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

Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

news.cnet.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 194 posts

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#181

Post by tomrod »

einhverfr wrote: post #161
icebraining wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't buy my copy of Debian, yet they treat me better than many companies I pay. I pay for cable, yet I still get advertising. That "not paying means you're the product" is a nice sound bite, but it doesn't actually mean anything.

I never said that's a bad thing. But at least with the open source software I work with, if you use the software, great. Maybe you will come to me for services later. I wonder how many Debian-involved businesses have such a model. Paying for media is an interesting exception. Very often for newspapers, etc, you are both buying a product and becoming a product. But in the end it's a good warning to know the business m…

The tm is "multi-sided market" in the economics literature. We're only beginning to figure them out.

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#182

Post by Splines »

Heinleinian wrote: post #149
Splines wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have several friends within facebook whom I like and respect, and they produce a lot of great technology. I find this idea interesting. Can an entity like a corporation have a life beyond that which is given to it by its employees? Like the ship of theseus, can you replace all employees and still have a business that "feels" the same?

Of course. Work with any government bureaucracy and you'll notice it pretty quickly. Entire divisions can be filled with good, bright, well-meaning people, yet that division can still churn out crap work product. How is that? An organization's culture and the way incentives are aligned can quickly override any pockets of talented individuals.

So the obvious question is: How does one change this from the inside? Does the plan of attack differ if you were a line worker versus a VP?

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#183

Post by grannyg00se »

At first I was wondering what Facebook has to do with email.

Then I read this:

"alterations that had begun in their contacts and address books outside Facebook -- valid e-mail addresses were being changed for @Facebook without people's awareness"

WTF?! This sounds like the facebook app has access to modify the contents of a phone's address book without direct user action. Is that what's happening here? I just checked all my contacts and everything seems fine (BB7.1)

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#184

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

carsongross wrote: post #125
SwellJoe wrote: post #110

Facebook simply doesn't have an ethical central core. They've shown over and over that when user privacy or security conflict with facebook's goals, they'll choose facebook over the user. It's always relatively subtle; they strive to only do what they can get away with...but it's always pushing the line, and is never based on trying to do what's right, merely avoiding backlash. Facebook, the company, is kind of a soc…

The "don't be evil" moment will be when people really start pulling the plug en masse. I mean the advertisers.

That's not a don't be evil moment, that's continuing to act in a self interested way, just circumstances changing what is in your best interest.

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#185

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

pdonis wrote: post #113
rangibaby wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

User = product If x service is making money off their product ( you , user) then you should really have at least some "rights". The key word being should .

Why should users have rights in this situation, other than the right to stop using the service? I understand why it would be nice if they did, but why should they? Why is it am imperative?

It depends where you are but there are certain legal rights that no terms of use can waive.

They're set up as a minimum standard of acceptable behaviour that someone should be able to expect by default and that there is no reason why a company shouldn't / can't adhere to. Generally they're around physical protection from harm, though they do extend to other things (including Data Protection in Europe).

Why should these rights at least exist? Because (a) people can't be expected to take a detailed look at every product and service they might use to assess it fully, that would simply be too time consuming, so you set a basic standard for prevention of harm and (b) can you imagine what the likes of Facebook or Exxon or whoever might do without them.

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#186

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

popee wrote: post #19
jpeterson wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where is the poor (business) design? You'll see this when people start recognizing Facebook as the crap it really is, and stop using it.

Eventually and maybe even sooner then most think, fb will become jet another dinosaur. It's just a matter of time. Fly dinosaur, fly :-)

I know increasing numbers of people who are either walking away from it completely or largely disengaging, many of whom are people who'd be seen in the sort of groups usually marked out as trend setters, those whose behaviour tends to be copied by others down the line.

I don't think it's going to disappear, but it does feel as though it's reaching something of a peak.

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#187

Post by BadLogInMyAss »

alttab wrote: post #168
SwellJoe wrote: post #110

Facebook simply doesn't have an ethical central core. They've shown over and over that when user privacy or security conflict with facebook's goals, they'll choose facebook over the user. It's always relatively subtle; they strive to only do what they can get away with...but it's always pushing the line, and is never based on trying to do what's right, merely avoiding backlash. Facebook, the company, is kind of a soc…

Sounds like they just tried to steal a huge network of e-mail addresses and run it through their infrastructure. To me, this is essentially theft .

Why do you think they have this bullshit policy: http://goldmanosi.blogspot.com/2012/06/forcing-people-to-use...

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#188

Post by Kiro »

SwellJoe wrote: post #129
orijing wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate on why you think in this specific case user privacy or security conflict with Facebook's goals?

It seems obvious, to me, but I guess I'll spell it out: Facebook wants access to your email so badly that they're willing to steal it. This is, in my opinion, among the worst things they've ever done for user privacy (and security, but mostly privacy in this case), in a long list of subtle, and not-so-subtle tactics. It also has very real security consequences. The automatic contact list updates for potentially milli…

I'm pretty sure this is just a mistake and not some big scheme where Facebook wants to steal your e-mails. Don't you realise how ridiculous it sounds?

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#189

Post by jrockway »

yaix wrote: post #151
sugarmountain wrote: post #82

Can any attorneys out there explain how altering computing devices to redirect and intercept email is not a criminal act when done without the knowledge or consent of the owner? If any of us pulled the same stunt, even if authorized to access the system for other reasons, would we not be subject to prosecution? Hopefully, the same will happen to FB. In addition to the Federal communications and cybercrime statutes, t…

Don't know in the US, but in Germany it is a criminal act afaik (ianal). Looking forward to the EU investigation into this. Maybe Facebook soon joins Microsoft in having to pay a billion euro fine?

Facebook and Microsoft don't pay fines. Facebook's and Microsoft's shareholders pay the fines.

Re: Facebook e-mail mess: Address books altered, e-mail lost

#190

Post by jrockway »

prodigal_erik wrote: post #62
samstave wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Delete facebook from your life. Lawyer up. Hit the gym. Words to live by.

If your HN contribution is nothing more than a catchy meme, you're gonna have a bad time. (So am I. I'm aware.)

Memes are fine, as long as they're amusing.

The community has altered the posting guidelines. Pray we don't alter them any further.

Post reply on HN