Facebook -- What Is It Doing In The Background?

[wpcoe]

I use Opera, which has a great "opera:history" feature which lists all browser activity.

On the Facebook logon screen is a check box for " " which I leave unchecked.

Every time I go to log on to Facebook, I am presented with the logon screen, so I assume I was logged off at some point in time due to lack of activity?

Then, just now, I needed to find a page I had closed, and noticed that Facebook is doing something via my browswer -- EVERY MINUTE -- without displaying anything on screen.

What, exactly, is Facebook doing every minute, and how do I stop it?

Here's an example from my Opera history:

[bubba1]

spying

[bangkokrick]

It automatically updates yours and you friends status, plus newsfeeds. That's why it seems to be working so hard.

Cheers, Rick

[wpcoe]

It automatically updates yours and you friends status, plus newsfeeds. That's why it seems to be working so hard.

Even after I've closed the Facebook window several minutes ago? There is no "logoff" button, so I guess I stay logged on? I just realized its background activity is more than once per minute ... that's a waste of my bandwidth!

Also, I notice the thaivisa.com URL in those Facebook activities. <deleted> is that about? Is it tracking my online activity? For what purpose?

BTW, I've only got 5 "friends" and no newsfeeds (that I know of, anyway).

[bangkokrick]

It automatically updates yours and you friends status, plus newsfeeds. That's why it seems to be working so hard.

Even after I've closed the Facebook window several minutes ago? There is no "logoff" button, so I guess I stay logged on? I just realized its background activity is more than once per minute ... that's a waste of my bandwidth!

Also, I notice the thaivisa.com URL in those Facebook activities. <deleted> is that about? Is it tracking my online activity? For what purpose?

BTW, I've only got 5 "friends" and no newsfeeds (that I know of, anyway).

It sounds to me like you have either George or Thai visa or both as facebook friends. So when either of them have a newsfeed update it will affect your FB page. I have both as friends because I like the Thai visa updates on my FB page. This is my take on it anyway and yes you are correct about the bandwidth.

Cheers, Rick

[wpcoe]

It sounds to me like you have either George or Thai visa or both as facebook friends. So when either of them have a newsfeed update it will affect your FB page. I have both as friends because I like the Thai visa updates on my FB page. This is my take on it anyway and yes you are correct about the bandwidth.

I have neither of them as Facebook friends. I only have five Facebook friends.

[beano2274]

It sounds to me like you have either George or Thai visa or both as facebook friends. So when either of them have a newsfeed update it will affect your FB page. I have both as friends because I like the Thai visa updates on my FB page. This is my take on it anyway and yes you are correct about the bandwidth.

I have neither of them as Facebook friends. I only have five Facebook friends.

Facebook log off is under the account button on the far right, toggle down to logout.

You are still logged on and it is updating.

[bangkokrick]

It sounds to me like you have either George or Thai visa or both as facebook friends. So when either of them have a newsfeed update it will affect your FB page. I have both as friends because I like the Thai visa updates on my FB page. This is my take on it anyway and yes you are correct about the bandwidth.

I have neither of them as Facebook friends. I only have five Facebook friends.

OK The only other thing that I can think of that might tie the two together is. Do you log into Thai Visa using your face book log in. Are the two accounts connected?

Mine are.

Cheers, Rick

[beano2274]

It sounds to me like you have either George or Thai visa or both as facebook friends. So when either of them have a newsfeed update it will affect your FB page. I have both as friends because I like the Thai visa updates on my FB page. This is my take on it anyway and yes you are correct about the bandwidth.

I have neither of them as Facebook friends. I only have five Facebook friends.

OK The only other thing that I can think of that might tie the two together is. Do you log into Thai Visa using your face book log in. Are the two accounts connected?

Mine are.

Cheers, Rick

It looks like he does have the two linked if you look at the log it has the address of www.facebook.com, but look into the second or third row you see thaivisa.com.

You do not log out correctly from both sites, is what I would say.

[wpcoe]

FWIW, I clicked on one of those opera:history Facebook links, and they open to a blank page, but here's the source html code from the page. I don't know much about scripting and flash. Does this mean anything to anybody here?

<!doctype html>
<html>
 <head>
   <title>XD Proxy</title>
 </head>
 <body onload="doFragmentSend()">
   <div
     id="swf_holder"
     style="position: absolute; top: -10000px; width: 1px; height: 1px">
   </div>
   <script>
var XdCommUrl = "http:\/\/static.ak.fbcdn.net\/rsrc.php\/zx\/r\/DmvbpGB-fMy.swf";var AllowFbCom = false;
/**
* For "proxying" in-browser messages for Connect.
*
* @author naitik
*/
/**
* Resolve a id back to a node. An id is a string like:
*    top.frames[5].frames['crazy'].parent.frames["two"].opener
*
* @param   id {String}   the string to resolve
* @returns    {Node}     the resolved window object
* @throws  SyntaxError   if the id is malformed
*/
function resolveRelation(id) {
 var
   pt,
   matches,
   parts = id.split('.'),
   node = window;

 for (var i=0, l=parts.length; i<l; i++) {
   pt = parts[i];

   if (pt === 'opener' || pt === 'parent' || pt === 'top') {
     node = node[pt];
   } else if (matches = /^frames\[['"]?([a-zA-Z0-9-_]+)['"]?\]$/.exec(pt)) {
     // the regex has the `feature' of fixing some badly quote strings
     node = node.frames[matches[1]];
   } else {
     throw new SyntaxError('Malformed id to resolve: ' + id + ', pt: ' + pt);
   }
 }

 return node;
}

function createXdCommSwf() {
 var
   IE = !!document.attachEvent,
   html = (
   '<object ' +
     'type="application/x-shockwave-flash" ' +
     'id="XdComm" ' +
     (IE ? 'name="XdComm" ' : '') +
     (IE ? '' : 'data="' + XdCommUrl + '" ') +
     (IE
      ? 'classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" '
      : ''
     ) +
     'allowscriptaccess="always">' +
     '<param name="movie" value="' + XdCommUrl + '"></param>' +
     '<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>' +
   '</object>'
 );

 document.getElementById('swf_holder').innerHTML = html;
}

/**
* Kick off the send process based on the current Fragment.
*/
function doFragmentSend() {
 // this page should not be allowed to run on facebook.com in production
 // it should be used from the fbcdn.net domain
 if (!AllowFbCom && /(^|\.)facebook.com$/.test(document.domain.toString())) {
   return;
 }

 var
   location = window.location.toString(),
   fragment = location.substr(location.indexOf('#') + 1),
   params = {},
   parts = fragment.split('&'),
   i,
   pair;

 for (i=0; i<parts.length; i++) {
   pair = parts[i].split('=', 2);
   params[decodeURIComponent(pair[0])] = decodeURIComponent(pair[1]);
 }

 // either send the message via postMessage, or via Flash
 if (params.transport == 'postmessage') {
   resolveRelation(params.relation).postMessage(fragment, params.origin);
 } else if (params.transport == 'flash') {
   var name = window.location.toString() + Math.random();
   window.FB_OnFlashXdCommReady = function() {
     document.XdComm.postMessage_init('dummy', name);
     document.XdComm.postMessage_send(fragment, params.origin);
   };

   createXdCommSwf();
 }
}
   </script>
 </body>
</html>

[wpcoe]

Facebook log off is under the account button on the far right, toggle down to logout.

You are still logged on and it is updating.

Thanks! I thought it was odd that there was no logout button.

OK The only other thing that I can think of that might tie the two together is. Do you log into Thai Visa using your face book log in. Are the two accounts connected?

Mine are.

No. I log on to thaivisa.com via a browser bookmark.

It looks like he does have the two linked if you look at the log it has the address of www.facebook.com, but look into the second or third row you see thaivisa.com.

You do not log out correctly from both sites, is what I would say.

Okay, that's true, I don't log off either site. Or, I should say DIDN'T log off either site. But now that I know how to log off Facebook, I did that, and went to thaivisa.com and Facebook is still following my thaivisa.com activity. Yes, after a proper logoff of Facebook, opera:history still shows a Facebook "event" after each thaivisa.com page I open.

[beano2274]

You have logged in to Facebook from Thaivisa by clicking the F at the top.

What I suggest is that you remove bookmark and then type in www.facebook.com, then save this as a favourite.

As the previous bookmark is linked to Thaivisa.

[bangkokrick]

If yuo look at the line on the first post at 06.03.26. It looks like you have an external login. I think that the 2 accounts are linked somehow. You can check this in FB under Account settings. Linked accounts.

it says the message. If you are logged into one of the accounts below you will automatically be logged into Facebook.Linked accounts:Add a new linked account:GoogleMySpaceYahoo!MyOpenIDVerisign PIPOpenID...

Cheers, Rick

[bangkokrick]

You have logged in to Facebook from Thaivisa by clicking the F at the top.

What I suggest is that you remove bookmark and then type in www.facebook.com, then save this as a favourite.

As the previous bookmark is linked to Thaivisa.

I agree with you Beano.

Cheers, Rick

[wpcoe]

YOu have logged in to Facebook from Thaivisa by clicking the F at the top.

What I suggest is that you remove bookmark and then type in www.facebook.com, then save this as a favourite.

No, I have NOT logged onto Facebook via Thaivisa. I log on via a browser bookmark: http://www.facebook.com/

Now, what I just realized, is that this isn't an issue of Facebook tracing my online activity, it's *thaivisa* issuing that facebook.com link just prior to displaying the Thaivisa page I've requested. What's up with that?

To clarify:

I log on to ThaiVisa via a http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/ browser bookmark.

I log on to Facebook via a http://www.facebook.com/ browser bookmark.

But, even though I have explicitly logged of of Facebook, prior to displaying any ThaiVisa page, ThaiVisa is issuing a background link to Facebook.

[beano2274]

am not a programmer but there are some out there who can definitely help, but the two are linked so best to start all over again.

Why not delete the bookmarks, and type the address in, no linking then check out what happens, will only take a few minutes to find out if it has worked.

[beano2274]

Am glad I use Mozilla!!!!!!

[beano2274]

Post your scripts on this page http://forum.developers.facebook.net

Am sure you will find the answers or get some help, cause maybe a bit tooooo far over our heads.

[wpcoe]

If yuo look at the line on the first post at 06.03.26. It looks like you have an external login. I think that the 2 accounts are linked somehow. You can check this in FB under Account settings. Linked accounts.

it says the message. If you are logged into one of the accounts below you will automatically be logged into Facebook.Linked accounts:Add a new linked account:GoogleMySpaceYahoo!MyOpenIDVerisign PIPOpenID...

Here's the info from my Facebook Account settings:

Again, I don't think Facebook is the "culprit," I think it's ThaiVisa. But, I don't have a clue why.

[george]

It may be the Facebook like/recommend buttons we have embedded on topic pages. Just an idea.

[wpcoe]

Why not delete the bookmarks, and type the address in, no linking then check out what happens, will only take a few minutes to find out if it has worked.

Okay, I just made sure I was logged out of Facebook, and the typed: www.thaivisa.com in my broswer and went to the ThaiVisa home page -- no Facebook activity in opera:history

Then, I clicked on "Forums" on the ThaiVisa home page, and a Facebook link was sent just prior to going to the Forums index page.

Every subsequent link I clicked on ThaiVisa resulted in a Facebook link being sent in the background.

[bangkokrick]

WPCOE go to your profile on TV. (click user name top left of page) Select profile and then 'manage Face Book connect'. Maybe the problem can be sorted out there.

Cheers, Rick

[wpcoe]

It may be the Facebook like/recommend buttons we have embedded on topic pages. Just an idea.

Good to see you following this topic, George!

I really think it's ThaiVisa sending facebook.com activity in the background. I'm just curious *why* ThaiVisa is doing that.

As far as I know I have never clicked on any ThaiVisa link in Facebook, or vice versa.

[wpcoe]

WPCOE go to your profile on TV. (click user name top left of page) Select profile and then 'manage Face Book connect'. Maybe the problem can be sorted out there.

I'm looking at my ThaiVisa profile right now, but I dont'see anything about "Facebook connect..."

[harrry]

It may be the Facebook like/recommend buttons we have embedded on topic pages. Just an idea.

if it is the cause it is a very very serious breach of privacy.

[george]

It may be the Facebook like/recommend buttons we have embedded on topic pages. Just an idea.

Good to see you following this topic, George!

I really think it's ThaiVisa sending facebook.com activity in the background. I'm just curious *why* ThaiVisa is doing that.

As far as I know I have never clicked on any ThaiVisa link in Facebook, or vice versa.

We are using this standard script on topic pages:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like

[bangkokrick]

WPCOE go to your profile on TV. (click user name top left of page) Select profile and then 'manage Face Book connect'. Maybe the problem can be sorted out there.

I'm looking at my ThaiVisa profile right now, but I dont'see anything about "Facebook connect..."

Click settings the the profile tab at the top .Second tab. then manage FB connect.

Cheers, Rick

[wpcoe]

We are using this standard script on topic pages:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like

Would that account for ThaiVisa sending Facebook activity every time I click on a ThaiVisa link?

Does it do that any time ANYONE clicks on a ThaiVisa link?

Does it matter that I'm a Facebook member? i.e. If I weren't a Facebook member, would ThaiVisa still send that link?

[wpcoe]

Click settings the the profile tab at the top .Second tab. then manage FB connect.

Am I at the right place?

[george]

I'm not sure what it does really, but this script is used by gazillions of websites.