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Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

theregister.com

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Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#31

Post by ramon156 »

softwaredoug wrote: post #21

This article is just a summary of other articles. Specifically these two more detailed ones: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/meta-to-start-capturing-emplo... https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-new-ai-tool-tracks-staf...

> "This makes me super uncomfortable. How do we opt out?" was the top-rated comment in response to the internal announcement, according to a post on Meta's internal workplace communications site seen by Business Insider."

Have people lost their spine? seriously, quit your job. this is insane. why are americans putting up with this bullshit?

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#32

Post by ohyoutravel »

RugnirViking wrote: post #27
ohyoutravel wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m open to the concept of there being some scale of culpability where the janitors at Meta contracted from some third party company are less culpable than the c suite. But as a software engineer who has chosen to work there, you’re the one building the planet destroying death laser, so not only are you in a very privileged, specialized position, you’re directly contributing to the effects. Also Meta isn’t a nation s…

I do not work at meta. I have never even been to America. Chill on the personal assumptions...

Respond to the substance, don’t give a cop out response.

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#33

Post by dgellow »

SecretDreams wrote: post #13
RugnirViking wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said before. Its very easy to suggest that someone should leave their job on ideological grounds when its someone else you've never met. You have to understand, this hypothetical guy has never met zuck. He's quite possibly never met anyone who has never met zuck. He may well not live in america. The job market for programmers is not good right now. Estimates put average time in unemployment at 12+ months. Would…

Do you see how this topic might mirror something like some dudes just working on the Death Star, never having actually met a sith? There's been whole genocidal campaigns waged where people were just treating it as a day job.

Relevant: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-faceb...

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#35

Post by RugnirViking »

ohyoutravel wrote: post #32
RugnirViking wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not work at meta. I have never even been to America. Chill on the personal assumptions...

Respond to the substance, don’t give a cop out response.

my arguments above already respond to the substance of what you have written, you haven't adressed them, merely restated the position I objected to at the start.

I'm no debate lord, merely expressed my dislike of the baying for blood people clearly have here, pointed at everyone seemingly except the actual people responsible

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#36

Post by fhennig »

wzdd wrote: post #22
fhennig wrote: post #14

In the actual article (not the headline) there is no mention of staff reporting to be unhappy.

Quotes from unhappy staff are in the Business Insider article which the article links to in its third paragraph.

Ah I saw it now through another HN submission.

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#37

Post by hgoel »

RugnirViking wrote: post #29
SecretDreams wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do you dislike people from entire countries because of things their governments did too? When their governments are democratically elected, sometimes, ya. I don't want to give you any spoilers, but there's maybe a reason the average American is looked at least favourably as of late. There are also cultural beefs that have existed for longer than I've been alive that are not even all that rational, but continue to p…

> there's maybe a reason the average American is looked at least favourably as of late I understand THAT its happening, but do you think that's right? moral? would you be happy about it if you were a random american? one who had voted against whatever is happening there? What about one who couldn't vote at all?

Were Meta employees forced to work for Meta?

Not that I agree with the idea of blaming all Meta employees (e.g. janitors, drivers etc don't deserve the blame), but I do think the ones doing the computer work deserve some blame.

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#38

Post by figmert »

ramon156 wrote: post #31
softwaredoug wrote: post #21

This article is just a summary of other articles. Specifically these two more detailed ones: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/meta-to-start-capturing-emplo... https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-new-ai-tool-tracks-staf...

> "This makes me super uncomfortable. How do we opt out?" was the top-rated comment in response to the internal announcement, according to a post on Meta's internal workplace communications site seen by Business Insider." Have people lost their spine? seriously, quit your job. this is insane. why are americans putting up with this bullshit?

> Have people lost their spine? seriously, quit your job. this is insane. why are americans putting up with this bullshit?

While I agree with you, sadly not everyone is in a position to just quit so easily, and even if the majority of the company quits, there are always people who are desperate enough to do the work and not complain.

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#39

Post by benbristow »

ramon156 wrote: post #31
softwaredoug wrote: post #21

This article is just a summary of other articles. Specifically these two more detailed ones: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/meta-to-start-capturing-emplo... https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-new-ai-tool-tracks-staf...

> "This makes me super uncomfortable. How do we opt out?" was the top-rated comment in response to the internal announcement, according to a post on Meta's internal workplace communications site seen by Business Insider." Have people lost their spine? seriously, quit your job. this is insane. why are americans putting up with this bullshit?

Have you seen the salaries Meta pay?

Re: Irony as Meta staff unhappy about running surveillance software on work PCs

#40

Post by RugnirViking »

hgoel wrote: post #37
RugnirViking wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there's maybe a reason the average American is looked at least favourably as of late I understand THAT its happening, but do you think that's right? moral? would you be happy about it if you were a random american? one who had voted against whatever is happening there? What about one who couldn't vote at all?

Were Meta employees forced to work for Meta? Not that I agree with the idea of blaming all Meta employees (e.g. janitors, drivers etc don't deserve the blame), but I do think the ones doing the computer work deserve some blame.

Do all of the hundred thousand meta employees have a say in what happens? Do they even have as much say as citizens in a democracy?

I can agree that the teams working on the specific features have quite a lot of blame. Those asked to implement immoral ads/algorithm stuff. But how many are those people as a proportion of the entire staff?

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