MySpace Leaks User Info to Outside Advertisers
MySpace has been found to be transmitting user data to outside advertisers, putting the social networking site firmly in the footsteps of rival Facebook’s recent privacy flub.
The Wall Street Journal reports that when users click on ads on MySpace, their unique user ID is transmitted; with the ID, a person can gain access to a user’s MySpace profile page, including someone’s name, gender, age, location, and photos.
This breach comes after the WSJ first broke the news in May of MySpace transmitting personal data to advertisers; after that report, MySpace had vowed to stop.
The WSJ investigation also revealed that several MySpace applications transmit user IDs, including TagMe, RockYouPets, and virtual gardening game GreenSpot.
The report comes just days after Facebook was outed by the WSJ for leaking user info to third-party advertisers and Internet tracking firms. That report, issued Oct. 18, drew the attention of the U.S. House of Representatives Bipartisan Privacy Caucus, which sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg questioning the massive social networking site's privacy policy.
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