This is basically what DoubleClick was doing when all of the cookie backlash happened the first time. Maybe Facebook's good image'll help them past the PR nightmare.

I don't think Facebook has had a good image recently, e.g. over valuation has made them a mockery; privacy concerns relating to the disclosure of personnel information to third parties; the fact that they don't actually delete your profile when you leave and Facebook personnel willfully looking at peoples profiles for entertainment. I feel a backlash coming on already.

Also, most of my profile is made up anyway. I have put cereals as one of my interests; I can't wait to receive 'contextual' cereal ads!

Okay, so I admit the headline was a bit silly. But some people are going around saying that targeted ads and such will make Facebook worth that much and its something worth looking at.

How would you have valued Google before Adsense and Adwords proved themselves?

They were still the sickest search engine at a time when search was the biggest money maker on the web. Also, people have a bad memory about Google, but they didn't IPO until they were making a billion dollars.

. . . because privacy groups hold all the cards in today's political economy </tinfoil-hattish snark>