Any EU authorities out there reading this?
Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
31–40 of 92 posts
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#32There is also a reason websites have stopped using the term 'delete' and are using 'clear' instead. Because clearing something does not imply that it's gone unlike with delete, just out of view.
I'm not sure what distinction I'm supposed to be making. What are these websites doing differently?
To me, 'delete' means 'remove this entry' and 'clear' means 'remove the data in this entry.'
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#33it's funny how when you open an article criticizing how Facebook tracks you the first thing you have to do is go through 70 pages to tell the site you're reading the article on to not track you.
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#34If someone decided to meticulously track everything I do. Follow me wherever I went. Put a GPS tracker on my car to see everywhere I visit. Peep inside my windows to see what websites I browse. Look over my shoulder at the grocery store to see what items I buy. I would consider that stalking and attempt to file a restraining order against that person. Can I file a restraining order against Facebook? Or Google?
If you're a European citizen, then you can invoke your legal right to erasure.
Not if the Irish have any say in the matter.
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#35If someone decided to meticulously track everything I do. Follow me wherever I went. Put a GPS tracker on my car to see everywhere I visit. Peep inside my windows to see what websites I browse. Look over my shoulder at the grocery store to see what items I buy. I would consider that stalking and attempt to file a restraining order against that person. Can I file a restraining order against Facebook? Or Google?
No, because of a 1996 US Federal law, information collected about you is no longer your property, even if there is no business relationship.
What law specifically?
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#36If someone decided to meticulously track everything I do. Follow me wherever I went. Put a GPS tracker on my car to see everywhere I visit. Peep inside my windows to see what websites I browse. Look over my shoulder at the grocery store to see what items I buy. I would consider that stalking and attempt to file a restraining order against that person. Can I file a restraining order against Facebook? Or Google?
No, because of a 1996 US Federal law, information collected about you is no longer your property, even if there is no business relationship.
When was it ever? Anyone could write an article about you. Articles about specific people are discussed all the time on Hacker News. Usually the person being written about doesn’t get a say about their reputation.
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#37The most surprising thing may be that people are surprised.
I once worked with a guy who said "I don't know how Facebook can even be making money, like they don't charge for anything." Seriously.
Granted, this was a decade ago but even then all of us tried not to laugh and I just said something along the lines of "Do you know how they have ads for wedding venues right after you were engaged? That's how."
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're a European citizen, then you can invoke your legal right to erasure.
It's not a silver bullet of course. Discord, for instance, just 'anonymises' message history by renaming your account to Deleted User. But most people's message history is enough to deanonymise them, making that completely null and void. If you ask for your messages to actually be deleted they will refuse your request. I published a tool on GitHub for deleting message history in the most efficient way I could find. Y…
One tactic I've worked out with individual mods is I have them ban me, then unban me, which causes all of my posts to be erased from the public chat. Of course Discord probably still has them privately, but it's better than nothing.
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#39If someone decided to meticulously track everything I do. Follow me wherever I went. Put a GPS tracker on my car to see everywhere I visit. Peep inside my windows to see what websites I browse. Look over my shoulder at the grocery store to see what items I buy. I would consider that stalking and attempt to file a restraining order against that person. Can I file a restraining order against Facebook? Or Google?
That's an interesting question, but it doesn't accurately describe the collection/transfer of data as far as FB or Google are concerned.
Millions of websites/apps/stores willingly deliver this information to Facebook/Google for free, and it's your relationship with each of those websites/apps/stores that governs the collection and sharing of that data.
GDPR, for instance, makes a distinction between "data controllers" and "data processors." The businesses are the controllers, and FB/Google are processors. Both have responsibilities regarding the handling of your data, but most of the requirements fall on the controller. The processors are able to assume that the controller had the right to share the data with them.
Re: Facebook's 'Clear History' Tool Doesn't Clear Shit (2020)
#40The only justice that will work for you & your seeming...
is simply by mastering what you do & what you use...