Jose Uzcategui

Digital analytics, performance marketing and personal anecdotes.

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Yahoo! Facebook App is Trying to Trick Me!

April 3, 2012 by Jose Uzcategui 2 Comments

A couple of days ago while I was browsing my Facebook wall I came across a news article that I found interesting . As it’s usual in many sites and blogs I could only read the first paragraph, at the bottom there was a click to “read the article”. I clicked on the typical button anyone would expect to take them to the full article, the one that says “read the article”… makes sense, right?

I got the pop-up below. As soon as I saw “Okay, Read Article” I instinctively moved the mouse to click that button as some sites warn you that you’re going to a different site or try to sell you something before reading the article… wait a second.

Isn’t this the same window we get when we want to install a Facebook app? Yes!!!

Clickin on “Ok, Read the Aricle” will allow this have to “receive” (I prefer the word “access”) my:

  • basic info
  • email address
  • birthday
  • and likes
  • my subconscious habit for clicking buttons that read “read the article”

Well… what the heck Yahoo!?!  See, things like this is what encourages everyone to tighten up on privacy give a bad rep to other apps. I understand if this was some unknown app… but Yahoo!? Give me a break.

Yahoo! App or Read More window?

Really? Yahoo App pretending not to be an app.

 

I really, really hope this note makes a push for the disappearing of these actions, buttons and deceiving messages – whether they are intentionally or not.

Let me know what you think.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing

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Comments

  1. Neil Moore says

    April 20, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    Is that even a legit app? You’re right, that’s the same pop-up you get before installing a Facebook app. That’s why I’m very cautious every time a pop-up window flashes on my screen, you never know what harm it can do to your privacy or how it can mess up your pc.

  2. Jose Uzcategui says

    April 20, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    Pretty legit – and even today I got the same behaviour. I’m getting pretty sick of these apps asking for personal information to do simple things – I can’t remember which video player sets up the video then asks you for the same thing after you click….

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