...

    Can anybody suggest what this means? Is "coined" supposed to be a hip alternative to "called"? If so, are quotation marks optional when you use it?

    1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

      To "coin" name for something is well-established English usage. Not sure they've conjugated it correctly here, mind. Their words, not El Reg's.

      1. Steve the Cynic

        "Not sure they've conjugated it correctly here, mind."

        No, they haven't. To coin a name (or other word) is to create it. The word they were probably looking for is "termed" or "called".

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          They were actually looking for the phrase 'a made up term, that sounds a bit trendy as it has an 'X' in it, created in the vain hope that it might catch on and sound like a real thing we can charge for rather than just a way to get as much data on people as possible and sell it on. Also it sounds better than "personal data pimping"'

  4. edge_e
    Unhappy

    What's really sad is

    There's so many people out there who'll think this is fantastic.

  5. Spoonsinger
    Coat

    "In a world gone mad, we will not spank the monkey, but the monkey will spank us. "

    errm, ok different film. (Same characters though), IGMC.

  6. silent_count

    free content ad network

    I always parse that phrase as "content free ad network". Is it just me?

  7. Tromos
    Mushroom

    Give them data.

    Anybody up for a fork of Android? Features to be included: Spoofing MAC address and geolocation data, randomly selecting user ID and contacts from a pool, random web searches so the real ones become statistically insignificant, etc. They want data? Give them data, lots of it, all useless crap.

  8. chrisp1141

    Stop using facebook!

    If you care about privacy, then you will stop using facebook. If you really care about privacy, then you won't use google either. Where to go? Try Ravetree, DuckDuckGo, HushMail, etc. They offer great services and they don't violate our privacy.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Re: Stop using facebook!

      Or switch back to using a phone without a data connection?

      A little difficult to slurp your data without a connection isn't it?

  9. Levente Szileszky

    "Jay: Dude, you'se a mad chick magnet."

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113749/quotes

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