Facebook Ignores Users: Hit Them Where It Hurts
Update Nov 24: We have received an email from Amazon's lawyers saying that they are no longer participating in Beacon and several users have affirmed this. Amazon claims that they never participated in it.
Update Nov. 23: I have contacted (and verified the contact info for) Fandango, Ebay, and Amazon. I don't know how accurate the phone numbers are for the other organizations or how to navigate their phone trees. If you know, be sure to let me know by commenting on this post or emailing me (2600denver@gmail.com) so that I can update this page.
In just two days, over 10,000 people have joined MoveOn and Binary Freedom's call to Facebook asking them to make their beacon program opt-in. (See previous posts for more information about how it works). The story has rampaged itself across the blogosphere, been featured on CNN, The New York Times, the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and over a dozen other mainstream media outlets. Facebook isn't taking this issue seriously enough, even going out of their way to defend their beacon program (I debunk their statements here). Facebook is probably hoping this issue will just go away, so we need to keep up the pressure. We need to hit them where it hurts: Their ad revenue. Advertisers need to understand that we don't approve of their use of beacon and that continued use of it will result in a boycott of their products. Furthermore, they should pressure Facebook to make the system opt-in.
We have assembled a list of companies that use Beacon. Please take the time to contact them and ask them to stop their destructive advertising practices. When calling, it may help to ask to be forwarded to complaints or advertising/marketing.
Talking Points:
- Say where you're from, and if you've used their products/services before then say that too
- Explain that they are using Beacon and why you don't like it
- Explain that users can simply opt-out of Beacon
- If you plan to boycott them until they stop using Beacon in it's non-opt-outable stage then say that
- Ask them to use their leverage as Facebook advertisers to change Beacon into an easy-opt-out or opt-in system
- Thank them for their time
Fandango.com
http://fandango.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/fandango.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php
866-857-5191 (Press 3 for operator)
eBay
http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index_selection.html
800-322-9266 (Number seems broken, three for "operator" puts you in an endless loop)
Unverified Contact Information:
New York Times
Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Chairman & Publisher:
publisher@nytimes.com.
Scott H. Heekin-Canedy, President, General Manager
president@nytimes.com.
Letters to the editor
letters@nytimes.com
NYTIMES Store
800-671-4332
customerservice@nytstoreorders.com
Travelocity (owned by Yahoo!)
888.872.8356
http://svc.travelocity.com/custsvc/0,,TRAVELOCITY,00.html
http://feedback.help.yahoo.com/feedback.php?.src=FP&.done=http://www.yah...
1-866-562-7219
CollegeHumor
2126253567
Abramson, Josh josh@connectedventures.com (President?)
general@collegehumor, ads@collegehumor.com
AllPosters
Suggestions@allposters.com
Marketing@allposters.com
+1 (888) 654-0143
Pronto
http://www.pronto.com/help/betaContactUsForm.do
http://www.pronto.com/help/about/contactUsForm.do
hkushi@pronto.com (President?)
3103604317
Busted Tees
support@bustedtees.com
1-877-BUSTED3 (Props for putting this on the front page)
iWon
http://newfb.iwon.com/feedback.jsp?key=iwondoover
http://iwon2.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/iwon.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_sid
+510.9857400
Other companies who use Beacon:
Citysearch, echomusic, Blockbuster, Bluefly.com, CBS Interactive (CBSSports.com & Dotspotter), ExpoTV, Gamefly, Hotwire, Joost, Kiva, Kongregate, LiveJournal, Live Nation, Mercantila, National Basketball Association, NYTimes.com, Overstock.com, (RED), Redlight, SeamlessWeb, Sony Online Entertainment LLC, Sony Pictures, STA Travel, The Knot, TripAdvisor, Travel Ticker, TypePad, viagogo, Vox, Yelp, WeddingChannel.com and Zappos.com
