Question

From the documentation it seems that the user should always authorize the Facebook application even to access basic permissions.

However, sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Clicker.com auto-authorize the logged facebook user without showing the authorization dialog. If you visit one of those sites for the first time they will be able to access your public data without you authorizing it. If I go to the Apps on my facebook settings, an entry will appear showing that I gave access to those applications (but I DID NOT).

How can this be possible? Is it related to the “Instant Personalization” feature for selected partners?

Thanks

Answer 1

Well, I was doing some research and yes, it’s all about Instant Personalization.

From Facebook:

We’ve partnered with a few websites to provide you with great,
personalized experiences the moment you arrive, such as immediately
playing the music you like or displaying friends’ reviews. To tailor
your experience, these partners only access public information (like
your name and profile picture) and other information you’ve made
public.

From one of its partners:
Clicker.com

So -at the time I’m writing this- unless you’re a partner of Facebook, you’ll have to show the old OAuth dialog.

Hope it helps!