Facebook sued over user tracking

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Facebook is facing new lawsuits from people who claim the social networking website has been tracking their web use.

The problem is that the laws have not caught up with the technology, so if you use Facebook, it's important to know that they can track which websites you go to; even when you're logged off.

If you have a Facebook account, every website you visit on the web could be tracked; exposing a lot of information about who you are. In fact, experts say Facebook can even track you when you're logged off.

“That's very shocking,” Ashley McAllister of Turners Falls said. “Very shocking to me because if you're offline, then they shouldn’t be tracking you because you're offline.”

Some users are so upset that they have sued Facebook, claiming they are violating wiretap laws, but those are generally for audio. This is done through cookies.

“Any website that you visit that loads up a ‘share this on Facebook’ link, you're basically loading not just the page you’re looking at, you're also loading a little tiny version of Facebook,” Left Click owner Kelly Albrecht said. “They can check for that cookie that lets them know that it’s you.”

There is a way to stop this, though. If you Google “Share Me Not,” you can download the Firefox application which is an add-on that will block those share buttons.

It will block the “share” buttons from loading, and that way they don't load and then no one knows you're on there. If you want to share something, click the button, then you can share something.

Still, a lot of websites can track you, so it's important to know whatever you do online isn't private.

Facebook isn't the only one that uses cookies to get information about you. Twitter does it too; it helps them target their advertising to a specific audience. But a lot of people fear what could happen if that information gets into the wrong hands.