With the VR/AR initiatives they have, people will voluntarily share what they are looking at. Make sharing information integral part of the experience and you get everything without any wrongdoing.
Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
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Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#12Is this the same scandal from before: where the app had the camera on because when you swipe to record a story they wanted it to be instantly available? Did it just take a while to reach lawsuit status or is this about some new thing?
> Is this the same scandal from before:
Scandal(s):
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23950892
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21513471
Though, my favourite (unrelated to the camera "bug" here) is the one Will Strafach uncovered: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1090394419902197761.html
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#13Let’s assume for a moment the story turns out to be true: would people stop using Instagram because of it?looking at the history of privacy violations and the market’s responds to it I doubt it. There is a minority of users who will feel rightfully violated in their privacy (imagine browsing instagram naked while possibly being ogled at by some creep at FB). The worst that will happen is that FB will be sanctioned to pay a laughably low fine. I think we need much harsher repercussions against these practices, up to barring them completely from operating.
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#14Don't want to be the devil's advocate here but just because camera is on doesn't mean anything is being recorded. As an iOS developer who worked with apps that access camera frequently, I can confidently say that it's just a UX optimization. Starting the camera takes a brief few hundred milliseconds which is easily noticable from a user perspective. By keeping the camera ready, they are making the experience smoother…
One of the most annoying things is to try and launch your camera on a phone and have to wait multiple seconds before you can hit the shutter, at which point the thing you want to photograph might already be gone. So I can definitely understand the logic behind this, even if it's creepy.
IIRC, Apple has invested specifically in reducing startup latency for the camera, but I don't know if that applies to apps.
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#15Don't want to be the devil's advocate here but just because camera is on doesn't mean anything is being recorded. As an iOS developer who worked with apps that access camera frequently, I can confidently say that it's just a UX optimization. Starting the camera takes a brief few hundred milliseconds which is easily noticable from a user perspective. By keeping the camera ready, they are making the experience smoother…
Doesn't keeping camera on increase battery drain, though? Also, with Facebook being evil and all, what's stopping them from hopping on "hey, the camera is already on, let's not waste that, and use the incoming visual data for something while we're at it" line of thinking eventually?
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#16Even if this was true, which I doubt, what would Facebook actually gain by doing this? They'd see a person's face from an unflattering angle with an unflattering expression.
Or they'd see whatever the front camera sees at the time, which in my case right now is the back of my phone case or possibly the floor.
I don't see that as valuable data to mine.
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#17Is the main reason the app store still has public support this belief that apple instruments the apps it reviews? Because it looks like they don't. If that's the case it's trivially easy to get malware on the iphone and the only thing the app store really does is give Apple power.
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#18[deleted]
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#19Even if this was true, which I doubt, what would Facebook actually gain by doing this? They'd see a person's face from an unflattering angle with an unflattering expression. Or they'd see whatever the front camera sees at the time, which in my case right now is the back of my phone case or possibly the floor. I don't see that as valuable data to mine.
Really? One of the largest facial recognition databases in the world has nothing to gain from pictures of people's faces?
Re: Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras
#20[deleted]