To feel a bit put out about my googling habits being announced on facebook?

[Psammead]

I know. Facebook. Work of the devil. But I live abroad and it lets me quickly communicate with family and friends back home.

Anyway, I am pregnant - 19 weeks. Not everyone back home knows about this as I would like to tell people personally when I visit in July. Last night I was idly googling baby names to find out origins/meanings etc of a few I quite like. This morning I logged onto FB and noticed a few comments so I checked to see what they had commented on, and it was a thingy saying that I had been looking up a certain baby name. There were a few comments speculating as to whether I had some news to share.

Now, I didn't click on any FB links on any website, didn't log in to any site, didn't authorise anything, as far as I know, and my FB account is fairly secure, I thought.

So, I am feeling quite cross that FB has 'found out' what I googled and has taken it upon itself to post it! AIBU? And how did this happen?

When you say don't log into google, what exactly do you mean? The search engine or the new kind of social networking stuff they have? I'm horrified at the idea that fb could put details of what I search for on my fb page!

I was googling names last night. I'm not pregnant and have no intention of being. I just love names!

Google mail and Youtube will follow you around too btw. So, log out, delete history and then do your Google searches. They're getting too big for their boots with their opt in full disclosure programme.

Oooh, what names do you like, Aribura?

When I say I log into google I mean to the search engine.

ugh! thats not good

PSAMME!!! Congratulations - guess what - I am too, same as you! 18+5, how strange! The power of radishes, hey

Oh but boo to the FB linky thing and thanks for the warning - don't think it would happen on mine but will make sure now!

Facebook has a scary little widget called Facebook Connect which follows you around the web even when you're not logged in. If you use Firefox or Chrome you can get an add-on called Ghostery which allows you to stop the fuckers knowing what you click on or search for.

Another tip: enable Private Browsing and install HTTPS Everywhere. Again, that's for Firefox and Chrome, and it stops all but the very dedicated following you around.

Not that I'm paranoid or owt, oh no, not me...

I hate all the links popping up as adverts as PomBear described, especially at Christmas as I had to be very carefull it didnt give the game away as to pressies.

My BIL also kept posting links to houses and then I was unindated with ads....My b/f then was a bit (jokingly) wtf you looking for houses in xxx.

Congrats Thumby

Great news, Thumby!!!! Very happy for you. Oh how lovely - I take it you are due mid-Oct, too?

FB scares me.

Anyone else finding it ironic that here we are on this thread, and Facebook is floating on NASDAQ in a little under an hour?

From Facebook help:

Does Facebook have the ability to see what I?m doing on non-Facebook sites?
Facebook cannot track your actions on external sites unless you decide to connect your Facebook account to that site and/or explicitly decide to publish a story to your Wall (timeline) via the Like button.

I agree logging out is not enough, neither is opting out really as some companies respect the opt out and a lot disregard it. The buying, selling and then profiling individual browsing habits and so is targeted marketing is big business nowadays.

Sure am! Oct 14th is what I've been told (scan dating, no idea of LMP date!)

Thank you too Pesto :)

I just went and editited the Instant Personalisation setting in FB - it told me that I had 'authorised' Trip advisor and Scribd to share my info and even gave the dates. I DID BLOODY NOT! I remember the dates. One was the day that I went to Tripadvisor for first time in months and was surprised to see a message telling me where my FB friends were planning hols to. I didn't click on the message. The other was the first day I ever went to 'Scribd' - randomly, for work, via a Google search - never heard of it before - earlier this week - and was surprised to see that I was 'logged in' via FB.

FB just had the cheek to also tell me that when I first arrived at these sites I would have seen see a notification message and an option to turn off the personalized experience".

BIG FAT LIE. NO OPTION. (Well, not a non-secret, non-hidden, non have-to-go-and-look-for-it-yourself-even-though-you-don't-know-you-need-to one).

That can't happen unles you have clicked a facebook link. ayou could have pressed the link with out realising every site seems to have a facebook button on it.

Why would anyone want this as an option?!

Thanks for that Nicholas! Your post was a great help. Just found that Firefox also has an add-on called Noface, it blocks Facebook's snooping.

sereneswan arew you sure you didn't click the "login with facebook" on either of these pages?

Psamm and Thumb pregnant? That's brillig. I like it when my favourite MNers have good news.

So what names do you like?

I'd have been very upset btw if that had happened on fb. I didn't mention my pregnancy at all on fb as it's something I shared on a need to know basis. The contents of my uterus are not for public consumption.

if instant personalization is set to enabled on facebook then for some sites you don't need to 'login with facebook' (like trip advisor) it is automatic the site will know who you (and your friends) are.

Oops, I didn't realise about the instant personalisation thing - I have now turned it off.

Seems it will only share info you have already made public though...

Aww thanks Showy!
I haven't mentioned it openly on FB, primarily because of The Fear - and also because I really ought to email people who I didn't get to see when I was back in the UK in March, not just announce it on FB. Am waiting until 20w scan is done though, just in case.

Am not thinking about names yet, although DS has already suggested Sludge as his favourite option; DH favours more "traditional" names like "Billy Ray" - ain't gonna happen.