Aug 12 2020: How Facebook and Other Sites Manipulate Your Privacy Choices

Back in Aug 12 2020: How Facebook and Other Sites Manipulate Your Privacy Choices

Facebook's manipulative tactics, known as "Privacy Zuckering," are still prevalent on social media, despite the platform's previous scandals and fines. These tactics, along with other dark patterns, such as misleading language and manipulative design, are used to coerce users into giving up their privacy.

Dark patterns, like nagging and obstruction, are particularly insidious when it comes to privacy controls. These tactics are not confined to social media but are widespread across the internet. The cognitive dissonance between the tech industry's claims about privacy and their actual practices is a cause for concern.

Fast forward to Nov 22 2023: Facebook watches your teens online as they prep for college. How a Meta pixel pulls it off

Facebook's tracking tool, the Meta Pixel, silently collects and transmits information from websites to target customers with ads on Facebook and Instagram. This tool allows businesses to gather data on their customers' browsing habits and behavior, enabling them to advertise to those customers later on social media.

The Markup's testing revealed that every site visited by a high school student was tracked by the Meta Pixel, raising concerns about online privacy. This tracking tool has also been found on hospital websites, telehealth companies, tax filing websites, and suicide hotline websites, compromising users' sensitive information.

What are the potential implications and consequences of Facebook's tracking tool, the Meta Pixel, on the privacy and personal information of internet users?