Permanent storage of Facebook user profiles for brands

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f8Facebook just announced a change in the rules for storable data. It is now ok for apps to pull in your profile data and store that data permanently. They have also changed Facebook Connect to automatically log you in when you arrive at sites that use Facebook Connect.

What this means for users

It means you are granting permission to any application to permanently store all of your data in your profile. What’s in there? Stuff like:

  • Age
  • Location
  • Gender
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Dating Status
  • Affinities
  • Family Members
  • Number of friends

The full list is available here.

Becoming a fan, or “liking” as it’s known now, doesn’t mean that you grant any access to your profile data. You have to install an app, which requires you to click the “allow” button. Once you click allow, now you’ve granted that app owner the right to pull in and store all of your data.

What this means for marketers

Every marketers fantasy has just come true. Facebook’s UID allows marketers to track all activity of a user back to an authenticated ID that spans all browsers and devices. In other words, no matter what a customer interacts with on Facebook or my website, I can track their interaction history regardless of if they access your presence on a mobile phone or their laptop.

This is a really significant development for optimization and behavioral analytics. It’s also a game changer for retailers with brick and mortar. Imagine being able to pull a customer’s profile data when they visit your website. Then imagine that customer comes into your store and purchases something. You could make them a point of sale offer based on their profile data that you collected when they visited your site earlier that day. Mind blowing.

I’ll pull more together about the significance of this.

  • http://www.blogbizbuzz.com Joan – BlogBizBuzz

    Hi Justin,

    Thanks for this insight especially…

    “Imagine being able to pull a customer’s profile data when they visit your website. Then imagine that customer comes into your store and purchases something. You could make them a point of sale offer based on their profile data that you collected when they visited your site earlier that day. Mind blowing.” – That would be SERVICE with a smile!

    Moving with Facebook and Mobile Marketing the customer is always shopping online prior to going into a physical location, to add a personal touch would be brilliant.

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  • http://borasky-research.net/ M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

    I seriously doubt that this is legal, even in the USA. Just wait till it hits Belgium, Germany and Italy. ;-)

  • http://mymotherlode.com Sabrina

    I too say: Bring it on! I guess I have faith in the fact that humans are extremely unique and the more advertisers, politicians, and other leaders embrace that the better. I am a republic not a democracy. “They” may know the democratic version of who I am so that I can make informed decisions. I only have time for the great stuff when I ask for it. All companies and governments must know that regardless of what majority my choices place me in I choose how to act. speculate all you want. Thanks.

  • Justin Kistner

    James, privacy is an archaic notion from a time when data couldn’t be linked electronically, which is why I put it in quotes. The concept of default privacy died well over a decade ago and the general populace is unaware of how to be stewards of their own data. That’s not good for anyone.

    Your comment is telling that we in fact are on the brink of a large-scale discussion about the future of data ownership. You want to talk about it and that’s why you commented. The concerns you share here are exactly what is going to lead to a deeper look into who has access to information and the rules around that. Avoiding it and pretending like we can put the genie back in the bottle is unrealistic, so now we must figure out how to usher in this era with the optimal outcome. What an honor to be a part of that!

  • James Marks

    “This is a super exciting development in online marketing.”

    Only if you’re an online marketer. Otherwise it’s super alarming development in a long line of alarming developments regarding the erosion of personal privacy. If I want to buy something from you, I’ll buy something from you. You don’t need anything more than my payment information to complete that transaction and you certainly don’t need my profile information.

    “We are on the brink of a massive discussion about the control of the flow of data. As a society, we are going to work through the details about data ownership, trust, etc. and it’s about time.”

    Probably not. I already distrust advertisers and marketers because they are motivated by their own interests, not mine, and the more excited they become about gathering and storing my personal information for the purpose of generating revenue, the less I trust them – ESPECIALLY when they start using terms like “data ownership”.

    ‘This announcement will lead to the tipping point that will prompt a large scale reevaluation of “privacy”.’

    The fact that you put quotes around the word privacy is telling. Every time someone with a vested interest in my personal information talks about a “reevaluation of privacy” they invariably mean my having less of it.

  • Shawn

    This would be kinda neat if our company didn’t believe in customer privacy….

  • Justin Kistner

    This is a super exciting development in online marketing. We are on the brink of a massive discussion about the control of the flow of data. As a society, we are going to work through the details about data ownership, trust, etc. and it’s about time. This announcement will lead to the tipping point that will prompt a large scale reevaluation of “privacy”.

    It is our generation’s contribution to the world and I couldn’t be more pumped to participate!

  • http://www.mrdiggles.com Mr. diggles

    I agree with Paul. Gross.

  • http://www.axoplasm.com Paul Souders

    Ugh ick ugh ick ugh. If my job didn’t require FB marketing…