Its sad that everytime there is a post about Facebook the comments are extremely toxic and negative, and don't really even discuss the article itself. I would argue that 80% of all tech companies are doing close to 0 in making the world a 'better place'.
Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
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Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#282The security update was written by.. a VP of product management[1]. I would have thought they'd have a bigger bench for their security team. [1] https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/09/security-update/
You know they just lost their highly revered head of security and said there would be no replacement, right? https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/1/17640852/facebook-cso-alex...
Yep. Doesn't mean there isn't a bench.
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#283Said this yesterday in the other Facebook thread, and I'll say it again. Working for Facebook is a morally bankrupt position. If you are an engineer you have plenty of job opportunities available to you and there is no excuse for you to continue contributing your labor and time to a wholly malignant organization. At a certain point one has to ask how we as an industry will start dealing with those who continue to tak…
The more interesting question is:
Which large companies are morally worth getting our support?
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#284Fun fact: https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/09/security-update/ was published at 16:42:44. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/28/technology/facebook-hack-... was published at 16:45:41. NYT writes fast :)
> “We’re taking it really seriously,” Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s chief executive, said in a conference call with reporters. “We have a major security effort at the company that hardens all of our surfaces.” He added: “I’m glad we found this. But it definitely is an issue that this happened in the first place.” There was a conference call with reporters about the subject, so the press release public release was no…
I very very much doubt the NYT would have agreed to an embargo on a story like this. It's a major news story, not the launch of a new car.
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#285Said this yesterday in the other Facebook thread, and I'll say it again. Working for Facebook is a morally bankrupt position. If you are an engineer you have plenty of job opportunities available to you and there is no excuse for you to continue contributing your labor and time to a wholly malignant organization. At a certain point one has to ask how we as an industry will start dealing with those who continue to tak…
I've got several infosec friends at Facebook right now, all new hires, trying to preserve our democracy from attacks. I don't consider them morally bankrupt at all.
It seems like a vast networked trove of everyone's information is doing the opposite of "preserving our democracy from attacks" - its actively enabling it.
Minimizing the damage of collecting that information is maybe not directly evil, but helping kick the can down the road to the point where facebook is so deeply networked in our society its unremoveable doesnt seem like a high horse to be riding on.
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#286Earlier quoted context omitted.
For what it's worth, Facebook did not dissolve its dedicated security team. That statement is misreporting on the part of The Verge. Facebook's security team is actually expanding its presence. There is lot of misinformation about the Stamos debacle on all sides.
Do you have a source for this, "throwaway"?
With regards to the implication: this isn't a throwaway account, it's just ironically named. Take a look at my comment history; I'm not affiliated with Facebook in any official capacity, but I do know security engineers who work there and I've been to Facebook offices.
A true statement is that Facebook's security teams have been shifted around in several reorgs. A false statement is that Facebook has dissolved its security teams. The latter is a mischaracterization of the former, because while some security staff have left Facebook for a variety of reasons, the company is not deliberately reducing its security staff nor encouraging their departure. It still employs a huge number of engineers specializing in every major domain of information security.
If you'd like evidence that Facebook is expanding its security presence, you can take a look at its careers portal. It's aggressively hiring security staff in satellite offices that previously weren't focus areas for security engineering.
In my opinion, Alex Stamos' company memo gives a clearer picture of what's happened in Facebook's security org recently.[1] You should read that in addition to media reports.
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1. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/facebook-alex-s...
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
So is working at Google, Amazon and probably 90% of the big corps of the world in many sectors - from oil to finance to pharmaceutical to telecommunications and so on. And we can include the government. If you're a subcontrator or sold in body rental (modern IT slavery) you're also in the same position as an employee, so you're enabling their evils. Also, if one of those companies is a client of your company you're a…
>>in Europe going to work for Facebook/Google/Amazon is a enormous bump (we're speaking 2-4x) of salary for many people, which in some cases means you can buy an house after 3-4 years even with the crazy rents back in your home country - and that's HUGE. So this is how we justify it now? “But it will allow me to buy a house in 3-4 years”?
How else can any one justify working for capitalists?
I enjoy destroying the environment for future generations so they don't have it too easy?
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#288Earlier quoted context omitted.
So is working at Google, Amazon and probably 90% of the big corps of the world in many sectors - from oil to finance to pharmaceutical to telecommunications and so on. And we can include the government. If you're a subcontrator or sold in body rental (modern IT slavery) you're also in the same position as an employee, so you're enabling their evils. Also, if one of those companies is a client of your company you're a…
>>in Europe going to work for Facebook/Google/Amazon is a enormous bump (we're speaking 2-4x) of salary for many people, which in some cases means you can buy an house after 3-4 years even with the crazy rents back in your home country - and that's HUGE. So this is how we justify it now? “But it will allow me to buy a house in 3-4 years”?
I was just noting that in other parts of the world (where the average salary nationally for developers is NOT a comfy 60k$) finding alternatives to those companies can be a little bit complex, and for sure no less evil.
The "justification" (if you want to call it that way) you are looking for is in the part you forgot to quote and respond to ;)
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#289Said this yesterday in the other Facebook thread, and I'll say it again. Working for Facebook is a morally bankrupt position. If you are an engineer you have plenty of job opportunities available to you and there is no excuse for you to continue contributing your labor and time to a wholly malignant organization. At a certain point one has to ask how we as an industry will start dealing with those who continue to tak…
Working for any company writing code with the purpose of violating the privacy of your users, is ethically questionable indeed.
So they are certainly engineers at Facebook doing very questionable things - but not all of them.
In general: the more influence you have (via code you write or otherwise via power you are aware you have over people), the more you become ethically accountable for your actions.
Re: Facebook Network Breach Impacts Up to 50M Users
#290Said this yesterday in the other Facebook thread, and I'll say it again. Working for Facebook is a morally bankrupt position. If you are an engineer you have plenty of job opportunities available to you and there is no excuse for you to continue contributing your labor and time to a wholly malignant organization. At a certain point one has to ask how we as an industry will start dealing with those who continue to tak…
So is working at Google, Amazon and probably 90% of the big corps of the world in many sectors - from oil to finance to pharmaceutical to telecommunications and so on. And we can include the government. If you're a subcontrator or sold in body rental (modern IT slavery) you're also in the same position as an employee, so you're enabling their evils. Also, if one of those companies is a client of your company you're a…
>Also, I fear that HN somewhat forgets the world is not SF, in Europe going to work for Facebook/Google/Amazon is a enormous bump (we're speaking 2-4x) of salary for many people, which in some cases means you can buy an house after 3-4 years even with the crazy rents back in your home country - and that's HUGE.
I guess if your entire purpose in life is personal wealth, this makes sense. It also makes sense why you fit in with SV culture.