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Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

bloomberg.com

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Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#11

Post by bsder »

markstos wrote: post #8

As someone without a Facebook account, it's awkward to read these articles that assume inevitably of Facebook's influence. You can quit. We can quit. Sometimes I run into a group that I want to be more involved with that organizes on Facebook. When I mention I want to be involved but am not on Facebook, there is usually sympathy and a response that there are others interested in the group which are not on Facebook, e…

> You can quit. We can quit.

No, you can't. And that's the problem.

If any of your friends take pictures and tag you, Facebook now has data on YOU. And it starts building a profile around that.

You didn't consent to it; you can't see it; you can't delete it.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#12

Post by mapt »

I think it may be more appropriate to treat them like Big Asbestos. All it should take is them knowingly handing our private messages in full to other corporations. They were not a party to these messages, they were a network service provider.

This actually happened.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/19/facebook-...

Regardless of what may or may not be on the TOS, that's federal wiretapping. Fuck you, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Wait for the civil lawsuits afterwards - there will be a lot of them. A TOS does not override federal law.

The fact that this hasn't happened is a testament to regulatory capture, and to the federal government wanting to use this capacity for themselves to wiretap citizens. Both of these are jumping way out of their lane to invade your right to privacy. You should be at their door with torches and pitchforks.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#13

Post by stevetursi »

markstos wrote: post #8

As someone without a Facebook account, it's awkward to read these articles that assume inevitably of Facebook's influence. You can quit. We can quit. Sometimes I run into a group that I want to be more involved with that organizes on Facebook. When I mention I want to be involved but am not on Facebook, there is usually sympathy and a response that there are others interested in the group which are not on Facebook, e…

Hello, my name is Steve and I'm addicted to Facebook.

It has been 3 months since I deactivated my account.

Kidding aside (I'm not really kidding) In my last year using facebook, I was aware of all the privacy shenanigans, and I saw news articles every day about things like cambridge analytica. None of that mattered. But the thing that actually got me to deactivate my account was realizing that it was all performant. I couldn't keep myself from signaling in every post and comment I made - and I would recognize my own signaling and it drove me crazy. Conveniently, I started a new job in February and couldn't bear being distracted all the time by whatever nonsense was happening there.

Do I miss it? I miss seeing the posts by about 1% (literally) of my facebook friends. Every time something neat or interesting happens I think about posting it on facebook, but I don't. And I do think it has made a big difference at work.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#14

Post by supercanuck »

markstos wrote: post #8

As someone without a Facebook account, it's awkward to read these articles that assume inevitably of Facebook's influence. You can quit. We can quit. Sometimes I run into a group that I want to be more involved with that organizes on Facebook. When I mention I want to be involved but am not on Facebook, there is usually sympathy and a response that there are others interested in the group which are not on Facebook, e…

I always find it surprising I keep needing to point this out

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19913036

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#15

Post by lowdose »

stevetursi wrote: post #13
markstos wrote: post #8

As someone without a Facebook account, it's awkward to read these articles that assume inevitably of Facebook's influence. You can quit. We can quit. Sometimes I run into a group that I want to be more involved with that organizes on Facebook. When I mention I want to be involved but am not on Facebook, there is usually sympathy and a response that there are others interested in the group which are not on Facebook, e…

Hello, my name is Steve and I'm addicted to Facebook. It has been 3 months since I deactivated my account. Kidding aside (I'm not really kidding) In my last year using facebook, I was aware of all the privacy shenanigans, and I saw news articles every day about things like cambridge analytica. None of that mattered. But the thing that actually got me to deactivate my account was realizing that it was all performant.…

Welcome to HN!

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#16

Post by cameronbrown »

MisterOctober wrote: post #9
SilasX wrote: post #5

I think it's a good (if inflammatory) analogy: in both cases, people are aware, in the abstract, of dangers, but systematically underestimate them by a big margin. People knew "smoking is bad for you", but didn't appreciate how bad. People know "Facebook violates privacy" but not the depth of the profile they've made on you across numerous websites. People know "You shouldn't compare yourself to others and feel bad a…

Yep. I resisted FB for years, but finally gave in in ~2009 due to pressure from old school pals, after what I thought was a thorough risk/benefit analysis. Turns out that I _vastly_ underestimated the risk. I quit FB in ~2012, but not before I had already experienced some pronounced ill effects. Kind of like my auntie with smoking .

I joined Facebook in 2015 (late to the party, I know) but have never really touched Newsfeed. It's exclusively a messaging platform for me.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#17

Post by Circuits »

An addiction to social media... you have got to be kidding me? If you have an addiction to social media then the problem is with YOU, not social media. FB has problems but people spending to much time on it is not one of them or rather not for people who have any sense of self respect, discipline and dignity. If you can't regulate the time you are spending on FB and it is altering your life then that is your fault.

Comparing excessive use of social media to an addiction is ridiculous and irresponsible. If you can't play with your child because your to busy scrolling threw pictures on Instagram then you are a bad parent and having a FB account was never going to change that.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#18

Post by aplummer »

Look I'm a broken record at this point (if you check my history), but I feel like _someone_ has to say it.

Lets treat big oil like big tobacco. Big coal. Big fast food. Big soda. These things _literally_ kill so many people every year and while Facebook is surely attributable to some deaths as a medium, it has at least some social utility.

Why are there so many articles about facebook and not soda!

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#19

Post by malvosenior »

aplummer wrote: post #18

Look I'm a broken record at this point (if you check my history), but I feel like _someone_ has to say it. Lets treat big oil like big tobacco. Big coal. Big fast food. Big soda. These things _literally_ kill so many people every year and while Facebook is surely attributable to some deaths as a medium, it has at least some social utility. Why are there so many articles about facebook and not soda!

> Why are there so many articles about facebook and not soda!

Because soda doesn't threaten Bloomberg or The New York Times' business model.

Re: Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

#20

Post by _emacsomancer_ »

amelius wrote: post #6
_emacsomancer_ wrote: post #3

Why? It's not really comparable. We can't they (and all of the huge corporations) just be treated like AT&T was before all of the anti-monopoly laws were gutted?

Probably lobbying and the fact that the US likes it better when a US company has power on the internet as opposed to some company from another country. Also, the NSA might have installed some secret probes in FB, so it would be a set-back if all users moved to a different platform.

Though Facebook is probably less important to three letter agency than Google, Microsoft or Intel.
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