Social networking giant Facebook plans to engage in a new type of mobile advertising based on the apps used by consumers, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday on its website.<\/p>\n
The social network, which has 900 million users, would use its Facebook Connect feature — which lets millions log into applications using their Facebook ID and password — to track consumers’ apps, and tailor ads accordingly, it said.<\/p>\n
Facebook — which is based in Menlo Park, California — may also attempt to track how people use the apps, but a final decision has not been made, the newspaper said, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the company’s plans.<\/p>\n
The plan is likely to stoke privacy fears, as the initiative would go further than current mobile-ad networks, which track ads viewed by consumers on their mobile phone’s web browser, the report said.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest challenges Facebook must confront is its difficulties in generating revenues from smartphones, with more and more users accessing the social networks from mobile devices.<\/p>\n
That factor led analysts to downgrade their forecasts for the group before its stock market debut in May, which ended up being less than a success.<\/p>\n
At that time, Facebook shares were offered at $38. Shares closed Friday at $31.73.<\/p>\n
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