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Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

theguardian.com

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Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#41

Post by na85 »

arkh wrote: post #17

How the fuck could people be surprised? Open a software job board. 50% of offers are by companies trying to optimize some data harvesting and analysis to better target some ads. Ads, the direct child of propaganda. So to everyone working in those kind of companies: you're not better ethically than people working on missile software. I'd say you're worse because you can argue missiles can be used as deterrent.

I up voted because your point is relevant.

However, Software development is not a Profession, in the proper use of the term. It is not self-regulating the way Medicine, Engineering, Law, and a few others are.

There is no formal standard of ethical conduct in software for practitioners to use as a baseline for their own behaviour.

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#42

Post by zitterbewegung »

So the greatest achievement of big data and ML right now is the manipulation of elections a true shock and awe.

And yes, everyone on HN and RMS will say “why is everyone surprised ?” Well it’s because normal people don’t have that perspective and think Facebook is the internet for them.

Data is the new oil but now everyone knows this except just us on HN.

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#43

Post by ams6110 »

> Asked what kind of control Facebook had over the data given to outside developers, he replied: “Zero. Absolutely none. Once the data left Facebook servers there was not any control, and there was no insight into what was going on.”

Um, well yeah. This is the case any time you give data to a third party. They now have a copy, and you can't control what they do with it.

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#44

Post by notheguyouthink »

meuk wrote: post #22
tmalsburg2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a matter of fact, this is news and surprising for most users of Facebook even if it's not for you. By saying that no one should be surprised, are you not taking the same condescending attitude that you're pointing out in Zuckerberg?

Well, it is extremely naive to think that Facebook does not use all the data they get about you. Then again, most people are very naive about this kind of everyday technology.

More specifically, I think many people are naive about how it can be applied to their lives.

Every company tracks you. From what you purchase at target, to broad pattern behavior tracking on the web via ad companies, I think most people know their being tracked at various stages for various reasons.

However, is it bad that target knows I like to buy grass fed beef? Probably not. It reveals some things about me, but I am far less concerned, as are most I imagine. This same mindset is what fuels people when they don't care what FB/etc is doing. Not that it's right/wrong, but I think people don't care who knows about their lunch or catpics. Thinking that's all that FB could gain out of it.

Humans in general are really bad at thinking long term. Nothing bad happens immediately when you sign up to FB, when you post personal information, when they sell your data, etc. For a lot of FB users, it might be 20 years before they regret their actions. That's just a hard feedback cycle for people.

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#45

Post by thrownaway954 »

the platform was designed to entice and integrate into every aspect of people's lives and then ENCOURAGED you to get your friends to participate by inviting them to the platform. it was a data harvesting, advertising mongrel from the start and everyone KNEW it, but no one cared.

like all things in life... people cry foul when things come back to bite them in ass.

like i said yesterday in a comment... delete ALL forms of social media cause this goes on with ALL platforms out there, it isn't just limited to FB.

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#46

Post by freyir »

relyio wrote: post #36
freyir wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just so the quote [2004] isn't out of context: Zuckerberg: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS [Friend]: What? How'd you manage that one? Zuckerberg: People just submitted it. Zuckerberg: I don't know why. Zuckerberg: They "trust me" Zuckerberg: Dumb fucks

I'm sure you can do a better job at illustrating your point than ressucitating a +10y old quote from Zuck, 19 at the time. Teenagers and college students say a lot of condescending, dumb, immature stuff in group discussions. It's not news and no evidence at all.

> I'm sure you can do a better job at illustrating your point than ressucitating a +10y old quote from Zuck, 19 at the time.

I don't need to. Facebook just illustrated it for me.

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#48

Post by flexie »

malikNF wrote: post #3

What's utterly horrifying about this whole thing is how the media is acting as if this is some sort of surprise. Like what did you think was happening at a company collecting data about billions of people? Especially at a company that has a CEO who is famous for calling its own users dumb fu * * s? A company that experimented on at risk teens. Like come on. --edit--- Or lordy, didn't expect this comment to blow up th…

"Parakilas, 38, who now works as a product manager for Uber, ..."

So from one reckless company that doesn't give a damn about the law to the next. Who teaches developers that it's okay to work for anyone as long as the tech is cool and the salary is great?

Re: Ex-Facebook insider says covert data harvesting was routine

#49

Post by simias »

Is there any reason to believe that the situation isn't the same in, say, the Android ecosystem? In my experience many 3rd party apps require ridiculous amounts of permissions (contact list etc...) for something that's not core functionality. Surely all these free-to-play crapware games on the Android market have siphoned all the data they could and sold them to the highest bidder? Does Google do a better job of monitoring these apps?
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