Earlier quoted context omitted.
now they've got you connecting to their wifi hotspots at the gynecologist's office Nobody is forcing you to check in at your gynecologist's office, which is something you can already do, if you're into that kind of oversharing
Actually, it might very well happen that these Wifi networks all have the same SSID, which would likely make most devices automatically connect to them. Even if they don't, they only ever need one connection to link your device's MAC to your username, and then detect it without ever connecting.
Get Facebook WiFi for your business
171–180 of 293 posts
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#172Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook gets to access to data about who purchases what and when The upside would be that you at least wouldn't keep seeing ads for things that you just purchased, as Facebook would know that you already have them. Kind of a crappy silver lining, I know.
I wouldn't be so sure, I am positive Amazon still bombards me with Kindle Ads despite owning a couple already :)
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#174Absolutely disgusting. These type of things just give me the willies. Everyday I see that Mr. Stallman was right, it's incredible!
Why is this "absolutely disgusting"? It's good for Facebook, it's good for local businesses, and it completely optional for consumers. I don't see any problem here.
Optional as in "you can't use WiFi if you're not on Facebook"? As in, with each coffee I buy here I contribute to paying your WiFi bill (both hardware and connectivity) but I cannot use it, thus having to pay a premium to get a better 3g subscription so that I can work without WiFi?
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just like all other "optional" features Facebook has provided in the past, they will inevitably figure out a way to hide the fact that using these hotspots checks you in, and probably spams your "friends" with a record of whatever you ate.
Also if you look at the page, you can see you can change who you share the check-in with. It's just like Facebook app integrations: you can switch the share settings to "only me" if you want a private check-in if you're worried about spamming others.
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you really claiming that creating a fake facebook account is "abuse"?
In the sense that it violates a social contract? That is, WIFI access in exchange for repping this spot to your friends in however minor a fashion? In the sense of behavior that you as a service provider wish to prevent? Yeah, in all those senses, it is "abuse."
If I think about how we use that word in other contexts: "spousal abuse", "drug abuse", "sexual abuse", I find it quite a stretch to apply the same term to giving a bogus email address to a marketing firm.
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#177And so Facebook encroaches upon the physical world to anchor itself -- storefront businesses will come to rely on Facebook to sell personalized ads. I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook gets to access data about who purchases what and when. If you don't think Google will be doing the same thing with LTE-enabled cars, think again. Their partnership with automakers is no small challenge, and the data gathering opportuni…
I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook gets to access to data about who purchases what and when I would sell all my transaction history for $5/month. Why should I care if their ads are getting better when I never pay attention to ads?
If I'm a private business or individual, I would prefer my customers not broadcast their affiliation--because some third-party source of data could be used to drive solicitation, or target advertising, or just in general be a nuisance.
Remember, when you give up transaction history, you aren't just ratting on yourself--you're ratting on whomever you've done business with.
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#178Real conversation happened to me in an ice cream shop with a home-brewed facebook captive portal in Cambridge, MA. me: Excuse me, is there a way to log into the wifi if you don't have a facebook account? clerk: No, we've had a lots people doing illegal stuff on our wifi, so we need to verify their identity. me: I understand, however I don't have a facebook account. Would you like to verify my identity with a photo id…
I open up my computer and see there's free wifi - I try to log on, it wants me to verify my identity by sending me a text message... of course, I don't have an Indian sim card, as I'm just traveling there for a short period of time (I would think many people inside an airport would be in this situation). Fortunately, they have an alternate verification process, which is to get a code from one of 3 information desks... all located outside the secure area. And of course, I'm not allowed back out there because I've already gone through security - like many travelers, I'm sure, I didn't try to sit down with my laptop and log onto the wifi until after I had gotten to the gate. There was, ultimately, nothing to be done - I found other ways to entertain myself during the 2 hour wait. :-/
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not required but let's be honest - it'll be what happens. Pretty sure the average person would rather "check in" via Facebook than using the current "click this checkbox and continue". People trust and like Facebook. They don't trust or like GogoBoingo Wireless.
Actually I'd trust Boingo more than Facebook as a platform. They've been around since 2001, Facebook since 2004.
Re: Get Facebook WiFi for your business
#180Forget about logging in for wifi. This is a direct competitor to Nomi. Facebook will now know whenever your MAC Address walks by a storefront with one of these routers, regardless if you have an account. For those who have installed the app (the majority of the country) FB will be able to match the MAC ID to your account. In addition to simply foot traffic walking by the store, the router will track information on wh…