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50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

theguardian.com

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Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#11

Post by fjsolwmv »

> Facebook denies that the harvesting of tens of millions of profiles by GSR and Cambridge Analytica was a data breach. It said in a statement that Kogan “gained access to this information in a legitimate way and through the proper channels” but “did not subsequently abide by our rules” because he passed the information on to third parties.

This is exactly how Facebook was designed. You get a stupid quiz or photo frame in exchange for a copy of your friends list. It's always worked that way, and it's why Facebook OAuth was more popular than Google+ and other Oauth since 5+ years ago -- because app devs can make more money from Facebook OAuth since it comes with a copy of your friends list, so they prefer to integrate Facebook.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#12

Post by billiam »

hashkb wrote: post #5
cryptoz wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are nitpicking a small part of an article (incorrectly) and it distracts from the main point: A foreign power is working with American billionaires to subvert democracy and install a dictator . This is a serious issue and one of the biggest news stories of our time. > This wasn't a data breach Yes it was. > it was a misuse of data by a third party. So a bank robber who gets into the vault just misused the locks?…

You're downvoted because you're technically not correct. The case is more like the bank manager allowing the robber into the vault, with full knowledge that the robber wants to and could easily make off with all the valuables, then asking the robber to please not do that before heading back to work, leaving the thief unattended in the vault. Edit: it's a breach of contract, maybe; but not a "data breach" which I thin…

I really don’t get your point. Bikeshedding on what to call it makes it seem like the actions of the company, the Bond villains behind it, and Facebook are just fine. FB’s actions show that they knew CA was not just pushing the envelope of the consumer preference and false identity manipulation that makes them their billions but totes aware it was being done together with a foreign adversary to subvert our democracy.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#14

Post by samschooler »

hashkb wrote: post #8
goldenkey wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. They basically just made an app on FB then had users accept the permissions. The horribly beautiful thing about FB permissions is that almost every single app will request EVERYTHING, and if you deny even a single permission that the app doesn't even seem to need, then the app will break or won't let you use it. So every user is indoctrinated into just clicking accept regardless of the supposed "granular" perm…

It's not a secret that FB's business is profiting off your personal data. You could choose to stop using it.

However in this situation we are talking about 3rd parties having an all or nothing policy on your data. If you don’t let some apps you login with Facebook have access to everything you can’t use their app.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#15

Post by Erlangolem »

hashkb wrote: post #8
goldenkey wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. They basically just made an app on FB then had users accept the permissions. The horribly beautiful thing about FB permissions is that almost every single app will request EVERYTHING, and if you deny even a single permission that the app doesn't even seem to need, then the app will break or won't let you use it. So every user is indoctrinated into just clicking accept regardless of the supposed "granular" perm…

It's not a secret that FB's business is profiting off your personal data. You could choose to stop using it.

...and have everyone else who knows you stop, and block their widgets and buttons that track you, and block any org that might leak, sell, or just share some of your info with them. I can’t stop a friend or just some rando at a party from uploading a photo of me. I can’t stop friends from using FB and getting me into their system. In 2018, privacy isn’t just about what we choose to do.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#16

Post by hashkb »

billiam wrote: post #12
hashkb wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're downvoted because you're technically not correct. The case is more like the bank manager allowing the robber into the vault, with full knowledge that the robber wants to and could easily make off with all the valuables, then asking the robber to please not do that before heading back to work, leaving the thief unattended in the vault. Edit: it's a breach of contract, maybe; but not a "data breach" which I thin…

I really don’t get your point. Bikeshedding on what to call it makes it seem like the actions of the company, the Bond villains behind it, and Facebook are just fine. FB’s actions show that they knew CA was not just pushing the envelope of the consumer preference and false identity manipulation that makes them their billions but totes aware it was being done together with a foreign adversary to subvert our democracy.

Words mean things. Don't assume that because someone nitpicks a technically incorrect use of a word/term that they are shooting down the entire argument. In fact, we're often trying to help; because we do agree with you; but can't get behind what you're saying 100% because part of it is not actually correct.

I'm definitely not disputing the fact that FB is an evil entity that only cares about making profits off your personal information. But, they haven't suffered a data breach in the same way as, say, Equifax; and it seems to me that choosing to use the word "breach" here must be in an effort to get more clicks; because "breach in the Equifax sense" is what the author knows most people will assume is meant.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#17

Post by hashkb »

Erlangolem wrote: post #15
hashkb wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a secret that FB's business is profiting off your personal data. You could choose to stop using it.

...and have everyone else who knows you stop, and block their widgets and buttons that track you, and block any org that might leak, sell, or just share some of your info with them. I can’t stop a friend or just some rando at a party from uploading a photo of me. I can’t stop friends from using FB and getting me into their system. In 2018, privacy isn’t just about what we choose to do.

I agree. But you should take that first step, and then start lobbying your friends to stop posting pictures of you. Personally, I also excuse myself at gatherings when the cameras come out, because I know it's all going straight to FB. The shaming has already started to decrease; now I'm usually not alone in popping out of the room.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#18

Post by jpttsn »

billiam wrote: post #12
hashkb wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're downvoted because you're technically not correct. The case is more like the bank manager allowing the robber into the vault, with full knowledge that the robber wants to and could easily make off with all the valuables, then asking the robber to please not do that before heading back to work, leaving the thief unattended in the vault. Edit: it's a breach of contract, maybe; but not a "data breach" which I thin…

I really don’t get your point. Bikeshedding on what to call it makes it seem like the actions of the company, the Bond villains behind it, and Facebook are just fine. FB’s actions show that they knew CA was not just pushing the envelope of the consumer preference and false identity manipulation that makes them their billions but totes aware it was being done together with a foreign adversary to subvert our democracy.

Bikeshedding what to call a crime can be useful and important.

The democracy we are concerned about protecting presupposes rule of law, and precision when discussing laws and crimes.

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#19

Post by 21 »

thisisit wrote: post #9
734786710934 wrote: post #2

This wasn't a data breach, it was a misuse of data by a third party.

I think a better source for this is a related story from Guardian on how all of this worked https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/17/facebook-... It was extremely attractive. It could also be deemed illicit, primarily because Kogan did not have permission to collect or use data for commercial purposes. His permission from Facebook to harvest profiles in large quantities was specifically restricted to academ…

Facebook?

Yeah

So I, like, need to collect some data, lol

Sorry, can't do that

But I'm like, uh, an academic, this is for great science, see my Cambridge page here, lol

Ah, ok, just don't share it, k?

Yeah, yeah, no prb

kthxby

Re: 50M Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach

#20

Post by TallGuyShort »

Erlangolem wrote: post #15
hashkb wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a secret that FB's business is profiting off your personal data. You could choose to stop using it.

...and have everyone else who knows you stop, and block their widgets and buttons that track you, and block any org that might leak, sell, or just share some of your info with them. I can’t stop a friend or just some rando at a party from uploading a photo of me. I can’t stop friends from using FB and getting me into their system. In 2018, privacy isn’t just about what we choose to do.

I would be seriously impressed and surprised if they managed to get any information based on photos uploaded that happened to include people who weren't tagged and weren't on Facebook. Aside from the all-or-nothing nature of specific apps, privacy is more about what you choose to do than that - most people just choose to not do much for privacy. At least as far as most private corporations using the Internet goes.
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