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Facebook may have actually figured out a way to out-stalk Google

Published Nov 1st, 2013 12:20PM EDT
Facebook Mouse Cursor Tracking

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Facebook just may have gotten a leg up in its race with Google to see which company can come up with creepier ways to collect information on its users. The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook is testing out technology that would actually track the mouse cursor movements that users make while they’re visiting the website as a way to watch more subtle interactions than standard clicks. Facebook analytics chief Ken Rudin tells the Journal that Facebook would like to know answers to questions such as “Did your cursor hover over that ad… and was the newsfeed in a viewable area?” Rudin emphasizes that no decision has been made on whether to roll out the cursor-tracking technology although he says that company “will probably know in a couple of months” whether it’s worth deploying.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.