Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 181 posts

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#101

Post by iaml »

Balgair wrote: post #89
ratel wrote: post #17

Well, The big one would be nice: Facebook makes her money from harvesting and selling privacy sensitive data, or at least that is the perception shared by nation states, the EU and the wider audience. For any claim Facebook makes about respecting privacy to have at least face validity she need to show how she is going to make money without violating her users privacy. So how is Facebook going to make money if they ne…

Aside: Interesting use of the pronoun 'she' in this comment. FB's behaviour is totally due to Zuck, as he owns 53.3% of the voting shares of the company. FB is Zuck, for all intents and purposes.

I see this use of 'she' from time to time and also curious about motivation here. Also, I'd say even though Zuck is practically face of facebook (heh), company is still genderless and should be referred to as it. In my opinion, of course.

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#102

Post by ratel »

School-Cotton wrote: post #94
ratel wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was really careful enough in my wording: Facebook sells privacy sensitive data as in very, very specific target groups for among other things ad targeting for their customers to use. I did not refer to the selling of private data.

I genuinely don’t understand the distinction you’re making. Facebook does not make its money from “selling data” at all , whether “private data” or “privacy-sensitive data”.

Dear umanwizard,

Genuinely not understanding something is fine. Already claiming someone was intellectually dishonest because you misread or misunderstood not so much.

The ads business of Facebook is based on the very specific data Facebook can provide their advertisers for very specific target audiences based on private information they gathered through their platform. Like ads for people who die their hair, have an affliction for cheese burgers, are right wing and live in zip code 20500. That is privacy sensitive information (although I picked a public person for this example). They do not provide customers with Trump's private number. That would be private data. They do not just sell ads on their platform, they sell specific target audiences on their platform.

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#104

Post by iaml »

thisplacesucks wrote: post #33

You're being invited to Facebook Amsterdam. That's like speaking at a Walmart in Kentucky. They won't have any answers to any questions.

I'm about 70% sure someone from fb will notice this thread and construct non-answers for all questions here. Hi!

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#105

Post by School-Cotton »

ghostpepper wrote: post #99
School-Cotton wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I genuinely don’t understand the distinction you’re making. Facebook does not make its money from “selling data” at all , whether “private data” or “privacy-sensitive data”.

Not the OP, but I am guessing they are trying to say that the distinction between "you pay facebook and they give you a database full of private data" and "you pay facebook and they give you API access to a database of private data and allow you to query it in myriad ways leading to you creating your own database of highly accurate private data" is not as important a distinction as Facebook would have you believe. Or…

But Facebook doesn’t let advertisers query their database of private data. I agree that if they did, it would not be very different from selling data, but they don’t.

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#106

Post by School-Cotton »

ratel wrote: post #102
School-Cotton wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I genuinely don’t understand the distinction you’re making. Facebook does not make its money from “selling data” at all , whether “private data” or “privacy-sensitive data”.

Dear umanwizard, Genuinely not understanding something is fine. Already claiming someone was intellectually dishonest because you misread or misunderstood not so much. The ads business of Facebook is based on the very specific data Facebook can provide their advertisers for very specific target audiences based on private information they gathered through their platform. Like ads for people who die their hair, have an…

> The ads business or Facebook is based on the very specific data Facebook can provide their advertisers

Again, no it isn’t. Facebook at no point provides data to its advertisers.

Yes, advertisers can say “show this ad to people who are right-wing and live in DC” (although I doubt “dyed hair” is a category). However, the advertisers are never provided with any data about who is in that category. That data never leaves Facebook.

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#108

Post by ryanlol »

mehrdadn wrote: post #60

Ask them why the exposed moderators who now live in constant fear for their lives in their own countries were not offered serious compensation that could last them a significant chunk of their lifetimes (which would be on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars). [1] Facebook will most likely respond that their threat assessments didn't warrant it. To which you'd ideally respond by asking them why a reasonable…

I really don’t think this is as credible of a threat as you paint it to be.

Terrorists don’t go around killing people for banning them from forums.

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#109

Post by monkeynotes »

Before you decide to go, I'd evaluate exactly what you want out of the engagement and keep that in mind during the whole process. It's so easy to get used in this sort of scenario. Facebook obviously has an agenda of some kind and so should you. If those two agendas don't mesh then you should probably disengage or else be open to a one-sided benefit in their favour.

Be aware that their PR guys could use your name to dilute your previous critical commentary once you have gotten involved and are part of their 'consulted expert' club. This could potentially leave you fighting their PR which will likely just end up with a muddy mess.

Be prepared is what I'd say, a reputation is on the line for you and not much for them.

Re: Ask HN: Invited by Facebook for privacy roundtable. What questions should I ask?

#110

Post by mooneater »

How can a user purge all data about them on fb, including shadow accounts and backups? How can a non-user opt out of having a shadow profile about them? How can they claim to respext privacy if they dont have flawless answers for these?
Post reply on HN