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Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

techcrunch.com

21–30 of 51 posts

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#21
Can't this be blocked on a FB level already? I don't see those "FB Connect" boxes anymore. To be honest, I cannot even remember what setting I changed in FB, but it seems to work. (I also have disabled applications and not sure if this makes a difference but I use Adblock Plus as well.)

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#22
post #7

Come on, we already have a perfectly good protocol for this, OpenID. It's unfortunate how big companies try to lock users in their own authentication services rather than educate them about OpenID (although I think the new JanRain widgets turn OpenID into a "Connect with X" service, which is great).

OpenID is not a perfectly good protocol. It is a total mess. Implementing it is an exercise in pulling teeth. Every major implementation was vulnerable to a timing attack until recently, which severely compromised the security of both sites which actually accept OpenID. The user experience is an abomination which requires users understand concepts which strike them like ancient Aramaic. Half of the spec, which you have to implement, is devoted to requirements put there for ideological reasons which no user is actually interested in (delegation). The core use case -- that any site on the website can ask for your holiest of holy credentials and you should just give them out -- appears to be the world's most widespread phishing attack, organized by sleeper agents planted on the spec committee whose dark masters tasked them with undermining everything we have ever taught users about password security.

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#23
post #15
post #3

Of course one should be 'worried' about privacy with his/her data on facebook, but i don't think one should care less with the information google has about a huge amount of people. Just as a reminder: they know what you look for on the web (google itself), they know what you talk to your friends (gtalk), they know what you get via email (gmail), they know what videos you watch to (on youtube) and they now even have a…

Why is it bad if google or facebook know a lot about people? Can you give me some examples?

Pooling all of that information into one place is begging for it to be abused. Would you still be asking the same question if it was s/Facebook/NSA/g or s/Google/FBI/g or even s/Google/KGB/g? Once all of this information is in place how hard do you think it will be for such organizations to get access to it? Just because the 'big bad guberment' isn't the one doing the collecting doesn't mean that the information cannot be abused internally, or externally to the company compiling it.

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#24
post #23
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it bad if google or facebook know a lot about people? Can you give me some examples?

Pooling all of that information into one place is begging for it to be abused. Would you still be asking the same question if it was s/Facebook/NSA/g or s/Google/FBI/g or even s/Google/KGB/g? Once all of this information is in place how hard do you think it will be for such organizations to get access to it? Just because the 'big bad guberment' isn't the one doing the collecting doesn't mean that the information cann…

Usually these discussions sound like some people are worried that the corporations themselves will do something bad with the data (sell you more stuff you like !gasp!).

Government misusing data is the only thing I could think of. But what's the evidence for that fear? If the organisations you mention wanted to go after people, can't they already do so?

With this kind of reasoning, the internet itself should qualify as a huge setback to privacy. The point is that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#26
post #25

A browser extension to block a single service? Use a general "browser firewall" and add http://*.connect.facebook.*/* to the list of blocked urls...

The browser extension is useful, even more so for non-technical people: you click a button and it's installed.

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#27
post #22
post #7

Come on, we already have a perfectly good protocol for this, OpenID. It's unfortunate how big companies try to lock users in their own authentication services rather than educate them about OpenID (although I think the new JanRain widgets turn OpenID into a "Connect with X" service, which is great).

OpenID is not a perfectly good protocol. It is a total mess. Implementing it is an exercise in pulling teeth. Every major implementation was vulnerable to a timing attack until recently, which severely compromised the security of both sites which actually accept OpenID. The user experience is an abomination which requires users understand concepts which strike them like ancient Aramaic. Half of the spec, which you ha…

Yes, but isn't the core use case the same with any third party identification service, such as Facebook Connect or MS Passport or whatever?

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#28
post #25

A browser extension to block a single service? Use a general "browser firewall" and add http://*.connect.facebook.*/* to the list of blocked urls...

I prefer browser extension. Its much easier for general public and you don't need to restart the browser, now that's convenient.

Re: Google Engineer Builds Facebook Disconnect

#29
post #26
post #25

A browser extension to block a single service? Use a general "browser firewall" and add http://*.connect.facebook.*/* to the list of blocked urls...

The browser extension is useful, even more so for non-technical people: you click a button and it's installed.

How many non-technical people do you know that use Chrome as their primary browser?

I ask this because while I know plenty of tech savvy people that use Firefox, I'm in the minority on the Chrome/Chromium front amongst them, and I don't know a single non-technical person who uses Chrome.

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