At f8, Facebook’s developer conference, they’ll be announcing a bunch of new buttons that will join the 905,000 websites that already use “Like” buttons.  Now you’ll have “Read,” “Listened,” “Want,” and “Watched.” buttons.

But did you know that social buttons track you at each site you visit, even if you never click on them?

This means that data on your visits (what sites you’re on and when, plus your IP address and cookie ID’s) all go back to Facebook’s databases.  According to our surveys of users, this is neither obvious nor transparent:  66% of people had no idea.

Check out the infographic below for stats.  Consider that while sharing our interests with these buttons can be convenient & fun, people should be in control of what they share, rather than under the illusion of control.

Facebook social buttons have taken the web site markets by storm in the last year, increasing their penetration for the top 10,000 sites (by how many visitors they get each month) from about 3% (300 sites using the Facebook buttons last September) to over 15% today.  This means that Facebook is getting an ever-more complete picture of you:  not just what you do on its social network with your friends, but also what you do online every day at other sites you visit.

The takeaway:

Social buttons are more than a means of sharing.  They’re a tracking system.

Try Abine’s Do Not Track Plus today and regain control over your online privacy.  www.DoNotTrackPlus.com

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About Abine:  Abine, Inc., The Online Privacy Company, is the leading provider of online privacy solutions for consumers.  Abine’s products and services allow regular people to regain control over their personal information while continuing to browse, interact, and shop online.

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