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

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

#71

Post by throwaway78981 »

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…

This isn't true. The phonebook we had had only Name, Phone number and very broad location. Also those days, phone number was just that - a phone number. Nowadays it's a unique identifier for lots and lots of things including government stuff. Some government stuff even uses it for authentication/authorization.

Also I guess user ID means it gives access to their fb profile page I guess? From there one can scrape pics etc (public ones).

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

#72

Post by throw_m239339 »

animanoir wrote: post #6

I honestly ask myself how the f Zuck has the guts and ego to still talk about a "metaverse" with a company and product so wrong, so poisonous and evil to humanity. I really can't wait to see him in jail already.

I'm not a big fan of Facebook but the hatred toward that company here is getting out of hand. You want to see Zuck in jail for what crime exactly? How is Twitter, Youtube, TikTok or Reddit any better than Facebook when it comes to being "poisonous" or "evil"? Youtube was literally financing terrorist groups with ad money 10 years ago. Twitter gives a platform to anti-Semites and the Taliban.

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

#73

Post by admax88qqq »

_moof wrote: post #46
tiernano wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Fair, although you could opt out of the phone book. (And I don't think they had location/address, though it's been so long now that I can't remember for sure.) you can opt out of Facebook too... and Irish phone books had addresses...

It's not just Facebook. Your phone is tattling on you 24/7. ALPRs are recording where you drive. Browser fingerprinting is creating a profile on you even if you block ads and trackers. Short of never using a computer, there is no opt out anymore.

That's a little different thought and I think you know it.

There's a difference between information that government and big tech is scraping and storing, vs information that is publicly available to literally any random person online to scrape.

Both are problems, but those are different discussions and we started with talking about the issue of truly publicly available information. I think that's an interesting topic that merits its own discussion without falling into the surveillance discussion once again.

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

#74

Post by robbyking »

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…

Absolutely. Most engineers who work with sensitive data already know that there are tiers of data sensitivity (Public, Personal, Private), and that info like SSN and CCN are more private than, say, gender or marital status.

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

#75

Post by 0x4d464d48 »

paulpauper wrote: post #54
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.

Not really. I noticed a lot of greyed-out comments cheering on Facebook being down

I think it's mix of signalling respect for the people impacted by this, the people who work there and are just trying to be decent and of course the fan boys.

The first place my mind went to after I read this was "dumb fucks" (Google this with Zuckerberg for context) but as good as the schadenfreude feels it doesn't change the very real and negative impacts from all of this.

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

#76

Post by themdonuts »

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…

The comment is good, but your username is excellent.

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

#77

Post by sabellito »

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…

Perhaps this insanity you're describing is true for the US. It doesn't necessarily account for the remaining... 1.2B people who had their info leaked.

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

#78

Post by i_like_apis »

subsubzero wrote: post #23

Facebook is having a very bad day today, You have this hack announced today, all their sites are apparently down due to a bgp issue they are dealing with, and then the bombshell allegations of them intentionally creating toxicity on their platform to enrich themselves at the expense of society. Zuck's world is slowly collapsing in on him, expect heavy regulation and the beginning of the end of facebook as we know it.

I was with you right up until the end. I don't think fb is going anywhere soon.

The whistle-blower situation is interesting though, I see what you mean that there could be regulation inbound... but how can they be regulated?

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

#79

Post by [deleted] »

drclau wrote: post #40

(just a wild theory) Is the downtime (at the time of writing) their way of blocking a known ongoing attack that can't be stopped fast and safely enough by other means? Something like: 1) take everything down, 2) fix the bug, 3) deploy everywhere, 4) start everything up. And, to stop clients from connecting, take down the DNS too. DNS is also a great scapegoat.

[deleted]

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

#80

Post by Seredo »

drclau wrote: post #40

(just a wild theory) Is the downtime (at the time of writing) their way of blocking a known ongoing attack that can't be stopped fast and safely enough by other means? Something like: 1) take everything down, 2) fix the bug, 3) deploy everywhere, 4) start everything up. And, to stop clients from connecting, take down the DNS too. DNS is also a great scapegoat.

Apparently the data was collected through scraping, so probably just a coincidence.
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