Websites Are Wary of Facebook Tracking Software

Online retailers and publishers are pushing back against Facebook's efforts to track users across the Internet, fearing that the data it vacuums up to target ads will give the social network too much of an edge.

Web traffic experts say there is less data flowing from some sites to Facebook, suggesting they have been reprogrammed to hold back information. Some retailers, advertisers and Internet publishers worry that the wider use of browsing history will hand Facebook, and potentially their own rivals, more information about existing and prospective customers. In response, some businesses appear to have changed their sites to send less data to Facebook; others say they are considering such moves.