Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#191

Post by alecco » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 3:38 AM UTC

huehehue wrote: post #127

So, I deactivated my account maybe 6 months ago, and uninstalled the app long ago. Since then, I moved halfway across the country and, using a brand new laptop, a fake name and number, and a throwaway email address, created another profile so I could use their API. People You May Know still had old high school friends, my old real estate broker (??), and someone I starred on GitHub. I have absolutely no idea how they…

Fully block all the Facebook network, they have trackers on virtually everything. From ad network (including "free" apps) to all the sites/services in their network (WhatsApp, Instagram)

https://github.com/jmdugan/blocklists/blob/master/corporatio...

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#192

Post by throwanem » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 3:40 AM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #165

throwanem wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what you mean by 'robust'. What I'm saying is that I used to have a satisfactory social life - on the order of parties or other similar events call it once a month more or less and "let's get together for beers" or similar on a reasonably regular basis besides - which in essence no longer exists. I can certainly understand that it seems kind of incredible to you. It seems extremely incredible to me! I st…

Hmm, interesting. Thanks for your perspective. All I can offer is that I've not seen this phenomenon in my own social circle (age:40). I have always considered "You can't have a social life without Facebook" to be pure hyperbole from people who never knew a world without FB. I suppose we can agree that "it depends" on who your friends are. Oh, and I don't sweat downvotes on HN--any quick way to bury unpopular opinion…

> I have always considered "You can't have a social life without Facebook" to be pure hyperbole from people who never knew a world without FB.

Oh, don't get me wrong! I don't believe it impossible to have a social life without Facebook, and I hope I don't come across otherwise. But I have found it a great deal harder than seems at all reasonable, quite aside from the fact that it's absurd in the first place to have to develop a new social circle because opting out of Facebook sufficed to estrange me from my old one.

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#193

Post by cwilkes » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 3:42 AM UTC

userbinator wrote: post #183

grandalf wrote: post #142

This is one of the many dark patterns that Facebook uses. It simply does not respect any boundaries the user might wish to have in place... Install it on your phone? Anyone you have in your phone's address book gets to see your picture under "people you may know". Someone in your family joins Facebook and friends you? Now everyone you are friends with gets prompted about whether or not they know your family member. W…

The whole premise of FB is to "connect people", whether or not you like it, so it's not an entirely unexpected behaviour from them. It's also the reason I don't use FB, and never will.

Well it doesn't matter if you use FB or not.

I bet the patients of the Doctor found themselves through each having her phone number. Hey they both are "friends" with this person maybe they should be friends as well.

This doesn't require for the middle man to have an account. You are inadvertently acting as a conduit for people to connect to one another.

FB likely has a "ghost" account for you anyway that they use to do this connection. So it is like you are using FB in some alternate universe.

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#194

Post by grandalf » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 3:45 AM UTC

Mendenhall wrote: post #186

grandalf wrote: post #142

This is one of the many dark patterns that Facebook uses. It simply does not respect any boundaries the user might wish to have in place... Install it on your phone? Anyone you have in your phone's address book gets to see your picture under "people you may know". Someone in your family joins Facebook and friends you? Now everyone you are friends with gets prompted about whether or not they know your family member. W…

Its interesting to me you think youngest generation of internet users get this. I do hope its the case. I always thought it was the people around at start of net who would get it. I was around preNet and remember how dangerous and scammy everything was so I never sign up for things like facebook or use real name etc. My first thought when I saw facebook was its a great way to get stalked and killed or targeted for wh…

> youngest generation of internet users get this.

They get it because in the jungles of many junior high and high schools, anything that can get you bullied will get you bullied, and young people quickly realized that all the accidental oversharing (by themselves or by their parents, elders, etc.) were easily exploited by bullies.

Thus they came to prefer simpler networks with simpler security/sharing models and features (like automatic photo deletion) that respect user privacy.

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#195

Post by throwanem » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 4:06 AM UTC

quickben wrote: post #177

throwanem wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep in mind, when you consider that, that Stallman is also almost entirely disconnected from the world, as well. Granted, that's by choice, and it seems to suit him. But it casts a great deal of doubt on the value of his perspective, especially his perspective on those people who choose otherwise. It's sort of infuriating, if I'm honest. He has a lot of insight with regard to, for example, the extent to which Facebo…

Eh. He and you have different lifestyles. I also can't fathom there lifestyles of the shepherds back home that go without human contact for months at a time, but they have a lifestyle. Just because you don't want to switch your lifestyle, or we trade convenience for exposure, doesn't mean that stalman's lifestyle is wrong. It's just different choice, and we are comparing apples to oranges here.

He satisfies himself with contempt for those who find it not so easy as he has to choose the life he's chosen. I won't be satisfied until we have a world which makes no such choice necessary. Hardly apples to oranges; more apples to orchards.

As it happens, I recently attempted to open a conversation on this subject with the man himself, in a public forum. I was polite, if uncompromising. He was profane, and preferred to have a minion disconnect my microphone rather than address the point I raised. Many people in the hours that followed found it worth their while to seek me out and thank me for making the attempt. Perhaps more thanked him for his response. I hope I may be forgiven for finding that improbable. In any case, he found no reason not to sign my Emacs manual when I approached him not long afterward, so I can at least hope that, however fundamental the differences in our positions on this matter and however unlikely the prospect of fruitful debate, there may remain at least some modicum of mutual respect.

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#196

Post by thaumasiotes » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 5:13 AM UTC

uiri wrote: post #118

throwanem wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I do know. Rather than rehearse again the means by which I know, let me refer you to the two most recent times I've done so: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12009198 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12362818 (Maybe it's necessary to point out that I'm aware of the possibility that all the apologies I ever received on this subject were lies. I'm aware of the possibility that all the apologies I ever…

One metaphor that comes to mind is that of an employer asking for the same data (personal email credentials). I'm sure some people may (to their detriment) comply with such a request while others would not. Some may be so offended that they would quit immediately or start looking for a job elsewhere.

One of the requirements for getting hired by eBay was to disclose my eBay account(s), if any. Ordinarily that would be pretty intrusive, but I decided it was reasonable for them. ;)

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#197

Post by scottydelta » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 7:14 AM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #142

This is one of the many dark patterns that Facebook uses. It simply does not respect any boundaries the user might wish to have in place... Install it on your phone? Anyone you have in your phone's address book gets to see your picture under "people you may know". Someone in your family joins Facebook and friends you? Now everyone you are friends with gets prompted about whether or not they know your family member. W…

This is exactly like this case: https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/google-has-most-of-my-email-be...

I used to freelance and FB started showing me one of my client as suggestion even though I use a work email for that, how? My client must have installed the FB app on the phone and his email client must have synced my email on the phone and now even FB had my email.

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#198

Post by throwanem » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 10:49 AM UTC

ensignavenger wrote: post #119

ChoGGi wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Most of her patients are senior citizens or people with serious health or developmental issues, but she has one outlier: a 30-something snowboarder. Usually, Facebook would recommend he friend people his own age, who snowboard and jump out of planes. But Lisa told me that he had started seeing older and infirm people, such as a 70-year-old gentleman with a walker and someone with cerebral palsy."

One outlier hardly establishes a pattern, it is still reasonable that the connection to Lisa had nothing to do with these suggestions, and that there was something else in play.

An outlier like that destroys the pattern you're arguing must exist.

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#199

Post by throwanem » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 11:27 AM UTC

uiri wrote: post #118

throwanem wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I do know. Rather than rehearse again the means by which I know, let me refer you to the two most recent times I've done so: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12009198 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12362818 (Maybe it's necessary to point out that I'm aware of the possibility that all the apologies I ever received on this subject were lies. I'm aware of the possibility that all the apologies I ever…

One metaphor that comes to mind is that of an employer asking for the same data (personal email credentials). I'm sure some people may (to their detriment) comply with such a request while others would not. Some may be so offended that they would quit immediately or start looking for a job elsewhere.

I like that, especially given the perennial habit of some employers to mine Facebook for reasons to mistreat employees, and also to ask for prospective employees' Facebook account credentials. And there seems no reason to expect the same weirdness that comes from likening a web application to an abusive partner.

"I mean, imagine you're interviewing for a job, and the hiring manager asks you for the password to your Facebook or your email. Yeah, maybe you can say 'sorry I don't give that out' and still get the job - but at that point, do you want to? And what the hell is even going on that that's a question you get asked?"

Yeah, I think maybe you've given me my new metaphor. Certainly I look forward to trying it out. Thank you very kindly!

Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other

#200

Post by mgcross » Wed, Aug 31, 2016, 12:48 PM UTC

watmough wrote: post #120

"People You May Know is based on a variety of factors, including mutual friends, work and education information, networks you’re part of, contacts you’ve imported and many other factors,” said the spokesperson by email. “Without additional information from the people involved, we’re not able to explain why one person was recommended as a friend to another." Facebook is full of shit. Of course they are using locations…

Yeah, I don't buy it either. I only use FB in a browser (Android) but have had multiple friend suggestions of people I do not know but have seen out at a bar or party a couple of days afterwards. They aren't in my contact list, pretty damn sure I'm not in their contacts either. I wasn't tagged and didn't check in, but probably did log in to FB at some point while at the location.