Live data from Hacker News

Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

techcrunch.com

31–40 of 71 posts

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#31

Can you imagine walking up to a guy on the street and saying something like "Hey there. If you tell me the names and contact information for all of your friends, the conversations you've had with them, the type of products you like, your occupation and lots of other demographic information? I'll let you play this little game with bottle caps" Yet to many technologists working on the internet this seems like a perfect…

That's not a fair analogy, because the bottle cap game does not need that information. It's more close to a doctor asking you about your and your family's medical past. If you trust the doctor its fine, if you don't it's a hard situation to figure out.

Edit: this is not supposed to be a direct analogy (obviously Facebook does not have your medical records yet, afaik). Games want to have the ability to find out who is your friend and to post on your behalf, it's not absolutely necessary but millions of people understand it's the price they pay for a free game.

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#32

This is a small nit-pick, but I feel like the word "design" gets thrown around a lot these days, until it doesn't even mean anything anymore. I would expect a "design trick" to be using color, contrast, or typography to achieve a result. If getting rid of the "don't allow" button counts as "design", then I wonder if "design" has become too broad a term to still be useful.

That's because you had a very limited definition of what design is. Design is not just how it looks, it is much more about how it works (and in a highly visual media like the web, how it looks is of course a big part of that).

Edit to add some nuance: I didn't mean to take this out on you personally. Your limited definition of what "design" as "visual design" is actually fairly pervasive these days and as a (non visual) designer this bothers me to no end. I'm blaming the use of design as a noun for this. People want to have something that is "design", whatever that means. Design, however, is also a verb. It is the process of shaping a product to fit its users' needs. For software, that means figuring out what it should and shouldn't do, how it should do it, how to organise information, what language (visual and verbal) to use and testing, testing, testing. To do this right, you need more than just a talented artist that can make a pretty picture.

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#33

Can you imagine walking up to a guy on the street and saying something like "Hey there. If you tell me the names and contact information for all of your friends, the conversations you've had with them, the type of products you like, your occupation and lots of other demographic information? I'll let you play this little game with bottle caps" Yet to many technologists working on the internet this seems like a perfect…

That's not a fair analogy, because the bottle cap game does not need that information. It's more close to a doctor asking you about your and your family's medical past. If you trust the doctor its fine, if you don't it's a hard situation to figure out. Edit: this is not supposed to be a direct analogy (obviously Facebook does not have your medical records yet, afaik). Games want to have the ability to find out who is…

And Farmville needs to know that same information? Or is it Farmville Dr.?

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#35

Can you imagine walking up to a guy on the street and saying something like "Hey there. If you tell me the names and contact information for all of your friends, the conversations you've had with them, the type of products you like, your occupation and lots of other demographic information? I'll let you play this little game with bottle caps" Yet to many technologists working on the internet this seems like a perfect…

That's not a fair analogy, because the bottle cap game does not need that information. It's more close to a doctor asking you about your and your family's medical past. If you trust the doctor its fine, if you don't it's a hard situation to figure out. Edit: this is not supposed to be a direct analogy (obviously Facebook does not have your medical records yet, afaik). Games want to have the ability to find out who is…

What games are you claiming need the same level of information about me as a doctor?

Frankly, your analogy is ridiculous. Facebook apps aren't integral parts of my health and well-being. They don't need to delve into my personal life.

They want to. That's one way to exploit me to advertisers. But a Doctor absolutely needs to, for my own well being. Games and the advertisers they serve don't have that claim.

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#36

Anybody know how to read techcrunch articles on an iPad these days? I get fifteen seconds of article, then get redirected to that "download our app" thing. No combination of back/forward or clicking "no, let me read the article" results in me being able to actually read the article. I'm not about to pollute my iPad just for one site, so I guess from here on out I just have to make a mental note to stay away from tech…

Can you do user agent spoofing on an iPad? Because iPad browser is perfectly capable of viewing desktop websites except those with Flash.

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#37
post #7

I was on gmail and suddenly got a offer from google to have video chat turned on. I thought I already had video chat, but clicked ok anyway. By doing so, it turned out I was upgrading to google plus.

They make/offer you the chance sign up to Google Plus in so many places it's infuriating.

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#38
post #36

Anybody know how to read techcrunch articles on an iPad these days? I get fifteen seconds of article, then get redirected to that "download our app" thing. No combination of back/forward or clicking "no, let me read the article" results in me being able to actually read the article. I'm not about to pollute my iPad just for one site, so I guess from here on out I just have to make a mental note to stay away from tech…

Can you do user agent spoofing on an iPad? Because iPad browser is perfectly capable of viewing desktop websites except those with Flash.

Yes. I use the 'Atomic Web Browser' for that. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/atomic-web-browser/id34792941...

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#39
post #36

Anybody know how to read techcrunch articles on an iPad these days? I get fifteen seconds of article, then get redirected to that "download our app" thing. No combination of back/forward or clicking "no, let me read the article" results in me being able to actually read the article. I'm not about to pollute my iPad just for one site, so I guess from here on out I just have to make a mental note to stay away from tech…

Can you do user agent spoofing on an iPad? Because iPad browser is perfectly capable of viewing desktop websites except those with Flash.

Safari does not, but iCab mobile lets you change browser agents.

Re: Design Tricks Facebook Uses To Affect Your Privacy Decisions

#40
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a fair analogy, because the bottle cap game does not need that information. It's more close to a doctor asking you about your and your family's medical past. If you trust the doctor its fine, if you don't it's a hard situation to figure out. Edit: this is not supposed to be a direct analogy (obviously Facebook does not have your medical records yet, afaik). Games want to have the ability to find out who is…

What games are you claiming need the same level of information about me as a doctor? Frankly, your analogy is ridiculous. Facebook apps aren't integral parts of my health and well-being. They don't need to delve into my personal life. They want to. That's one way to exploit me to advertisers. But a Doctor absolutely needs to, for my own well being. Games and the advertisers they serve don't have that claim.

The social element is absolutely essential to such simple games. If it weren't for the constant nagging of your friends there wouldn't be much fun they would practically not work.

If you feel the games exploit you (or the doctor invades your life) , then avoid them.

Post reply on HN