Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation • Hacker News Board

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#121

Post by ABCLAW » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:15 PM UTC

plusbryan wrote: post #94

"I started Facebook, and at the end of the day I'm responsible for what happens on our platform." Regardless of my feelings about how this was handled, I appreciate the level of leadership accountability demonstrated in this statement. I wish that more founders, CEOs, and politicians facing difficult circumstances would adopt this perspective. Even if you didn't personally code/negotiate/write it - you made manageria…

I don't.

Because months earlier, he was making public comments that it was a 'crazy idea' that his company could have influenced elections shortly after his chief information security officer was pushing against him and Sheryl Sandberg to investigate and disclose russian activity on the platform. Additionally, his company was actively advertising election related products.

This man isn't owning responsibility; he's trying to defuse a PR bomb of his own creation.

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#122

Post by nugi » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:15 PM UTC

nickysielicki wrote: post #110

propman wrote: post #39

The trusting developers not to sell any data but putting zero safeguards in place to prevent this and extremely punitive repercussions despite being repeatedly told by the public, media, and even high level employees tells me Facebook can't plead ignorance to this and they not only knew this was happening, but they probably intended for it to happen. They knew it was illegal but put all the incentives for companies n…

>The trusting developers not to sell any data but putting zero safeguards in place to prevent this and extremely punitive repercussions despite being repeatedly told by the public, media, and even high level employees tells me Facebook can't plead ignorance to this and they not only knew this was happening, but they probably intended for it to happen. Why would they intend for it to happen? They didn't make any money…

They sold the data by proxy by knowingly letting the 3rd parties syphon the data. Why else would they be at CA when the cops showed up? Are you being intentionally obtuse?

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#123

Post by snambi » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:16 PM UTC

This is just eyewash. The real business of facebook is selling and using user data for their profits.

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#124

Post by munk-a » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:16 PM UTC

harryh wrote: post #104

gwicks56 wrote: post #54

1000 word statement. Number of times the word "advertising" was mentioned: 0 Facebook continues to pretend it's business model is unicorns and kittens, not selling user data for money.

Facebook doesn't sell user data for money. It sells targeted advertising for money. There is a huge difference.

Yea, actually selling their user data would put them out of business... Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#125

Post by kchoudhu » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:16 PM UTC

This statement indicates that Facebook is for a while going to be turning to regulatory engineering.

Engineers hate this kind of stuff. Expect an outflux of talent from the company in the next year or so.

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#126

Post by cornholio » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:16 PM UTC

antocv wrote: post #85

bluetwo wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I created an app so I could grant myself access to the API with it. It was an embarrassing amount of data on all your friends.

I created an app back in 2009, to grant myself access and look around. Saw too much information about friends, realized some friends began "using" my app, just because it was made by me. Realized all the quizzes and dumb polls are data-gathering apps for the developers. Realized, all the awkward "friend requests" from other side of the world, are fake profiles, to gather more data. Made a fake profile, to seem from a…

Creep level: Zuck.

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#127

Post by pishpash » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:16 PM UTC

prostoalex wrote: post #65

propman wrote: post #39

The trusting developers not to sell any data but putting zero safeguards in place to prevent this and extremely punitive repercussions despite being repeatedly told by the public, media, and even high level employees tells me Facebook can't plead ignorance to this and they not only knew this was happening, but they probably intended for it to happen. They knew it was illegal but put all the incentives for companies n…

What kind of safeguards would you introduce? At the very start of Facebook platform the API would anonymize the user's email address, the app would get an app-specific hash, e.g. abcdefg-app123456@facebook.net It was a working email address with Facebook handling the forwarding. This proved futile as the very first thing that apps then did was to ask users for their real email address.

How about allowing pseudonyms for a start, like the original Internet before FB corrupted it?

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#128

Post by 908087 » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:17 PM UTC

faramarz wrote: post #90

Will do, should do, going to do. Lots of promises not a single action. Since Friday, or earlier of knowing about the incident, they could have conducted the audit and closed any lose ends and used this opportunity to say we have already done x and y. Instead, it's just announcements. Not good enough.

The benefit of making promises instead of taking action, is that people generally forget about promises if you let enough time elapse.

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#129

Post by mcintyre1994 » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:17 PM UTC

propman wrote: post #39

The trusting developers not to sell any data but putting zero safeguards in place to prevent this and extremely punitive repercussions despite being repeatedly told by the public, media, and even high level employees tells me Facebook can't plead ignorance to this and they not only knew this was happening, but they probably intended for it to happen. They knew it was illegal but put all the incentives for companies n…

It's in Facebook's benefit for advertisers to gather all that data, because the only way they can actually use it to make money is by advertising to the users on Facebook. I find it incredibly hard to believe that this thought never crossed anybody's mind.

Re: Zuckerberg on Cambridge Analytica situation

#130

Post by rst » Wed, Mar 21, 2018, 8:17 PM UTC

ctdonath wrote: post #33

uptown wrote: post #12

Full Text: I want to share an update on the Cambridge Analytica situation -- including the steps we've already taken and our next steps to address this important issue. We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can't then we don't deserve to serve you. I've been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn't happen again. The good news is that the most important actions t…

"the most important actions to prevent this from happening again today we have already taken years ago." This...is not comforting.

They closed the barn door five years ago. The horse got out six years ago.