Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

“The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

bigtechnology.substack.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 58 posts

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#31

Post by Lammy »

na85 wrote: post #15
hyperion2010 wrote: post #5

Hilarious. This is not something that employees and engineers have any control over, and framing it like this is passing the buck. Furthermore, user privacy is a fundamental top down engineering decision, not something that any individual can "do better on."

It was intentionally "leaked"; the whole thing is a PR move. Facebook's entire business is predicated upon having intimate knowledge of its users and is as such irreconcilable with the concept of privacy.

Why is this downvoted? Zuck decried leaks for years when "leak it to the press" became the only way for rank-and-file employees to affect change on contentious topics, particularly in the wake of Cambridge Analytica. Anything sent to employees these days is 100% expected to be repeated in the press and would be written with that in mind.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#32

Post by peterdemic »

est31 wrote: post #26
jancsika wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was programmers working totally on their own ruined Volkswagen with their pesky cheating algo for the emissions test. So perhaps programmers working totally on their own can make privacy work for Facebook. Rogue Google employees did a good job breaking up Google's search monopoly, so there's precedent for this kind of roll-up-your-sleeves success.

> breaking up Google's search monopoly Google has 90% market share still. I'd thus still call that monopoly unbroken.

You may have missed the invisible tag on the post above.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#33

Post by 29athrowaway »

Will Facebook make login optional on Oculus then? What would be better for privacy than not requiring an account?

See? It is hard to believe this internal memo is not just a press release aimed to make people trust them more.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#34

Post by ogre_codes »

> prioritize privacy as they built their products, even to the detriment of the user’s experience.

It's not a "Shift" so much as a wiggle. They are willing to sacrifice the users experience... what about profits? Are they willing to prioritize privacy over profits?

.

Crickets.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#35

Post by annadane »

Lammy wrote: post #27
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #19

OK, so this is coming from the head of Facebook Reality Labs, i.e. Oculus. Which is incredibly ironic, because Oculus very recently required FB accounts to use the device, which was met with a huge privacy-focused backlash, including from Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus. So either they are planning to reverse that completely anti-privacy decision, or the author is totally full of shit. Can't have it both ways.

> or the author is totally full of shit Bosworth's job is to come up with new flavors of Kool-Aid no matter what position he's officially in.

12 minute post and already downvoted to hell. Hello, fb employees.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#36

Post by sam1r »

Lammy wrote: post #27
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #19

OK, so this is coming from the head of Facebook Reality Labs, i.e. Oculus. Which is incredibly ironic, because Oculus very recently required FB accounts to use the device, which was met with a huge privacy-focused backlash, including from Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus. So either they are planning to reverse that completely anti-privacy decision, or the author is totally full of shit. Can't have it both ways.

> or the author is totally full of shit Bosworth's job is to come up with new flavors of Kool-Aid no matter what position he's officially in.

The flavors of kool aid is an excellent metaphor that I appreciated. I even chuckled.

Not sure why you are being down voted, so I commented/posted.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#39

Post by sam1r »

annadane wrote: post #35
Lammy wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> or the author is totally full of shit Bosworth's job is to come up with new flavors of Kool-Aid no matter what position he's officially in.

12 minute post and already downvoted to hell. Hello, fb employees.

Haha. ^^ Great timing!

Great minds not only think alike, But also I truly hope our comments receive at least one organic like.

Re: “The Big Shift”: Internal Facebook Memo Tells Employees to Do Better on Privacy

#40

Post by rodgerd »

hyperion2010 wrote: post #5

Hilarious. This is not something that employees and engineers have any control over, and framing it like this is passing the buck. Furthermore, user privacy is a fundamental top down engineering decision, not something that any individual can "do better on."

This is like a workplace responding to overwork-related crises (rage quitting, health problems, suicides, etc) by telling people that they need to do some wellness courses.

And then telling them to do more work.

Post reply on HN