Facebook now lets applications email users

Going forward with October plans, Facebook enables email notifications for third-party apps

Further opening up permissions to third-party applications, Facebook announced today that users can now receive email notifications from apps on the site they authorize.

In the same way that Facebook itself sends users notifications when they are tagged in a photo or receive a message in their Facebook inbox, third-party applications like Zynga's FarmVille can now email users at their discretion. Emails from apps will probably take many forms: actions taken within a game, receipts for purchases, or even just newsletters.

As an effort to protect privacy, Facebook has enabled users to opt for email notifications with an anonymous proxied email, so that applications never have direct access to one's actual email address.

This is a big step for the world's biggest social networking site, as users can now more easily open themselves up to deluges of unwanted email. But Facebook remains vigilant against spam:

"This new communication channel gives you more control over how you communicate with applications on Facebook Platform, and you can turn the channel on and off as you choose," write Facebook Platform engineer Arun Vijayvergiya. "Additionally, developers will be held to the highest Facebook and federal guidelines to help prevent spam, misleading information and malicious intent. We encourage you to use caution when communicating with these applications in the same way you do with sites across the Web."

Facebook says users should report an application to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for violating CAN-SPAM if emails continue rolling in even after a notifications for that app have been disabled. Further, users will be able to report applications in violation of guidelines directly to Facebook.

Applications on the Facebook Platform will be receiving more updates and expansions over the coming months.