Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyPHOENIX -- Like a lot of people, Kathy Perschke signed on to Facebook to connect with old friends and keep up with business contacts. Every once in a while, she'd click on some of the quizzes and games.
That is, until recently.
Her 12-year-old son was exploring a video game website, when he was suddenly confronted with a pop-up ad. "Meet Hot Valley Singles," it said. And Kathy Perschke's picture was on it.
"Of course we laughed about it, but was kind of creepy how they got that," Perschke said.
The married mom said she's sure the picture came from Facebook, because that's the only place it's posted.
Perschke admits she's worried, too, about what else hackers might do.
"It was scary, cause what if they're able to get your kids pictures, and put those on a site," she said.
If postings on Facebook itself are any indication, Perschke's experience is becoming more common.
"You have to understand what you're getting into," says Ken Colburn, from Valley-based Data Doctors.
Colburn says many of the innocent looking quizzes, games and clubs are actually third party applications, designed specifically to get your personal information.
"Most everybody I talk to that's using these third party applications had no idea," Colburn said. "You mean that's not Facebook? Somebody in Russia or some other part of the world could be getting my information."
Colburn says Facebook is a goldmine of information for marketers. Third party applications pay for the privilege of posting on Facebook, and while Facebook doesn't specifically sell your information to them, you provide that information when you give the application access to your profile.
Facebook has a privacy policy that is supposed to limit an application's access to your information, including e-mail. The site also encourages its users to report anyone who's violating that policy.
Colburn says the danger lies in those who are willing to break Facebook's rules and use the information to create targeted scams or spam.
As an example, Colburn says, a scammer might learn you and a handful of your friends went to ASU, and then create a phoney e-mail disguised as a solicitation from the ASU Alumni Association. Using a logo and a few of your friends' names, you might then click on an e-mail attachment and launch a virus or a worm into your computer.
Crooks use those programs to access more private information which might be used to steal your identity.
"Because they know who you are, what you like and what have you, they can create more salacious offers and e-mails and spam that might sound like something you're interested in," Colburn says.
Facebook is already facing pressure from the Canadian government to tighten its controls on privacy. In fact the country's privacy commissioner has charged the company is breaking Canadian law by keeping user's information even after they close their accounts. Facebook has been given a month to respond to the concerns and has promised changes in its privacy policy to comply with the commissioner's demands.
Colburn and others, however, believe there's not much incentive for Facebook to tighten controls anytime soon. The wealth of information supplied by Facebook's 250 million users is also at the heart of how the site makes money.
Colburn also says consumers need to be more savvy about the choices they make.
After all, he said, users voluntarily post the information and share it with dozens of others.
There are ways you can limit what applications can see in your Facebook page by managing your privacy settingsYou can avoid this by making simple tweaks to your Facebook page.
Click on settings at the top of the page then click on privacy settings, then News Feed and Wall. Next click the Facebook Ads tab. At the bottom of the page you'll see an option to show your social actions to your friends or no one.
Choose no.
This helps, but doesn't protect you all together.
Facebook has a note saying that ads generated by third party applications are not controlled by this setting, meaning you can't opt out of participating in social ads.
Be more selective of what companies you become a fan.
