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Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

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Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#51

Post by RexRollman »

mattmaroon wrote: post #22

This is idiotic. For one, it's no secret which apps are popular. Facebook doesn't need a trojan horse to figure that out, they just need to look at App Annie. For another, any app with location services permissions can do exactly what he's describing. Also what does "Android allows Facebook to do whatever it wants on the platform, and that means accessing the hardware as well," mean? Unless you're rolling your own ve…

I agree. Besides, most people who use Facebook are those "I have nothing to hide" types.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#52

Post by Zikes »

leeoniya wrote: post #17

i will just say that Firefox OS cannot arrive quickly enough.

I'm not sure how Firefox OS vs Android OS really factors into the discussion. If Firefox OS is fully-featured and open enough to become an alternative to Android, FB Home could conceivably be built to run just as well on Firefox OS as on Android.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#53

Post by voxmatt »

Zikes wrote: post #50
CrazedGeek wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do we know if that's true if the phone is password protected? (Honest question, I haven't been able to watch the video.)

Android already offers lock screen widgets, so it's possible FB Home will include something to that effect that would show even while the phone is locked. It would be entirely optional to use that widget, however, unless FB Home is able to replace the lock screen itself. As far as I know, that can't be done without rooting the device.

It's pretty clear from the website and the coverage that it does replace the lock screen itself: https://www.facebook.com/home

Now, whether or not it replaces the lock screen when it has a passcode/security, is a different story.

But, by default, your FB info is available just by tapping the unlock button/home button BUT BEFORE you unlock.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#54

Post by voxmatt »

CrazedGeek wrote: post #45
voxmatt wrote: post #40

I think the more obvious and immediate threat to privacy is that anyone can see the contents of your facebook stream right on the lock screen; and they can even interact with the contents without unlocking the phone.

Do we know if that's true if the phone is password protected? (Honest question, I haven't been able to watch the video.)

No idea. I have been looking for some indication in the coverage but there's been none that I've seen. It seems clear (see my reply before) that it replaces the lock screen when it's not password protected.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#55

Post by rayiner »

onedev wrote: post #48
rayiner wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't use the word "evil" pretty much for anybody, but I think the business model is at the very least screwed up. If it's a valuable service, why do they have to be so shady? I'd happily pay facebook $10/month or whatever (I can't imagine they make more than that on ads on me) to use their service. The problem is that they make it seem free, and people just don't understand the extent to which it tracks you. It's…

Is Google's business model screwed up as well?

Well, to the extent that Google+ is a wannabe Facebook, it can't be any better, right?

Without getting into an argument of which is worse, I think ultimately Facebook is more dangerous. Facebook has tremendous network effects and lock-down effects. I can switch from Google to DDG easily, but as long as my family in Bangladesh uses Facebook to post pictures of my nieces and nephews, my ability to switch away from Facebook is limited.

And I don't personally care--I'm not a private person and anything you want to know about me is probably on the internet. But I'm making an informed decision (within the constraints of the fact that Google and Facebook don't disclose exactly how they use your information, but I assume the worst). In my experience, most people who use Google and Facebook aren't.

Don't get me wrong. I think this stuff is useful. But there needs to be more transparency and more restraint than there is. A ban on collecting data on minors would be a start.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#56

Post by r00fus »

Zikes wrote: post #52
leeoniya wrote: post #17

i will just say that Firefox OS cannot arrive quickly enough.

I'm not sure how Firefox OS vs Android OS really factors into the discussion. If Firefox OS is fully-featured and open enough to become an alternative to Android, FB Home could conceivably be built to run just as well on Firefox OS as on Android.

Exactly, of course, unless the licensing terms to modify FirefoxOS as much as Android are onerous to the likes of Facebook.

I think the pining for FirefoxOS is only meaningful if Mozilla takes a stand on privacy or the like. And they're not in a strong position to do so.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#57

Post by leeoniya »

Zikes wrote: post #52
leeoniya wrote: post #17

i will just say that Firefox OS cannot arrive quickly enough.

I'm not sure how Firefox OS vs Android OS really factors into the discussion. If Firefox OS is fully-featured and open enough to become an alternative to Android, FB Home could conceivably be built to run just as well on Firefox OS as on Android.

yes, but i'm expecting mozilla will have vastly more granular and privacy-first oriented permissions than android. since google wants your data, and mozilla does not.

ideally, i would like to hook and script a conditional firewall of sorts between any apps and my hardware or data. for example, i dont want any app querying my location when i am at home or at work. how awesome would it be to set rules like this?

some invasive permissions are ok when i choose to allow them, but not indefinitely so long as the app lives on my phone, which is the situation right now. i can do a lot of quasi-scripting with Tasker for android, but not nearly enough.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#58

Post by archivator »

CrazedGeek wrote: post #45
voxmatt wrote: post #40

I think the more obvious and immediate threat to privacy is that anyone can see the contents of your facebook stream right on the lock screen; and they can even interact with the contents without unlocking the phone.

Do we know if that's true if the phone is password protected? (Honest question, I haven't been able to watch the video.)

Luckily, Android's lock screen has deep dependencies (purges in-memory passwords for VPN, for example), so it can't be disabled be an app. That said, it can be prevented from appearing due to a timeout. Pressing the power button should always lock your phone.

Re: Facebook Home destroys any notion of privacy

#60

Post by ivankirigin » 

  The phone’s GPS can send constant information back to the Facebook servers, 
  telling it your whereabouts at any time.
I really hope someone can finally make something like Loopt work on smartphones. I can't believe we need to manually check in to see where friends are right now. FindMyFriends on iOS requires your apple password, and much like GameCenter, the social design is horrendous.

Focusing just on the privacy side ignores all the benefits from giving a service more information. Facebook isn't tricking users into this. Users want it.

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