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Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

privacyaffairs.com

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Re: Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

#11

Post by gizdan »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #8

I feel like we need to start differentiating between "public" personal information and more sensitive personal information (like social security numbers or other government ID numbers). The breach lists this info: Name Email Location Gender Phone number User ID So basically, everything I used to be able to get in a phone book. Honestly, at this point all of that information should just be considered public, because i…

> So basically, everything I used to be able to get in a phone book. Honestly, at this point all of that information should just be considered public, because it obviously is.

With a phonebook (at least back in the day), you didn't risk having your account exposed and sold for a few dollars. Nor did that risk someone getting access to thousands, if not more, bank accounts or whatever through automation. In addition, a phonebook is easy to opt out of making things public. Facebook gives you the illusion that you can opt out of this data being public.

Edit: opt of -> opt out of

Re: Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

#12

Post by azta6521 »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #8

I feel like we need to start differentiating between "public" personal information and more sensitive personal information (like social security numbers or other government ID numbers). The breach lists this info: Name Email Location Gender Phone number User ID So basically, everything I used to be able to get in a phone book. Honestly, at this point all of that information should just be considered public, because i…

True, but my last paper phone book did not have 1,500,000,000 entries.

Re: Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

#16

Post by slig »

dheera wrote: post #4

I'm glad I never gave FB my real phone number or birthday. Nobody should. I predicted this would happen some day. It's always just a matter of probability and time.

Do you have any friends that might have used any FB app? If so, chances are high they uploaded their contact list and FB has your name and phone number.

Re: Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

#17

Post by jjulius »

Alex3917 wrote: post #2

I know everyone on HN loves to hate on Facebook, but the fact that HN's servers are getting crushed when FB is down perhaps shows a revealed preference.

Or it could be as simple as everyone wants to discuss one of the biggest tech companies suffering such a massive outage, combined with the aforementioned FB-haters basking in this moment.

Re: Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

#19

Post by mankyd »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #8

I feel like we need to start differentiating between "public" personal information and more sensitive personal information (like social security numbers or other government ID numbers). The breach lists this info: Name Email Location Gender Phone number User ID So basically, everything I used to be able to get in a phone book. Honestly, at this point all of that information should just be considered public, because i…

> If anything I think people are grappling with the fact that the Internet just makes data scraping and processing possible on a scale previously unimaginable,

Agreed.

I remember way back when FB first launched the "feed". Folks on Slashdot (yes, that long ago) had great outcry about how much of a violation of privacy it was. I countered that all it was doing was collating all the posts that people were making on their "walls". Nothing new was necessarily being exposed.

People still didn't like it. Someone argued that the extra steps necessary to visit each "friends" wall was a valuable impediment. Obviously, that's a weak position to take, but it reinforces your point: data scraping is easier than anyone seems to be willing to acknowledge. Anything you write in any "semi-public" space should simply be considered entirely public.

Re: Web Scrapers Claim to Sell Personal Data on Facebook Users on a Hacker Forum

#20

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

azta6521 wrote: post #12
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #8

I feel like we need to start differentiating between "public" personal information and more sensitive personal information (like social security numbers or other government ID numbers). The breach lists this info: Name Email Location Gender Phone number User ID So basically, everything I used to be able to get in a phone book. Honestly, at this point all of that information should just be considered public, because i…

True, but my last paper phone book did not have 1,500,000,000 entries.

Yes, that's literally my exact point in my last paragraph.
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