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Facebook Will Shut Down Its Spyware VPN App Onavo

techcrunch.com

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Re: Facebook Will Shut Down Its Spyware VPN App Onavo

#3

Post by newscracker »

Quotes from the article, with my emphasis in italics:

> Facebook will end its unpaid market research programs and proactively take its Onavo VPN app off the Google Play store in the wake of backlash following TechCrunch’s investigation about Onavo code being used in a Facebook Research app the sucked up data about teens.

> Facebook has also ceased to recruit new users for the Facebook Research app that still runs on Android but was forced off of iOS by Apple after we reported on how it violated Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program for employee-only apps. Existing Facebook Research app studies will continue to run, though.

> To preempt any more scandals around Onavo and the Facebook Research app and avoid Google stepping in to forcibly block the apps, Facebook is now taking Onavo off the Play Store and stopping recruitment of Research testers.

It’s a very weird use of “proactively” in this context. Facebook doesn’t seem to be acting quick either. Given that Google hasn’t yet done anything on this app on the Play Store (after all this while), that’s not a serious threat.

Facebook is just being Facebook here, doing some minimal changes to fend off criticism while it continues with its dubious practices wherever it hasn’t been caught and shamed multiple times yet.

Re: Facebook Will Shut Down Its Spyware VPN App Onavo

#5

Post by bredren »

cobbzilla wrote: post #2

> A Facebook spokesperson claimed in a statement that “there was nothing ‘secret’ about this”, yet it had threatened legal action if users publicly discussed the Research program. Will wonders never cease?

The cavalier attitude says to me that this company is still a start up at heart. Early-stage companies often break a lot of rules that’s how you get big. Facebook is just still doing it.

Re: Facebook Will Shut Down Its Spyware VPN App Onavo

#7

Post by mehrdadn »

duxup wrote: post #4

They supposedly shutdown Onavo on the iPhone.... only to just resubmit it under another name. Accordingly I'm a bit skeptical about how much of a shutdown happens here.

I thought that fell under "unpaid market research programs" which is also shutting down.

Re: Facebook Will Shut Down Its Spyware VPN App Onavo

#8

Post by skrebbel »

bredren wrote: post #5
cobbzilla wrote: post #2

> A Facebook spokesperson claimed in a statement that “there was nothing ‘secret’ about this”, yet it had threatened legal action if users publicly discussed the Research program. Will wonders never cease?

The cavalier attitude says to me that this company is still a start up at heart. Early-stage companies often break a lot of rules that’s how you get big. Facebook is just still doing it.

This "it's ok to act immorally and illegally when you're a startup" attitude has to die in a fire.

Re: Facebook Will Shut Down Its Spyware VPN App Onavo

#9

Post by dannyr »

skrebbel wrote: post #8
bredren wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cavalier attitude says to me that this company is still a start up at heart. Early-stage companies often break a lot of rules that’s how you get big. Facebook is just still doing it.

This "it's ok to act immorally and illegally when you're a startup" attitude has to die in a fire.

Problem is governments never really acted aside from the US congressional hearings. While this is happening, Facebook's profits are up.

There's really nothing compelling Zuck and Facebook to act morally and legally.

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