Zuckerberg needs to step down as head honcho. This is only the stuff we are hearing about. Imagine what they are actually doing. This is just disgusting.
Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
211–220 of 230 posts
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#212Could Apple just decide to block FB altogether? Could Google Play?
Could Verizon block the iPhone from their network?
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#213Earlier quoted context omitted.
I struggle to realize why we expect Software engineers to be bellwethers of morality and ethics. They are flesh and blood, and like any other profession, if there's money in something, there will be someone to do it
We should expect everybody to care about the morality and ethics of their actions. That's a pretty low fucking bar IMO. In software, this is one way that manifests.
>We should expect everybody to care about the morality and ethics of their actions.
This isn't a very meaningful statement as people widely disagree about what the ethical action is.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#214If I tried something like this I’d have my developer account totally revoked and all my apps pulled; but I can’t imagine that happening to Facebook. It makes sense but it’s interesting that there’s a systemic de-risking of the way big players operate while simultaneously being in a position to do the most damage.
From a certain size on they need each other. Apple can’t afford to lose Facebook and Facebook can’t afford to lose apple.
Is that really the case though? Lets play through this virtual divorce.
Apple's revenue was a disappointing what 60 some billion dollars last quarter based on devices that have a multitude of functions beyond facebook. Not having facebook available on the device would probably decrease their value somewhat but with facebook getting tons of bad press it could work to apple and alternative social networks long term benefit by further cementing Apple as protector of your privacy and Apple blessed social networks as better than that trash android users run on their comparatively open platform. Users already don't seem to value openness much and place higher stock in privacy and security.
Facebooks was in the same time frame around 16 billion. Facebook depends heavily on access to mobile platforms to reach users. Apple is only 10ish % of the global market but around at least 1/3 of the US market which facebook needs. As people are unlikely to chuck their $1000 phones in the trash before 1-2 years are up it seems likely that most users would keep their facebook account to keep in contact with friends/family on facebook but come to rely on other chat apps on their phone and may ultimately use those apps instead of facebook on and off their phones.
From facebooks perspective its users don't immediately drop but engagement can drop through the floor for that segment while offering substantial help to competitors that may in the long run turn facebook into myspace 2.0. Apple losing facebook would be a negative. Facebook losing apple would be an existential threat. If removed from the play store as well it would basically be dead in the water. This would probably never happen because if apple and or google threatened to do so it would basically have to give apple and or google its left arm and throw in a leg to secure its continued existence. It's bargaining position with either is terrible.
I think both should work together to force facebook to do a better job of protecting its users privacy.
As an aside I think that in the longer run it could probably consider bypassing the respective app stores entirely to work entirely as a website but don't think that would be likely to be a short term prospect.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#215Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know a reasonable number of Facebook employees. Their opinions on the last year range from “don’t care/getting paid” to “everyone does it.” These are good people. They just don’t care.
> These are good people. They just don’t care. I think these two statements contradict each other.
Or maybe people are a lot more complicated than simplistic notions of what makes a good person.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#216Earlier quoted context omitted.
From a certain size on they need each other. Apple can’t afford to lose Facebook and Facebook can’t afford to lose apple.
You'd be surprised. Apple has $245 billion cash on hand. That's enough to build their own feature equivalent social network and give $20 to anyone who signs up.
Knowing apple it would be apple device only and only let you communicate with other yuppies.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
Isn't Cambridge Analytica enough proof that harm has been done by Facebook's data collection and allowing others to access it? That's the very tip of the iceberg.
What harm came from that exactly? More people voted? Is voting harm? Just because you don't like the way someone voted doesn't make it harmful. My understanding is the entire Cambridge Analytica thing is about privacy and not actual harm from the Facebook aspect.
It was used to figure out which parties were most susceptible to being manipulated with misinformation and outright lies so that they would vote for people whom would ultimately harm their own interests. For example figuring out which groups of liberals could be pushed towards a third party candidate with propaganda so that that a conservative candidate could win the election and disadvantage the same folks. This is straightforward harm even if the election was still technically democratic it was swayed by manipulation partially funded by our enemies and those who aligned themselves with Americas enemies to get a president elected by the minority to harm the interests of the majority in order to enrich a much smaller minority.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#218Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are a fuckload of tech companies. You don't have to work for a big name.
Glad you’re a moral bastion but I gotta pay the bills and big companies have better work life balance than unicorn startups.
There are lots of ethical companies which are in the middle, too. But that's okay, your moral lackings are definitely excused by your lazy approach to job hunting.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#219Earlier quoted context omitted.
>can't prove a negative. Then why do you assert it as being truthful? The history of FB's data collection practices is replete with "harm".
I didn't assert that anything was truthful? And prove the "harm" in its data collection practices. Since you've been very specific in data collection, I will expect your response to be about data collection.
I'm not the original poster but the harm would logically follow from USE of that data now and in the future not the process of collection much like the harm from a long fall doesn't come from the journey but rather the sudden stop at the end.
Re: Facebook will shut down its controversial market research app for iOS
#220Facebook has had its enterprise certificates revoked by Apple [1] https://seekingalpha.com/news/3427520-apple-banning-facebook... > "Facebook has been using their membership to distribute a data-collecting app to consumers, which is a clear breach of their agreement with Apple," Apple says. "Any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked, which i…
"You are not firing me, I'm resigning!"