Flash mob stages conga line privacy protest against Facebook

Activists from Abine, an online privacy company, orchestrated a conga line stretching several blocks along San Francisco's Market Street on Tuesday afternoon. Another flash mob was scheduled in Manhattan's Times Square.

The idea was upposed to offer a metaphor for the way in which Facebook follows its users every move online. Albine's central theme: Facebook may appear to be free but users are really paying a high price with their data.

Abine's Sarah Downey explained it this way in a pre-conga gathering note: "Our message is that Facebook's going public, but you don’t have to. We're intentionally doing the event a few days before Facebook's IPO, which is expected on the 18th, as a quirky way to draw people's attention to the fact that Facebook is following all of us online. We get to use the many great things that Facebook offers, but only in exchange for Facebook collecting, storing, and selling our private data for advertising."

Online privacy activists demonstrate in San Francisco on Tuesday to highlight concerns about Facebook's access to private data.

Online privacy activists demonstrate in San Francisco on Tuesday to highlight concerns about Facebook's access to private data.

Online privacy activists demonstrate in San Francisco on Tuesday to highlight concerns about Facebook's access to private data.