Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has openly apologized to users for the problems they experienced with the troublesome Beacon.

Zuckerberg advised users they could switch it off in a penitent post on the Facebook blog.

Zuckerburg said the company "did a bad job" with the release of Beacon, the system that alerts users' followers of what that they've purchased on partner sites.

Users can now turn Beacon off, but some say the adjustment does not go far enough. Facebook, after all, will still be collecting that information. That information could be used for other ad-oriented mischief-making.

Beacon will now highlight purchases and information that users choose to share.

The move is heralded as a win by privacy advocates who say that the Beacon intruded too deeply into people's lives.