Facebook will be releasing Atlas – an ad platform that will allow advertisers to target users from their personal data and information taken from Facebook.  Not only will this be through Facebook, but through the thousands of other apps and social networking sites. For example, if Tesla Motors wanted to target wealthy middle aged men, Atlas would find that customer segment and release  their ads, and Atlas would provide which ads were the most effective.

Facebook seems to be eager to compete or beat out #1 leader Google in digital advertising. From the revenue perspective releasing Atlas is a very smart move, since no other websites have information on users compared to the likes of Facebook.  Marketers will also leap at the chance of being able to target users through mobile apps.  However from a consumer point of view, it might make them even more wary of “privacy” the website gives you. When logging onto Facebook they seem to always pest you with updating your privacy and security settings, though in the meantime they’re releasing your information to thousands of companies.

Personally it does throw me off how Facebook can easily tap into our lives and also allow others.  It adds even more to the “Big Brother” mentality that people seem to be obtaining from the advances of technology and social networking.  From a marketing point of view, Atlas seems to
be genius but to the rest of us it could be a violation of privacy.