Critics: Is Facebook Tracking Users With Rainbow Photos?

Facebook privacy issuesIt’s no secret at this point: Facebook keeps track of almost all user information. That’s why some critics raised an eyebrow this week when the site introduced its “Celebrate Pride” rainbow photo filter feature for users to celebrate the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling.

This marks the first time that Facebook has built a profile picture tool to support a political cause, so it’s reasonable to expect that the site is gathering data on which of its users support gay marriage. Facebook responded to some of the questions about the feature and refuted them, but the site did not outright deny that it was keeping track of users who took advantage of it.

“This was not an experiment or test, but rather something that enables people to show their support of the LGBTQ community on Facebook,” the site told Gizmodo. “We aren’t going to use this as a way to target ads and the point of this tool is not to get information about people.”

Using the filter is a great way for users to make their opinions heard, take a stand on the issue and participate in a major historical moment. However, as with most things on Facebook, you should be aware that the site might be keeping tabs on you.