Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#1

Post by pushingbits » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 8:26 AM UTC

Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends
zdnet.com

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#2

Post by tomelders » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 9:25 AM UTC

Any legal eagles here on HN care to comment on the legality of this?

I would have hoped that data protection laws (I'm in the UK) would have protected this, since it provides me with access to my own data.

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#3

Post by UtestMe » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 9:42 AM UTC

Actually they did not restrict the access to your own data, but to a specific method of accessing them. Which, I am quite sure, is no legal issue for anybody

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#4

Post by danoprey » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 9:46 AM UTC

I managed to use it to export my contacts about an hour ago. Successfully imported them in to Gmail and G+. Strange.

I highly doubt that it is illegal, but it certainly breaks FB's TOS.

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#5

Post by msy » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 9:46 AM UTC

tomelders wrote: post #2

Any legal eagles here on HN care to comment on the legality of this? I would have hoped that data protection laws (I'm in the UK) would have protected this, since it provides me with access to my own data.

I doubt there's a legal issue here, just grubby, low-brow behaviour, which is basically par for the course for Facebook.

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#6

Post by mike-cardwell » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 9:49 AM UTC

Apparently there is a sanctioned method for pulling all of your Facebook friends into Yahoo contacts:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/weblife/invite-your-entire-faceboo...

From there you can do what you want with them.

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#7

Post by blackRust » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 9:55 AM UTC

Also means @givememydata doesn't work. Was just planning on extracting list of email addresses... https://twitter.com/#!/givememydata/status/88181497894404096

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#8

Post by youares2pid » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 10:04 AM UTC

tomelders wrote: post #2

Any legal eagles here on HN care to comment on the legality of this? I would have hoped that data protection laws (I'm in the UK) would have protected this, since it provides me with access to my own data.

Make your own social media website if you don't like it.

Damn kids nowadays. ;)

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#9

Post by corin_ » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 10:11 AM UTC

tomelders wrote: post #2

Any legal eagles here on HN care to comment on the legality of this? I would have hoped that data protection laws (I'm in the UK) would have protected this, since it provides me with access to my own data.

The 1998 data protection act is about data relating to you - the data of your friends would not be covered (obviously it would be covered for them).

Even for that data, while the (British) law states that people must be able to claim the information stored about them, they have to submit a request, and the company is allowed to charge a small fee.

So, no, the data protection act isn't relevant.

Re: Facebook blocks Google Chrome extension for exporting friends

#10

Post by unicornporn » Tue, Jul 05, 2011, 10:12 AM UTC

Lucky me I used it to export all my contacts (with tel numbers and mail addresses) two weeks ago. It was a good extension.