Like many in the computer science community,
we have been concerned for some time about the ethical issues that
are raised by Facebook and similar social media websites.
Our commitment to software quality also includes
carefully monitoring of, and possibly the avoidance of using,
technological methods that could have negative community impacts.
As has become widely publicized in the prior year,
Facebook provides a web application product that is implemented
with sophisticated web browser technology that permits capture of a great deal
of information about users' online behavior.
The technology used by Facebook is based in many ways on the same technology
which is used by eValid.
We firmly believe that responsible application of this technology by eValid users
in testing and validating websites is completely appropriate and safe,
because
eValid is used only by computing professionals in strictly controlled and secure circumstances.
Accordingly,
to avoid even the appearance of having cooperated with
and/or supported possible misuse of the underlying web browser technologies
that are used by Facebook,
and acting out of abundance of caution,
we have terminated feeding any information into
our previous company-based Facebook account
and we have requested permanent elimination of that account and all data stored therein.
