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DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

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Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#121

Post by BinaryIdiot »

penagwin wrote: post #103
traek wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd be slightly more confident (slightly) that editing the post might cause the core data in the db to be updated I'd be much less confident, considering that they explicitly save and make public post's edit history.

This is the case with many other online platforms (such as reddit) in that the original content of a post is still reachable if it was deleted, so a common method is to "scrub" edit your posts then delete them. However at Facebook's size, and given they're known for 0 privacy, they likely track all changes anyway.

Reddit doesn't actually store the history of your edits, only that you edited it (which is why, when you scrub reddit history, people recommend editing it because then your posting is gone except for say a backup). Facebook, however, allows you to see the history of posts so if someone edits it you can see what they originally posted.

I don't think editing a Facebook post first would have the desired effect.

Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#123

Post by z3c0 »

saddlerustle wrote: post #109
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #6

I don't trust the "delete" button to scrub it from FB's database. I'd be slightly more confident ( slightly ) that editing the post might cause the core data in the db to be updated, however. In which case, I think the more effective script would be one that goes through all of your FB posts and scrambles them, or replaces the text with gibberish.

Lots of people in this thread are claiming that it doesn't based on gut feeling, but consider: - Facebook publicly claims it does [1] - Mark Zuckerberg testified in-front of congress and stated they do [2] - Multiple government regulators have specifically checked that it does in their privacy audits. [3] They might be lying and actively conspiring to not delete it, but they'd have to have a very good reason to take…

Was the nature of deletion explicitly defined as "deleted records are removed from all databases, data warehouses included"?

They technically wouldn't be lying if they only deleted the record from application systems, but retained it in historical data by simply setting a bit flag (eg "IsDeleted") to 1.

The question about what motive they have comes down to whether or not the types of posts a person deletes indicate something meaningful about their personality. Ad analytics are ultimately seeking to understand the kind of person you are, after all.

Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#126

Post by code_duck »

davvolun wrote: post #55
code_duck wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe there is zero doubt that somewhere the text has been saved. Not only the original text, but also various results of analysis. Since they store edit history, too, replacing it with other text would simply be an indication that you’re trying to cover it up. I would guess that this has been demonstrated in court.

> Since they store edit history, too, replacing it with other text would simply be an indication that you’re trying to cover it up. It's text you wrote, why would there be any problem "covering up" your own text? Note that, I'm not arguing you should have a right to use Selenium to scrape their site and replace the text, but if you went through every post in a non-automated fashion and changed the text, from a perspe…

If you’re trying to hide the content from someone who has access to the edit history, editing it is ineffective and simply shows that you wish for it to be hidden. When would this be an issue? In court.

It’s true that editing could serve to hide it from other users, but privacy settings could do that also.

Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#127

Post by jlg23 »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #6

I don't trust the "delete" button to scrub it from FB's database. I'd be slightly more confident ( slightly ) that editing the post might cause the core data in the db to be updated, however. In which case, I think the more effective script would be one that goes through all of your FB posts and scrambles them, or replaces the text with gibberish.

OP explicitly states that he cannot make that guarantee.

Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#128

Post by seppin »

saddlerustle wrote: post #109
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #6

I don't trust the "delete" button to scrub it from FB's database. I'd be slightly more confident ( slightly ) that editing the post might cause the core data in the db to be updated, however. In which case, I think the more effective script would be one that goes through all of your FB posts and scrambles them, or replaces the text with gibberish.

Lots of people in this thread are claiming that it doesn't based on gut feeling, but consider: - Facebook publicly claims it does [1] - Mark Zuckerberg testified in-front of congress and stated they do [2] - Multiple government regulators have specifically checked that it does in their privacy audits. [3] They might be lying and actively conspiring to not delete it, but they'd have to have a very good reason to take…

> - Facebook makes money from your data by showing you ads. If you stop using facebook, you stop generating any revenue and your data becomes a liability, not an asset.

I doubt this

Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#129

Post by darkpuma »

saddlerustle wrote: post #109
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #6

I don't trust the "delete" button to scrub it from FB's database. I'd be slightly more confident ( slightly ) that editing the post might cause the core data in the db to be updated, however. In which case, I think the more effective script would be one that goes through all of your FB posts and scrambles them, or replaces the text with gibberish.

Lots of people in this thread are claiming that it doesn't based on gut feeling, but consider: - Facebook publicly claims it does [1] - Mark Zuckerberg testified in-front of congress and stated they do [2] - Multiple government regulators have specifically checked that it does in their privacy audits. [3] They might be lying and actively conspiring to not delete it, but they'd have to have a very good reason to take…

> "Facebook makes money from your data by showing you ads. If you stop using facebook, you stop generating any revenue and your data becomes a liability, not an asset."

If my friends or acquaintances continue to use facebook, then information about me continues to be useful to facebook as that information can be used to complete their model of what sort of people my friends are, that they would associate with somebody like me.

I wouldn't trust Zuckerberg to pour a glass of water on a burning orphan, let alone delete data for real. Nor would I trust any politician to know anything about the subject.

Re: DeleteFB: Selenium script to delete all of your Facebook wall posts

#130

Post by [deleted] »

z3c0 wrote: post #123
saddlerustle wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of people in this thread are claiming that it doesn't based on gut feeling, but consider: - Facebook publicly claims it does [1] - Mark Zuckerberg testified in-front of congress and stated they do [2] - Multiple government regulators have specifically checked that it does in their privacy audits. [3] They might be lying and actively conspiring to not delete it, but they'd have to have a very good reason to take…

Was the nature of deletion explicitly defined as "deleted records are removed from all databases, data warehouses included"? They technically wouldn't be lying if they only deleted the record from application systems, but retained it in historical data by simply setting a bit flag (eg "IsDeleted") to 1. The question about what motive they have comes down to whether or not the types of posts a person deletes indicate…

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