WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook • Hacker News Board

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#241

Post by jasonlotito » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:03 AM UTC

jiggliemon wrote: post #87

All of this Facebook hubub and broad public outcry is really all owed to the election of Trump. If Trump handnt leveraged CA, we’d still all be happy and fat on out individual bliss boxes – patting ourselves on the back – because our side [a la Obama] was smart enough to use this technology to our advantage. Now when the enemy has (and use) the same technology, we’re forced to cry foul. Demand oversight. Demand regul…

The data collection isn't the concern. The criminal concern is federal election finance laws potentially being broken, as well as foreigners working for the campaign. There are very real and very serious potential issues here that are being brought up.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#242

Post by tensor » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:03 AM UTC

fareesh wrote: post #86

Despite the barrage of negative stories that would have ended nearly every other Presidential campaign - ranging from accusations of racism, misogyny, treason, incompetence, mental instability - despite all of it, tens of millions of Americans absolutely love President Trump. I cannot imagine how utterly frustrating it must be for them to watch the media bounce from story after story in some convoluted attempt to exp…

Perhaps the reality is two things. One, there may have really was been collusion and manipulation of peoples psyche as the data seems to be trending towards.

But two, as you suggest, perhaps some people really do like him and what he represents. And maybe the "other side" would rather believe Trump voters were tricked then believe the alternative, that Trump voters really love Trump and what he represents.

The thing that posts like yours seem to silently imply is that if "the other side" would just accept Trump and his ideology, the country will be fine. But perhaps two peoples can become so divided that they would rather take up arms against each other then accept the ideology of the other group. This is the possibility that really scares people the most, and is something that no one wants to talk about.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#243

Post by jasonlotito » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:04 AM UTC

propman wrote: post #26

I don't get what changed? We've knows Facebook tracks everything, we've known Google does the same thing. If you've ever developed anything in messenger even today, it's amazing how much information is given. We know all these sites track everything you do outside of Facebook too. Everyone has been trying to get them to stop, we know it's illegal to build a profile on someone but Facebook gets around that by building…

The issue isn't the data collection. It's campaign finance laws potentially being broken. It just so happens that data collection was at the center of that.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#244

Post by specialist » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:04 AM UTC

alex_young wrote: post #200

fareesh wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The winning candidate spent significantly less money in this instance. Also I tend to agree with Citizens United. Unions and Corporations should be allowed to express their views on a candidate. If there is someone running for office and making a BS claim about steel workers, I would want steelworkers unions to have the right to advertise and inform me that it is BS. Also if you get into issue based stuff, it becomes…

The winning candidate won by something like negative three million votes. What other country would consider that a democratic outcome?

Plus the two million eligible voters who were denied their right to vote.

But who’s counting?

It’s more fun to argue about facebook, benghazi, email servers, value voters, likeability...

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#245

Post by sheepmullet » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:05 AM UTC

matthewwiese wrote: post #206

fareesh wrote: post #86

Despite the barrage of negative stories that would have ended nearly every other Presidential campaign - ranging from accusations of racism, misogyny, treason, incompetence, mental instability - despite all of it, tens of millions of Americans absolutely love President Trump. I cannot imagine how utterly frustrating it must be for them to watch the media bounce from story after story in some convoluted attempt to exp…

Well said. No matter the influence of Russians nor widespread manipulation by Cambridge Analytica, the reality is that people chose to believe these things without their own personal endeavor into critical inquiry. And I'm not talking about that white working class "base" that people like to attribute as Trump's secret weapon. I know plenty of people, truly well meaning individuals, who are not the dumb animals most…

> They were just conned into it all

Were they conned?

The truth is if the US doesn't fix illegal immigration and put a general slowdown on legal immigration then conservatives are done for and their way of life is going to be slowly destroyed.

All indicators show first and second gen migrants overwhelmingly vote for Democrats.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#246

Post by racer-v » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:05 AM UTC

drawkbox wrote: post #165

fareesh wrote: post #86

Despite the barrage of negative stories that would have ended nearly every other Presidential campaign - ranging from accusations of racism, misogyny, treason, incompetence, mental instability - despite all of it, tens of millions of Americans absolutely love President Trump. I cannot imagine how utterly frustrating it must be for them to watch the media bounce from story after story in some convoluted attempt to exp…

> from the tens of millions who feel wronged and cheated by electoral results that they lost fair and square. Are you not doing as exactly as you are highlighting? If there were underlying forces at work that were foreign would that not mean it wasn't fair and square? Citizens United vs FEC[1] unfortunate decision in 2011 led to infusions of foreign funds[2] that outnumber what US citizens are legally allowed to cont…

We have to backtrack on Citizens United vs the FEC decision or else foreign countries and oligarchs will be deciding every election.

You are saying that the dollar amount spent decides every election. Do you really believe that democracy is nothing more than rule by whoever spends the most money?

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#247

Post by matthewwiese » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:05 AM UTC

forkwhilefork wrote: post #223

matthewwiese wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well said. No matter the influence of Russians nor widespread manipulation by Cambridge Analytica, the reality is that people chose to believe these things without their own personal endeavor into critical inquiry. And I'm not talking about that white working class "base" that people like to attribute as Trump's secret weapon. I know plenty of people, truly well meaning individuals, who are not the dumb animals most…

Who the hell are you to talk about Trump voters being conned or voting without critical thinking? You have no idea why people voted for him.

I believe you missed my point. Those that cry foul over those targeted Facebook ads also fail to realize that people were still willing to drink the Kool-Aid.

Of course, it would be asinine to paint with broad strokes. But one can't disregard that it takes two to tango in exchanges of ideas and information.

Edit: my horrendous spelling

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#248

Post by thetruthseeker1 » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:06 AM UTC

Every company has its ups and downs. Some downs or negative things warrant their demise. I don’t think what FB did here is worth calling burn the witch on them or actively trying to kill them, and I do hope FB are able to learn from this and change for the better.

Now, that said, I do think there is an underlying point others ops have alluded to: The disdain for Trump and everything that could have helped him win ( legitimately or illegitimately ) which I am not sure is the best way to react. I think that approach is not a very rational one. What needs to be done there w.r.t Trump is probably worth a separate discussion, but I disagree with knee jerk reaction here from the whatsapp founder.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#249

Post by knowThySelfx » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:06 AM UTC

I guess what Snowden said is true. FB is a surveillance company under the guise of social network. FB is not the only one in this case. All companies which store info could be suspect.

Re: WhatsApp co-founder tells everyone to delete Facebook

#250

Post by matthewwiese » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 4:07 AM UTC

sheepmullet wrote: post #245

matthewwiese wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well said. No matter the influence of Russians nor widespread manipulation by Cambridge Analytica, the reality is that people chose to believe these things without their own personal endeavor into critical inquiry. And I'm not talking about that white working class "base" that people like to attribute as Trump's secret weapon. I know plenty of people, truly well meaning individuals, who are not the dumb animals most…

> They were just conned into it all Were they conned? The truth is if the US doesn't fix illegal immigration and put a general slowdown on legal immigration then conservatives are done for and their way of life is going to be slowly destroyed. All indicators show first and second gen migrants overwhelmingly vote for Democrats.

Yes, the conservatives are done for. That is, the party itself will fail to stay relevant.

This doesn't matter to voters. They ought to pick whoever will best serve them. So in that sense, I would argue that yes, they were conned in some respects.