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Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

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Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#131

Post by mkay581 »

code_duck wrote: post #108
bilbo0s wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like heat mapping a visual UI, there are a lot of people out there recording audio. However, I think that I disagree with you on whether or not sharing the data is important. If you are heat mapping me, like facebook and probably everyone else from Microsoft to CNN and FoxNews does, or you are recording me like everyone from Facebook to Samsung does, I'm sorry, I've got a problem with it. I don't care if you don't sh…

The difference is how the data is used and the whether it's associated with an individual's permanent personal data. If it's only gathered anonymously and used for internal UI improvement, that isn't objectionable. At the other extreme, association with a real-world individual enables many uses that are potentially harmful, such as unmasking those who legitimately prefer to be anonymous. Edit: I wanted to add that I…

For some people, there is no difference ultimately. Because it's not that they aren't doing anything malicious with the collected data now, it's about the fact that they CAN do it if they desire to (ethical or not) in the future--the data is being collected, stored (perhaps indefinitely), and will always be accessible. In a world where capitalism reigns, to think that any large corporate business would treat our data with the best care and in our bests interests seems a little silly. I have always held the belief that businesses are not people and it's reasonable to expect that businesses may not be inclined to always do the right thing, especially if it gains them more money and power.

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#132

Post by codedokode »

code_duck wrote: post #59

I have always assumed that Facebook uses heat maps to track what is under your pointer. Doesn't every serious site do that to gauge user behavior, interest and interface utilization? I guess the difference is FB is putting it in an available data set along with everything else about consumers' individual lives. More interesting is "a patent held by the company states that the Facebook app uses voice recognition algor…

Audio might be used to locate users that are nearby (and hear the same sound). Or to detect what TV program/radio/music is the user listening to. Both of these of course are invasion into user's privacy.

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#133

Post by noiv »

mlthoughts2018 wrote: post #95

Earnest question from someone without much front-end knowledge: how is browser-based mouse tracking performed in a way that doesn't significantly degrade performance? Do they use some type of client-side library that caches data for a while and asynchronously uploads it occasionally? Or occasionally try to asynchronously sample the mouse position and just get a coarser set of data? It seems like real-time requests th…

Capturing, collecting and forwarding mouse movement events can be done at almost no cost. 10 locs max.

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#134

Post by foobaw »

code_duck wrote: post #59

I have always assumed that Facebook uses heat maps to track what is under your pointer. Doesn't every serious site do that to gauge user behavior, interest and interface utilization? I guess the difference is FB is putting it in an available data set along with everything else about consumers' individual lives. More interesting is "a patent held by the company states that the Facebook app uses voice recognition algor…

Just to be clear - users had to give explicit permission for that status update recording feature back in 2014. There are no external apps that can record audio on Android without permission unless Google explicitly whitelists the permission for the app. This never happens because there is no use case where the user shouldn't know.

One bad thing about this system for Android is how much control Google has over permissions - for example, their own built-in Shazam...

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#135

Post by twostoned »

bilbo0s wrote: post #85
code_duck wrote: post #59

I have always assumed that Facebook uses heat maps to track what is under your pointer. Doesn't every serious site do that to gauge user behavior, interest and interface utilization? I guess the difference is FB is putting it in an available data set along with everything else about consumers' individual lives. More interesting is "a patent held by the company states that the Facebook app uses voice recognition algor…

Like heat mapping a visual UI, there are a lot of people out there recording audio. However, I think that I disagree with you on whether or not sharing the data is important. If you are heat mapping me, like facebook and probably everyone else from Microsoft to CNN and FoxNews does, or you are recording me like everyone from Facebook to Samsung does, I'm sorry, I've got a problem with it. I don't care if you don't sh…

I'm on your side mate. Everyone seems to think people like us are nuts. Only time will tell what side of history we were on. Be the change you want to see in the world and all that. Big faceless corporations make me uncomfortable in general; having their tentacles in my home, with my family, makes me even more uncomfortable. Don't pitch me any nonsense about trying to provide me with a service because that's absurd: you literally have to use technology to be a part of modern society. There's no option. I don't care if people think I'm a wacko for being privacy conscious, I think they're wacko for the opposite. Even if there is no future horrible implications of the surveillance state, which is hard to imagine, I think just trying to exist without having every micro detail of my life profiled by what seems like every mega international on the planet is a worthwhile ambition.

I got carried away and rambling but I mean, come on. Mouse movements? Really? I suppose you have to give them credit they are creative in a very perverted sense.

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#136

Post by kreetx »

vincentmarle wrote: post #84
kreetx wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps a noob question but doesn't the browser ask for permission to use the microphone? And hence: they can't really listen in if you haven't given it explicitly.

If you attempted to record a video once with the Facebook app, it then has the microphone permissions forever.

This is just truly bad if they use the this permission to then record you without knowing! You gave the permission to take a video when you wanted to, not when they want to..

I wonder if the apps and browsers will get a "grant access for 5 minutes" setting, so that one can feel safe with the services of these services. EDIT: Or maybe lock-screen/pulldown-screen (or whatever it's called) notification that has a "remove permission" button so that you can remove it when you're done.

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#138

Post by gvurrdon »

bilbo0s wrote: post #85
code_duck wrote: post #59

I have always assumed that Facebook uses heat maps to track what is under your pointer. Doesn't every serious site do that to gauge user behavior, interest and interface utilization? I guess the difference is FB is putting it in an available data set along with everything else about consumers' individual lives. More interesting is "a patent held by the company states that the Facebook app uses voice recognition algor…

Like heat mapping a visual UI, there are a lot of people out there recording audio. However, I think that I disagree with you on whether or not sharing the data is important. If you are heat mapping me, like facebook and probably everyone else from Microsoft to CNN and FoxNews does, or you are recording me like everyone from Facebook to Samsung does, I'm sorry, I've got a problem with it. I don't care if you don't sh…

May I ask what model of television that was? Might be worth getting one myself.

Re: Facebook confirms that it tracks mouse movements

#139

Post by Karunamon »

dirkgently wrote: post #129
Karunamon wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still call maximum shenanigans on that whole concept. You'd think there'd be one hacker out there with a packet dump or disassembly of the application (yknow.. concrete evidence) rather than lame anecdotes that reek of confirmation bias. Furthermore, I don't believe that Google and Apple (well.. less Google, more Apple) are in cahoots with Facebook to give them a backdoor to device permissions.

> (well.. less Google, more Apple) That's funny, because very recently, there was a discovery that fb gave most of the device makers deep access to user data, including Apple. Against all evidences, Apple still gets a pass.

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