Change Your Facebook Settings Or Else Updated
UPDATE 7/19/09 5:43 p.m.
Since my original post, thanks to the many comments here and elsewhere, I’ve learned that the issue is not with Facebook. The culprit is a third-party app developer – likely the quiz app. Nonetheless, changing the settings as described below, is still a good idea for most people.
Today is Sunday. Since Thursday, I’ve been unable to update this blog or respond to comments here (though I have responded via email). I have used my posterous account to have an additional voice. For example,
Thanks for stopping by. While you’re here, take a look around. You can learn more about me here.
*****
Or else your husband may just see a Facebook ad with your picture in it advertising hot singles in your area. I’m not joking. Not too long ago, my husband Peter had this ad appear on his Facebook page. Good thing we both have a sense of humor!
If you don’t want to show up in your friends’ FaceBook ads, go to:
- Settings
- Privacy
- News Feed and Wall
- Click on “Facebook Ads”
- In the “Appearance in Facebook Ads” box, click “no one” (unless, of course, you actually want to tell your spouse to check out hot singles)
I changed that setting right away. :-)
What about you? Have you received any funny Facebook ads?
July 13th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Depspite having three degrees and no children, I keep getting ads urging “Moms” to “go back to school and earn a degree.”
July 13th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I know – some of the ads are so annoying!
July 13th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
[...] for example Cheryl Smith who found out she was being used as advertising bait on Facebook for “Hot Singles.” Flattering, perhaps, but she didn’t like [...]
July 13th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Good for you Cheryl. Hope your hubby finds LOTS of hot singles just like you. :)
Wait, I mean, thanks for sharing this tip. It’s great advice for all of us who use Facebook. I’m off to change my settings right now.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I personally see placing someone’s picture into an ad without their knowldege in this way as an abuse of trust. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sign up to Facebook to be part of their advertising system.
The fact the ads appear to be quoting the unsuspecting person with things they never said. This is an ethical violation in advertising as well as a legal risk. If not reversed by Facebook will contribute to it’s destruction.
July 14th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Hmm, I saw nothing on the Facebook Ads page…in Firefox…had to log in on IE to even see that setting.
July 14th, 2009 at 6:32 am
[...] I told you why you might want to change your privacy setting for Facebook ads. Today, I thought it might be helpful to review some of the other privacy settings on [...]
July 14th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Unbelievable. For a site that prides itself on users privacy, they have no problems lately exploiting it’s user base for money.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
What really gets me about this is not just them doing it but that they state: “These respect all privacy rules.”
Since when is it respecting privacy rules to use my face (or your) face to pimp dating services to my friends. Not to mention, that they are doing this using peoples profiles who are marked as married or in relationships too.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
[...] image to pimp dating services and other adverts to your friends? Neither did I! At least not until Cheryl Smith wrote about what happened to her and her husband. Or else your husband may just see a Facebook ad with your picture in it advertising hot singles in [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 1:44 am
“Imagine your husband is on his Facebook profile one day, and he spots this ad for “hot singles in your area.”
Now imagine that the face in the ad is your face.
PHAIL.”
While we’re on the subject of Facebook ads, anyone else getting annoyed with those little ads in the apps that look like inboxes telling you you have unread messages and that your friends think you’re dumb?
July 16th, 2009 at 2:35 am
@Angela It isn’t a Firefox problem, it’s an AdBlock problem… if you want to see the option you have to turn AdBlock off
July 16th, 2009 at 5:30 am
Great, thanks for this, I never would have known about this and there is no way I want to appear in a facebook ad :D
Thanks so much,
Niamh.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:37 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 5:42 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Eh no, not at all correct. Your husband installed a Quiz app which accessed his photos (which he gave permission for)at install time, the Quiz app ran that ad then, not Facebook. The screenshot shows the ad is running inside the Quiz App. If you change your Facebook settings, that ad type will still occur if the Quiz App is installed because your husband is still granting permission to use his photos.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:50 am
actually this is likely from a dodgy application rather than this FB setting; whenever you install an application it can (and many do) access all your profile information, including photos. Some applications then use these details in adverts to other users. For instance I’ve had ads telling me my partner’s mother has a crush on me, because she installed some dumb application.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Woah!!
“I changed that setting right away.” me too!!
July 16th, 2009 at 6:06 am
@haward yeend
you’ve got a point. but shouldn’t FB have a clause where it forbids apps from using it in making ‘accusations’ ?
July 16th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I’ve changed mine, I don’t qualify as a hot single though :P
Kunal.janu
July 16th, 2009 at 6:29 am
popurls.com // popular today…
story has entered the popular today section on popurls.com…
July 16th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Is astounding that the FB plugin architecture allows this kind of profile ‘raiding’
July 16th, 2009 at 6:34 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 6:51 am
It was ‘no one’ by default in my profile. I guess they changed it after your post.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:54 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 6:56 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 6:59 am
That’s funny, it seems this was off by default on my facebook page… Thanks for the heads-up though :)
July 16th, 2009 at 7:21 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 7:29 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 7:32 am
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
All the more reason not to do Quizzes (which are nothing more than glorified applications that you give access to all of the info you would rather keep private) on Facebook. As if phishing wasn’t a good enough reason…
July 16th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/ch…; [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
[...] game came about from this article i read about how Facebook is already inserting our profile photos (and other photos) into Facebook [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
All privacy issues aside, it must be pretty cool to be officially Hot.
Way to go!
July 17th, 2009 at 12:42 am
[...] à vous si vous êtes utilisateur de Facebook ! En effet, cette blogueuse a eu la mauvaise surprise de voir sa photo utilisée sous forme de publicité dans Facebook pour [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 5:04 am
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 7:16 am
[...] is why. They already had plans to put their grubby hands on it and use it as free advertisement. Here’s the lady in the pic [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 8:41 am
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Thanks so much for sharing this! While I dont have any pictures of myself on Facebook that would be useful, and I dont think I would be considered ‘hot”, its important to protect privacy – FB is wickedly sneaky and underhanded!
July 17th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Thanks for letting us know about this – I had no idea.
And yeah, FB is great, but they’re really messing up—often—when it comes to violating trust. Too bad; I hope they figure it out.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Thanks for the info and the great discussion. I usually stay away from fb apps, its one way of avoiding stuff like this from happening. inowadays it seems that fb is how myspace was when I left it a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed the simplicity offered when it was initially launched. Oh well we’ll just have to wait for a simpler tool…oh wait that’s what twitter is for. Lets hope it doesn’t become another fb or worse, myspace.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:10 am
[...] angesprochene “Peter” zum Beispiel war zufällig der Ehemann der auf dem Photo abgebildeten Cheryl — beide nahmen es mit Humor (statt Facebook auf seelische Grausamkeit zu verklagen oder so) und [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
It is a good thing your hubby has a good sense of humor! Mine doesn’t even want on FB :) Thanks for pointing this out though! I hadn’t seen any “funny” ads, but it just doesn’t seem right!
July 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
That is too funny! But it’s serious enough that I am taking your advice and changing my settings :)
July 17th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Karen, 2 degrees and no kids, here and I get the same ad.
Cheryl, none of my friends have come up in dating ads but one of my guy friends – a 20 something with perfect skin, popped up in an ad for a wrinkle cream
July 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
[...] Man’s Wife Featured Facebook Dating Ad Jump to Comments A man was surfing Facebook and noticed an ad on his screen (you know, where the annoying “Lose 10 lb in one week on the Angelina Jolie diet” ads are?) that said “Hot singles are waiting for you!!.” This would have been normal, accept for the fact that the ad featured a picture of this guy’s wife! See her original blog post about it here. [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
[...] Facebook se met donc à utiliser nos infos personnelles pour son propre profit, certes assez insolite comme moyen de s’enrichir mais bon. C’est le cas de cette blogeuse. [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Well, I guess I’d rather my husband see my face in a “Hot Singles” ad than have one of his other female friends’ pictures show up there :)
July 17th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
What a funny/crazy story! Thanks for sharing.
July 17th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
[...] hadn’t left her status as single and no she hadn’t signed up for Match.com or similar. Cheryl, like the hundreds of millions of other Facebook users had no idea of a setting that Facebook [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
[...] http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Joining the herd of grateful readers seems futile. However, I didn’t want to just read the article without thanking you. This is exactly why corporations (code-word for “middle-aged white guys in suits”) are not to be trusted. Boy, that’s a lot of syllables for just saying “thanks”.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Interesting question as to whether it is Facebook or an app that did it. My pet hate is those adds which specifically pick up half a dozen friends’ userpics to try and goad you into doing an IQ test. I wonder if the change of setting will stop that?
July 17th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Thanks, I deeply distrust FB on privacy. They even require the one thing they can’t easily get – your cell phone # – to “verify” your account for comment leaving. Far too much power is being given a secretive private company.
July 17th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads and then making [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads and then making [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads and then making [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads and then making [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Wow! Thanks for sharing! I’ve fixed mine :-)
July 17th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads and then making [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
[...] but a 3rd party. In any case, if you dont want your face turning up advertising incontinence pants, take a look at your privacy settings [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
[...] a consultant who blogs at Culture Smith Consulting, raised the alarm today after her husband was served up an ad for “Hot Singles” complete with her picture! Continue reading Facebook now lets advertisers use your pictureFacebook now lets advertisers use [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
[...] FB page offering a “hot singles” date with his own wife. Fortunately for him, his wife Cheryl Smith (pictured in the ad on the right) understands technology and both have a good sense of humour. To [...]
July 17th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I strongly suspect that FB monkeys around with one’s privacy settings each time they “update” the FB application – I went over mine with a fine toothed comb when I first signed up (being a very private person) and twice since then, but each time I check the privacy settings, they’ve added NEW settings and most of them seem to have reverted to the default “let everyone see everything” setting – if they are going to do that, they should be required to notify members “hey we’ve updated the privacy settings to give you more control, but guess what? we set them all back to no privacy whatsoever so you need to go review them again”…..as long as I know about it I can deal with it…..as it is now I’m going to set a reminder to check them weekly…..starting to dislike FB!
July 17th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
That is really funny! Yes it is a good thing … if it had been an untrusting relationship that could have been a disaster.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Thankfully he knew how to do a screen capture, so we could laugh. Technology at its finest in the old Marketing Dept.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I suspect that facebook, one of the quizzes, or applications has some clause buried deep in it’s terms of use where you agree to allow them to use your image. If they do not have such a clause, they’ve committed the tort of appropriation–use of one’s name or picture for commercial advantage without permission.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:01 am
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 1:15 am
I saw a Facebook ad that read “Pinecones. In glass. The want is real.” They were advertising just that — pinecones in glass jars. Very odd.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:20 am
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 1:22 am
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 2:47 am
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 3:46 am
[...] he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith.Is this not the same Facebook that just went back and retooled a TOS that users found [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 4:31 am
[...] Image: Culture Smith Consulting [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Thanks for the advice. But now I go to ‘Facebook Ads’ tab and find no options under it.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:09 am
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 8:15 am
I had to come back to the original article and thank you for your post and sense of humor. I learned of this FB third-party trick the hard way. My picture was posted in an ad for my sister, who then posted a comment in her status on FB, and everyone got to share a great laugh – after a collective: Ewwwww. Cheers!
July 18th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Thanks so much I had no idea!
July 18th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Hahahahha thanks I didnt know about that :) funny though
July 18th, 2009 at 11:37 am
[...] Mathews at Download Squad noted a problem where a Facebook user found his wife’s photo selling a singles’ ad to him. Mathews then provided steps to get one’s photo off [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
[...] All You Couples Who Use Facebook Suggest you follow these instructions. Change Your Facebook Settings Or Else | CultureSmith Consulting __________________ You can’t have a good marriage with a serial killer, that’s for sure. [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Lucky you both had a sense of humor about it? Only an idiot wouldn’t understand those types of ads.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
OMG! I love your style. This is a thank you gift for being a friend http://youtubevideo101.blogspot.com
July 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
[...] on his Facebook page for a dating website with his wife’s picture in. The screenshot of the wife’s blog shows the ad and the whole [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Hey, at least they called you a “hot” single. Take it as a compliment.
July 18th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
BTW, and FWIW, I use Firefox and found it fine. Thank you so much for this post!
July 18th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
[...] how Cheryl Smith of culturesmith consulting found her face in a singles ad directed at her husband (pictured). She told Adland: Not too long [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
[...] a Facebook, vaya a Settings, uego Privacy, News Feed and Wall, Facebook Ads y escoja ‘no one’. [culturesmith] Comparta esta nota [...]
July 18th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
This is disturbing… I knew that they could use images for promotional purposes but “Hot Singles?”
July 19th, 2009 at 2:26 am
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 3:13 am
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 6:35 am
[...] See, according to Facebook it’s all part of the acceptable use policy you agreed to. No, I’m not kidding. That red box above contains an ad that was displayed to Peter Smith, who no doubt agrees that the woman in the image is hot — although he suspected she wasn’t single. You guessed it, that’s his wife – consultant Cheryl Smith. [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 7:16 am
If you have any issues about privacy you should just not use Facebook
July 19th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I block *ALL* facebook apps unless they are from a company I have at least heard of, and one which has some modicum of respect for privacy.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
[...] video of my talk below, I make that comment if you start watching at 4:40). Guess what: Facebook is now doing just that. You can opt out, but the default setting on Facebook allows them to use your photos as [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
[...] permit (or not) the social network to use your image in advertisements. Cheryl tells you how in her blogpost:If you don’t want to show up in your friends’ FaceBook ads, go to: SettingsPrivacyNews Feed and [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
[...] offered the following directions on how to change your photo settings in her blog. She suggests going to Settings >> Privacy >> News Feed and Wall >> Facebook Ads [...]
July 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
[...] interesting story about a husband finding the photo of his wife as a hot single in his area in a Facebook advertisement – better check how your photos are [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 7:36 am
[...] on. Your profile photos can be sold by Facebook or used by it for adverts. This is how blogger Cheryl Smith found her photo used for a “hot singles” ad on Facebook. So if you want to prevent your photos from being used for ads you have to change these settings [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 10:38 am
[...] The funny part is that the “hot single” featured in the ad is actually the user’s wife, who documented the story on her own blog. It’s worth pointing out that ads that utilize your friends aren’t new on [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Cheryl, this is excellent advice. I posted a link on my FB page so friends can read it. Will also tweet the link. Thx so much!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
[...] Most of us are aware of the dangers associated with posting lewd and inappropriate pictures to Facebook. But what about the many family friendly photos you upload to your profile? Thanks to a relatively new Facebook decision, not even your well-thought-out profile pictures are safe. Cheryl Smith, a consultant who blogs at Culture Smith Consulting, raised the alarm today after her husband was served up an ad for “Hot Singles” complete with her picture! [...]
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:08 am
[...] Smith discovered, the hard way, that the Facebook privacy default for “Facebook ads” is it’s ok to put my profile in an ad for my friends to see. Huh? Facebook occasionally pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user’s [...]
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:38 am
[...] the Oprah Effect) but had no idea I would ever experience it myself. Until last week when I wrote this Facebook Ads post that created quite a stir. My post generated subsequent posts on Mashable, Digg, Reddit, [...]
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:43 am
[...] hot singles today. Luckily both members of the married couple have a good sense of humor, as the wife blogged about it. (Note: page worked earlier today but hasn’t for the past two [...]
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Thank you this is very important and valuable information. I have made the changes on my FB account. I always wondered where those pic came from.
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Thanks! I finally get to read this… it was unavailable a few days ago… haha.
July 24th, 2009 at 6:48 am
I can’t get mine to work! I get all the way to FB ads and there is no choice for NO ONE or sny drop down menu or anything…. same for my husband’s account…. PLEASE HELP!!!
July 24th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Lauren,
Thanks for stopping by. It other users have experienced a similar issue. Some suggested it might be a firefox issue and to try safari or Internet Explorer. Others suggested that if you disable your adblock setting, that will work. Try those out and let me know if they don’t work. We’ll call in some folks who are more technically savvy than me! Thanks again for stopping by.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Your original comments have become an independent meme and is now sweeping through Facebook as “Facebook has agreed to let 3rd parties use your photos in advertising without your permission”. Sigh.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:57 am
It’s always good to have control over where your pictures can show up, even if for something a lot less innocent than hot singles. Thanks for the heads-up.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:22 am
[...] people have emailed me this morning to let me know the Facebook Ads story has turned into a Facebook meme (rhymes w/cream). A friend in Florida received the note from a [...]
July 24th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
[...] These respect all privacy rules. You may opt out of appearing in your friends’ Facebook Ads below.Change Your Facebook Settings Or Else Updated | CultureSmith Consulting I can’t find the original article, but evidently the husband saw an ad for a "personals [...]
July 24th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I’m using Firefox with the Adblock Plus addon and had the same issue where nothing showed up to turn off this setting. Just disable Addblock plus and refresh and you can then see this to disable it. Then after you save it, turn adblock plus back on.
July 24th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
[...] public la réputation de faire ce qu’il veut avec nos données personnelles. Par exemple, Cheryl Smith, consultante, a eut la surprise de voir sa photo exploitée sans son accord dans une pub pour [...]
July 24th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
[...] policies by a third-party advertiser. Last Sunday, Cheryl Smith, a business consultant, posted a curious account on her blog — her husband was on Facebook and saw an ad for “hot singles” paired with a [...]
July 24th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
[...] Attention on the issue was ignited with an outraged post on AOL’s Download Squad blog about a man who, while using a third-party app, saw an ad for a dating site that, to his surprise, was dressed up with his wife’s picture. No, she wasn’t looking for a lover. Her picture had been usurped by an ad network in the employ of a third-party application developer, which she believes was a quiz app. [...]
July 24th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
[...] developer that used my photo was in violation of Facebook’s TOS. Hopefully as a result of our ironic story, other users will better understand how to report future breaches in [...]
July 24th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
[...] By implication, when your friend is using Facebook, he or she could very well be selling an advertisement saying “Look for hot singles!” with your photo underneath. Apparently this was what happened to someone. [...]
July 25th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
[...] above is Cheryl Smith of culturesmith consulting, who was recently placed in a “hot singles” ad without her permission. She would have [...]
July 26th, 2009 at 6:22 am
[...] hot singles today. Luckily both members of the married couple have a good sense of humor, as the wife blogged about it. (Note: page worked earlier today but hasn’t for the past two [...]
July 26th, 2009 at 9:18 am
[...] Attention on the issue was brought about with an outraged post on AOL’s Download Squad blog about a man who, while using a third-party app, saw an ad for a dating site that, to his surprise, was dressed up with his wife’s picture. No, she wasn’t looking for a lover. Her picture had been usurped by an ad network in the employ of a third-party application developer, which she believes was a quiz app. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 5:25 am
[...] Attention on the issue was brought about with an outraged post on AOL’s Download Squad blog about a man who, while using a third-party app, saw an ad for a dating site that, to his surprise, was dressed up with his wife’s picture. No, she wasn’t looking for a lover. Her picture had been usurped by an ad network in the employ of a third-party application developer, which she believes was a quiz app. [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 1:03 am
[...] Facebook Ads A little buzz has been stirring this past week originating from a post on consultant Cheryl Smith’s blog describing how her husband [Peter Smith] received a dating advertisement through Facebook [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 1:11 am
[...] had been usurped by an ad network in the employ of a third-party application developer, which she believes was a quiz app. [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 8:21 am
[...] Cet source justement est le blog de Cheryl Smith, qui se plaignait de voir ça photo diffusé sur le site communautaire par une application de rencontre. Effectivement sur le profile de son mari est apparu la pub avec ça photo et en légende : « Des choses hot t’attende ». Le problème c’est que cet publicité ne proviens pas de facebook mais d’un annonceur dans une application externe et je pourrais moi même utiliser les photos de vos profile publique pour faire de la pub sans avoir au préalable demander une autorisation. [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I’ve never had anything like that happen to me. I’ve gotten ads sometimes that say “moms return to school.” I’m not a mom and I don’t want to return to school right now.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
My daughter had one of those ad on her facebook page that said “hot singles in your area are looking of you!” The photo on the ad was her brother, my sons picture.
July 28th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I don’t have that “opt out” button??? Just a Facebook explanation. Did they remove the button?
July 28th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
[...] Smith — who runs CultureSmithConsulting.com, where she is blogging about the experience – gives advice on social media for a living. [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 4:28 am
[...] Smith — who runs CultureSmithConsulting.com, where she is blogging about the experience – gives advice on social media for a living.? She [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
[...] Smith has been sharing her experience and giving advice on social networking matters on her blog. She gives one option for avoiding the misuse of your [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
It strikes me that Facebook is copping out. They are responsible for all the “apps” they permit to be part of Facebook. Many other places on the web are also giving out too much information on user activities – such as Yahoo on the right side of the page, showing what articles users are looking at. Privacy should always be the default.
July 30th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Best one so far was a picture of our church’s pastor next to an ad asking my wife if she were hot enough to be in his sorority! :-)
July 30th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
[...] Here are some from Cheryl Smith’s original article: [...]
July 31st, 2009 at 6:43 pm
[...] in a Facebook advertisement saying “Hey Peter: Hot singles are waiting for you” (the woman’s first hand account). The advertising network that ran this ad has since been shut down, as it was in violation of [...]
July 31st, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Third Party Facebook Applications you or your friends authorize by default have access to your pictures and a whole bunch of other information on your profile. Luckily this is a setting that you can control.
If you click on Settings->Privacy->Applications and then click on the Settings Tab, you can disable/enable a bunch of items that applications can access.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
[...] // Most of us are aware of the dangers associated with posting lewd and inappropriate pictures to Facebook. But what about the many family friendly photos you upload to your profile? Thanks to a relatively new Facebook decision, not even your well-thought-out profile pictures are safe. Cheryl Smith, a consultant who blogs at Culture Smith Consulting, raised the alarm today after her husband was served up an ad for “Hot Singles” complete with her picture! [...]
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Absolutely wonderful. Looking forward to reading more. Please keep up the good work
August 6th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
[...] de quiz, a laissé un site de rencontres en ligne récupérer sa photo. Son mari, en colère, rédige un billet contre Facebook sur son blog … et déclenche la fameuse chaîne « Facebook va se servir de vos [...]
August 6th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
The entity is puzzled by this. Facebook users intentionally post a “profile picture”, knowing, and accepting, that their Facebook friends will see it. But this user is offended when the profile picture is sent to her friends (and only her friends) attached to an advertisement. What is the nature of this offense? Did she not like the particular product being advertised to her friends including her profile picture?
Note that a profile picture is included in ads as a result of some social action by a Facebook user…did this user visit the Hot Singles web site, such that the app chose her picture for use in a testimonial to her friends?
Humans are fascinating. Eventually the entity will understand.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Why would I think is OK to use my face to advertise for even a candy bar brand?It would be like me spending $50.00 on a pair of jeans with the Tommy Hilfigure(I know is not the right spelling).I would not get a dime back from them for my advertising their product.I rather buy a pair of jeans with a no name brand and only spend less than twenty,or even fifteen bucks.Oh,I forgot,kids all over the world are already being used by these companies in this way.Pretty smart on their part.I can not say the same thing about the general public though
August 17th, 2009 at 11:12 am
[...] Change you Facebook Settings or Else http://www.culturesmithconsulting.com/change-your-facebook-settings-or-else/ [...]
August 18th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
yeh right.. great post, Thank You
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
how do i get my picture albums to show up on my profile?
September 11th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
i’ve just been notified by a classmate that she saw my facebook picture on a local singles ad on some webpage. i dunno — it’s sort of a complement.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:48 am
[...] Apparently Facebook has a setting that allows you to permit (or not) the social network to use your image in advertisements. Cheryl tells you how in her blogpost: [...]
September 27th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
[...] are waiting for you”. The photo with with ad was Cheryl’s. Check out the blog post Change Your Facebook Settings Or Else to see the ad, and to learn how to change your Facebook settings to ensure that your profile photo [...]
December 17th, 2009 at 4:40 am
[...] I wanted to make sure that my settings from July regarding use of my profile picture in adverts had remained intact. Back in July, if you missed it, we learned that Facebook had set as the default that it would be “OK” to put our profile images in an ad for our friends to see. [...]
December 28th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
[...] rules and uses the data in accordance with Facebook’s Terms of Service. Reality is sometimes a different story. Simply stated, be aware. Until recently our daughter was a fan of far too many pages and had [...]
February 7th, 2010 at 7:37 am
You guys are retarded. There is no such setting.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
That's funny, James! This post was written in July 2009. I initially thought changing the setting would be the fix. What I learned in the weeks following this post, and thanks in part to great comments, is that the problem was not with the settings. Instead, a third party ad network was in violation of Facebook's Terms of Service (TOS). Facebook has made many significant changes to their privacy settings and the TOS, I believe, in part, to my experience, similar experiences of others, and the outcry of Facebook users as a result of these experiences.