Facebook has announced a new advertising feature, Sponsored Stories.

These are brand related stories which appear in your news feed normally, however if the company is willing to pay any of their brand related activities will appear in this new ad format.

So every time you check in somewhere or like something brand related you could find yourself in a sponsored story on one of your friend’s Facebook page as well as part of their news feed.

This raises (even more) privacy concerns with Facebook. Do you want your actions to appear in ads? Should users be allowed to opt-out of this feature?

There is currently no opt-out option, however if we stop telling our friends exactly were we are and everything we like we are a lot less likely to be exploited by these brands. Does anyone really care if I check into my local Wetherspoons seven times in a day? Will it make my friends go there too?

The most it is likely to achieve is an intervention!

It’s estimated that Facebook took in over $1.8 bn (£1.1 bn) in ad revenue during 2010. This new advert format is sure to be another lucrative venture for the social networking company.

So the question we really should be asking ourselves is not about privacy or opt-out options but Does Mark Zuckerberg really need more money?

Apologies for my terrible Photoshop skills