Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your employment history isn't private information. It's sold by data brokers to companies for recruiting.
But who sells it to the data brokers?
spies
Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
81–90 of 173 posts
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Patents on mp3 and RSA didn’t prevent them from being used everywhere. I guess a patent on FFT (which, by the way, was considered at the time, according to Wikipedia) wouldn’t have stopped its adoption either. Also, IMO, a formula , which tells you what to compute, is essentially different from an algorithm , which tells you how . FFT would be patentable because it is non-obvious, even when given the formula for doin…
Sorry, a formula and an algorithm are not at all different. A mathematical formula is just a symbolic expression of an abstract concept, with the procedure (algorithm) how to use it being implicit (= obvious to the person skilled in the art). A computer algorithm can be trivially converted into purely mathematical/logic representation ("formulas" if you want), e.g. using things like lambda calculus. And vice-versa -…
With an algorithm implementation, you require integration with a runtime, quick storage, data, a data format. You also maybe need some tests and an SLA. There must be other components I missed.
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#83You need data to build technologies of the future and continue improvement of living standards. We (Western countries) should make it as easy as possible to collect and share it between businesses, and embrace it culturally if we want to stay relevant in AI-powered future.
if we want to stay relevant in AI-powered future. I have two arguments here. 1. The kind of data Facebook collects has nothing to do with AI, but advertising. 2. Even it mattered for AI, why do you think staying relevant in AI-powered future is more important than our privacy?
Wouldn't Facebook try to create 'AI's that mimic their users so that they can then predict what the 'highest value' advertisement is to show to the user at Facebook's next possible opportunity?
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#84It's crazy how the large companies file so many patents for any idea their employees can think of. We used to have a lawyer come to our desks once a month and they would try patent any idea you could come up with even off the top of your head. Not sure how small companies can compete when larger companies can buy up all the IP in a space without having to do any work. The smaller companies I've worked for have to be…
I have several patents I created and assigned to my company. The main reason is to allow the company to work in those ways without restriction. For example, without a patent granting rights to do operation XYZ, then a competitor may say that the company is doing something forbidden and needs to stop. We can look at all the claims for stolen IP with the various self-driving car companies to see examples.
This is a forward looking protection mechanism due to the environment that we actually have in the real world today. Even so, I don't like the idea of a social media company that sells advertising to have so many patents of the kinds mentioned in the article.
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#85Facebooks entire business revolves around collecting personal information. Their business model is entirely inconsistent with personal privacy and everyone needs to know that.
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who has multiple issued patents from large companies.. It's a pretty complex issue. I personally think software patents should be outlawed, as I don't know a better solution. On the one hand, I have several patents for project(s) that took years to develop. The processes are unique, very difficult to replicate, and should be offered some protection (if we agree that motor designs should be protected). The…
I’m becoming more of the opinion that all intellectual property law is immoral on the grounds that it creates artificial barriers to prosperity for individuals who don’t receive the benefits of the patents. I work hard on personal projects (robots) that I think would be useful to others and I share them all CC0 or BSD licensed. I think it would be useful for economists to consider the way patents exacerbate inequalit…
>intellectual property law is immoral on the grounds that it creates artificial barriers to prosperity for individuals who don’t receive the benefits of the patents
It is also a wealth transfer from the poor to the wealthy: the justice system protecting IP capital is financed by taxpayers, the hard majority of which hold no patents.
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#87Hey folks, I helped out a little with this piece. Aside from being happy to answer questions — I want to share a few bonus interesting Facebook patents that didn't quite make the final cut: In "Systems and methods for directing messages based on social data" ( https://patents.google.com/patent/US20180041464A1/en ), Facebook talks about creating "user influence scores" as a metric of your reputation on the social netw…
Do you have similar patent analysis on other social media companies like twitter, google. Curious to see what other companies are doing wrt to user privacy.
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#88It's crazy how the large companies file so many patents for any idea their employees can think of. We used to have a lawyer come to our desks once a month and they would try patent any idea you could come up with even off the top of your head. Not sure how small companies can compete when larger companies can buy up all the IP in a space without having to do any work. The smaller companies I've worked for have to be…
The beauty of this approach is that patents expire after ~15-20 years so it is basically just guaranteeing that everything will be free and clear soon.
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe NY tîmes had articles about Facebook and privacy practices prior to 2017. There was the whole debacle where Facebook “locked down” their developer platform. I think it’s reasonable for them to have more scrutiny now as it’s clear they don’t intend to fix their practices.
> I believe NY tîmes had articles about Facebook and privacy practices prior to 2017. I cant seem to find any. Do you have examples?
You didn't look very hard then. There are plenty:
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/23/technology/facebook-offer...
https://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/facebook-sti...
Re: Facebook’s patents show a commitment to collecting personal information
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who has multiple issued patents from large companies.. It's a pretty complex issue. I personally think software patents should be outlawed, as I don't know a better solution. On the one hand, I have several patents for project(s) that took years to develop. The processes are unique, very difficult to replicate, and should be offered some protection (if we agree that motor designs should be protected). The…
I’m becoming more of the opinion that all intellectual property law is immoral on the grounds that it creates artificial barriers to prosperity for individuals who don’t receive the benefits of the patents. I work hard on personal projects (robots) that I think would be useful to others and I share them all CC0 or BSD licensed. I think it would be useful for economists to consider the way patents exacerbate inequalit…
> It is tough when they offer you a few thousand for these ideas you come up with. That money could help me build a family, but in closing off these ideas I’m making it harder for everyone else to prosper.
I don't disagree. I look at it as a way for me to profit, I have to be pragmatic, unfortunately. I do donate 25% of each bonus to the EFF and personally I look at it another way...
This problem is going to get worse before it gets better. If I don't do this someone else will. The powers that be want this, and the lower levels like myself live on a bounty. It'll eventually fix itself, but until then I can net enough money to pay off my student loans, my cars, my house.