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Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

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Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#321

Post by Brockenstein »

tombert wrote: post #301

It upsets me that the "normal" way to keep in touch with people now seems to be to use some kind of big-brother-esque system. I try and evangelize Signal over WhatsApp and most of my friends won't budge. I deleted my Facebook four years ago, and as a result I have lost contact with a lot of friends.

Before this sort of technology keeping in contact with friends wasn't trivial. Both parties had to want to keep it up. And if they didn't, or you didn't, you just lost contact with a lot of people as a normal matter of course. Everyone moved on with their lives, you met new people, and so on.

That there is this artificial world where people can arbitrarily keep in contact doesn't make that sort of non-interaction of occasionally commenting on or liking posts normal or better. It certainly is easy though to search for someone you knew ages ago, add a friend, have the five minute conversation of what's been going on the last five, ten, twenty years and then never really talk again.

In this regard facebook isn't the problem, and your preferred platform isn't a solution. The problem is people.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#322

Post by 394549 »

malaysanghi wrote: post #293
gonmf wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think platforms like Facebook depend on being "cool" over some demographic. Then other demographics adopt it, time passes, other demographics grow tired of the same old Facebook look their parents also used, and Facebook starts to die. We've seen this as well with other social networks like hi5, myspace, that once dominated entire continents as the preferred social website. Of course they are smart and competent pe…

This is why acquisitions such as IG and WhatsApp are crucial. If they purchase the next cool thing, they never really go out of fashion. FB has gone from throwing sheep at your friends to this. I don't think they are stopping anytime soon

> This is why acquisitions such as IG and WhatsApp are crucial. If they purchase the next cool thing, they never really go out of fashion. FB has gone from throwing sheep at your friends to this. I don't think they are stopping anytime soon

But it does mean that an even somewhat diligent antitrust enforcement could strangle them to death. They shouldn't be allowed to acquire their future competitors. If the US won't stop them, maybe European regulators can?

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#323

Post by soylentcola »

klez wrote: post #292
gonmf wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think platforms like Facebook depend on being "cool" over some demographic. Then other demographics adopt it, time passes, other demographics grow tired of the same old Facebook look their parents also used, and Facebook starts to die. We've seen this as well with other social networks like hi5, myspace, that once dominated entire continents as the preferred social website. Of course they are smart and competent pe…

I see what you mean, but I'm under the impression that Facebook is not "your father's social network" in that it's not even comparable to what MySpace was, neither in numbers nor in qualities. What I mean is that we are comparing two different beasts, so I'm not sure "it happened to MySpace" is a good telltale sign of what will eventually happen to Facebook.

Not to mention the growing number of people who only use a mobile phone as their gateway to internet services (along with all of the personal info to be gleaned from them) and who spend the vast majority of their time on the web using Facebook.

I've seen this a lot more in countries where internet access wasn't too common until the past 5-10 years and people didn't start out with a less centralized web before apps and closed networks gained popularity.

My partner isn't from the US originally and when I mention how obnoxious it is that Facebook is like the new AOL and I thought we were past this, she reminds me that it's all anyone back home uses for anything and they didn't have internet access back then.

To her and her friends/family back home, the internet basically is Facebook (and occasionally being forced to open their browser app to search for something if they don't just ask around on Facebook). A handful of other apps and defaults define the internet for them and anything else just sounds like too much hassle.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#324

Post by 394549 »

jzl wrote: post #224
fosco wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What can we do about it? I realize this is probably not answerable in this thread but I find myself asking this question more frequently lately and I still cannot answer it. would be happy to see this discussion split into an Ask HN: or other, I think this topic should be debated quite a bit more than it is with the goal of attaining real results on fixing these issues.

Simple: delete your Facebook account. Many of us already have. Nothing will send a stronger message than people doing this en masse. Even if they don't get the message or don't care, it's the only way to protect yourself from their never-ending privacy violations.

> Simple: delete your Facebook account. Many of us already have. Nothing will send a stronger message than people doing this en masse. Even if they don't get the message or don't care, it's the only way to protect yourself from their never-ending privacy violations.

And if you're not willing to delete your account just yet, switch your profile pic and cover photo to messages saying you're planning on using Facebook less or eventually deleting your account.

If enough people do that, it adds a social element to the exodus. Just deleting you account makes it poof out of existence without a sound, and most of your FB friends won't even notice.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#325

Post by Aunche »

Don't get me wrong, this is absolutely a scummy thing to do since it's deceptive. That said, I don't understand why everyone thinks this is such a big deal. They already have your phone number from 2FA anyways, and they already show advertisements. What difference does it make that they let advertisers target people based on their number?

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#326

Post by ufo »

jzl wrote: post #224
fosco wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What can we do about it? I realize this is probably not answerable in this thread but I find myself asking this question more frequently lately and I still cannot answer it. would be happy to see this discussion split into an Ask HN: or other, I think this topic should be debated quite a bit more than it is with the goal of attaining real results on fixing these issues.

Simple: delete your Facebook account. Many of us already have. Nothing will send a stronger message than people doing this en masse. Even if they don't get the message or don't care, it's the only way to protect yourself from their never-ending privacy violations.

I wish it were that simple. In Brazil, Whatsapp has effectively replaced SMS as the standard form of communication.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#327

Post by stordoff »

boraturant wrote: post #74

As an FB Marketing API developer, this has been available for several years . The way it works, advertisers can send their phone list to FB for ad targeting. However, phone hashes are sent, not clear ones. Personally, as long as the user has an opt-out and opt-in options, I don’t think ad targeting is necessarily an unethical pattern, the blurring lines of ads and recommendations would be actually a pattern that user…

> Would you rather use Netflix or Spotify without recommendation engine?

I'd rather it didn't have a recommendation engine. I'm fed up with it trying to get me to watch something else - I'd rather it just stay out of my way.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#328

Post by ConceptJunkie »

simonh wrote: post #290
MaxBarraclough wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, because Move fast and break stuff is their mantra. I'm surprised that articles doesn't even mention it. Perhaps Move fast and hurt people would be more honest. I think it's rather catchy.

Move fast and break moral and ethical standards.

No, that's Google.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#329

Post by ConceptJunkie »

394549 wrote: post #324
jzl wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple: delete your Facebook account. Many of us already have. Nothing will send a stronger message than people doing this en masse. Even if they don't get the message or don't care, it's the only way to protect yourself from their never-ending privacy violations.

> Simple: delete your Facebook account. Many of us already have. Nothing will send a stronger message than people doing this en masse. Even if they don't get the message or don't care, it's the only way to protect yourself from their never-ending privacy violations. And if you're not willing to delete your account just yet, switch your profile pic and cover photo to messages saying you're planning on using Facebook l…

That's a good point. When the only option to make your opinion known is to quit, you've reached a bad place.

Unfortunately, it seems like that's becoming more and more common these days.

Re: Facebook Is Giving Advertisers Access To Your Shadow Contact Information

#330

Post by justtopost »

krageon wrote: post #187
da02 wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are some crazy things you've seen?

You don't need his crazy stories, really. All you need to do is accept that Facebook isn't behaving exceptionally poorly, this is industry standard. Lo and behold - the entire sector is suddenly a cesspool of disrespect and money grabbing at the cost of your data, your privacy, anything they will be able to get away with. And they can get away with a lot, because you are not allowed to talk when you work anywhere. On…

》Facebook isn't behaving exceptionally poorly

I think we are at an impasse. Most in the know do not share this opinion.

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