"Beauregard T. Shagnasty" wrote:

> Each time you encounter that "f" icon at a site where you can
> click to "Like" the page, Facebook is informed you - yes,
> you with the Facebook cookies - visited the site.
>
> That "f" icon is in an <iframe> element and displays content
> directly from the Facebook servers. The Facebook page in the
> <iframe> reads your cookies and logs you.

So let me get this straight.

Any web-page that has the F icon also has code that causes your browser
to connect to certain facebook servers where a cookie exchange takes
place.

In the case of facebook, of what use would this tracking info be if you
don't have a facebook account?

This would be no different than any number of web-metrics, ad-servers
and tracking companies that also have embedded code (usually with no
visibility to end-users on the rendered page). Yes?

Why don't other tracking companies get the same blow-back or attention
from the media because their tracking URL's also appears on many web
pages and the same case for "tracking web users" could be made against
them?

> It is in the JavaScript of the page, and reports to
> a server at connect.facebook.net ...

I have hosts entries for

static.ak.connect.facebook.com
static.ak.facebook.com
error.facebook.com
facebook.com
www.facebook.com
api.facebook.com
graph.facebook.com
api-read.facebook.com
ads.facebook.com
ads.ak.facebook.com
creative.ak.facebook.com

but no entries for any facebook.net. Are you sure that
connect.facebook.net is a working domain?

PS: What does the "ak" indicate or stand for in those FQDN's?