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Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

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Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#601

I have a serious question to anyone working at Meta and reading this: HOW can you still work at this company!? Why don't you quit this very toxic company, and start working at another place or even on your own? I genuinely don't understand... Let just Meta die!

The number of people in these comments who would be happy to be "paid well" to contribute to what's inarguably a huge net negative worldwide is exactly how the company got to this point. It's astonishing how many people value a ton of money over doing something good. Everyone who talks about setting values aside for cash is the problem. Gross.

I am very very sad reading that, indeed.

It is absolutely not what I think about "job" and "contributing to society": I would prefer to be paid less but work in an ethical company than the other people of this thread...

This is maybe why I am feeling so "disconnected" with Tech and devs today.

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#602
post #303

No one mentioned Orwell so far? Well, in 1984 the protagonist learns after a while, that inner party members had the amazing perk of being able to turn off the mandatory surveillance screen for up to 30 minutes. But I guess in this case the workers still will be tracked by the usual Meta tracking that applies to everyone surfing the internet.

Spoiler: In the end it is revealed that the surveillance screen wasn't actually switched off. Let's see how it works out in Meta's case...

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#603

It's always been hard to know the extent of how draconian tracking actually is (IT pros tend to not talk about it much). In the US, there's the expectation that when you use an employer-provided device that any and all activity on it can be fully monitored/recorded and used against the employee for any reason. In practice, however, few people worry about reasonable amounts web-surfing, being on hacker-news or doing l…

I've always, throughout a 25+ year career, kept personal business on personal devices and work business on work devices, and never cross the streams. Oddly, this is really controversial on HN, though! I've gotten so many weirdly angry responses when suggesting people try it, like it's a huge inconvenience to just bring a personal phone to work in order to do your banking and fuck around posting on HN. It's so much ea…

Objectively I've always viewed this as the right approach, even just from an organization perspective. It's been something I haven't really adhered to in practice due to employers being pretty friendly with their tracking/policies while I've been there. It makes offboarding from a company way more disruptive when I have to remember to save my tax documents from the work laptop before I turn it in.

I do view it as having a certain level of discipline around work, and I think that can trigger a bit of insecurity leading to some of the hostility in replies you get to suggesting it as a pattern of behavior.

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#605

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and I found one. It pays enough for having a very stable life, and in a company with ethics! No reason to be that sarcastic, the job market is not dead (at least not in Europe).

The salary gap in Europe is *huge*, at Meta and other big tech you can easily make 3x (after taxes) of what you'd earn in a European company for the very same position, same amount of actually worked hours. It might not be fair or might not be ethical, but in particular if you have dependants, such a gap *does* make a difference.

Thanks, but I don't need this 3x more. I just need ethics.

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#606

I have a serious question to anyone working at Meta and reading this: HOW can you still work at this company!? Why don't you quit this very toxic company, and start working at another place or even on your own? I genuinely don't understand... Let just Meta die!

Meta is still better than 80% of the companies. Other company spies on you, do micromanagement and still pay way less. Pick your poison.

Then I would prefer the 20% that pay less, but do something good for humanity.

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#607

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found Snowcrash to be surprisingly poorly written. Especially given that I had read Cryptonomicon and Diamond Age before it. The quality of writing is so different. I thought perhaps Snowcrash was his first novel, but it wasn't!

Have to agree with you on this. Neal Stephenson is not a writer's writer by any means. But even by his standards I found the prose in Snowcrash to be plodding and amateur. I still love the book for its campy nature and for all the amazing ideas it birthed but it would have definitely benefited from a round of aggressive editing. Also the ending quite frankly was horrible, but I hear this is a general issue with Steph…

I found the second part of Seven Eves to be a surreal experience. I think I might have stopped reading Stephenson after that.

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#608

It's always been hard to know the extent of how draconian tracking actually is (IT pros tend to not talk about it much). In the US, there's the expectation that when you use an employer-provided device that any and all activity on it can be fully monitored/recorded and used against the employee for any reason. In practice, however, few people worry about reasonable amounts web-surfing, being on hacker-news or doing l…

> In the US, there's the expectation that when you use an employer-provided device that any and all activity on it can be fully monitored/recorded I don't expect this. I know that some companies install spyware on their devices, but I don't expect it, I don't accept it, and if they did it without disclosing it I'd be furious. I understand they're allowed to do it. I'd never work anywhere that did.

[dead]

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#609
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Post some links to companies hiring at similar compensation levels. Or, are you suggesting that every Meta employee is in a position to just like off of any random job they can find, or even no income at all while they go off "on their own"?

There is more to life than money. I've turned down FANG roles my entire career, especially Meta. There is lot of work out there.

> There is more to life than money

That's what I told myself when I was in my 20s and early 30s. And then I realized that I had no savings and no opportunities to save, unless I switched to a more lucrative career (which I did, with zero regret).

We don't know what tomorrow will be made off, now I reached a stage where I think I should save as much as possible while I can. And I'm not a materialistic person at all.

Re: Meta workers can opt out of being tracked at work up to 30 min

#610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we need to unionize, across companies. We need to be able to block stuff like this, and to be able to demand that you can’t lay off someone to replace them with AI (bringing US workers rights up to the bar set by China). We also need to be able to hold our leadership to some kind of code of ethics. I don’t want to work for a company that makes kill bots, or can renege on climate pledges.

The best way to unionize is to follow what Mahatma Gandhi did: Non-cooperation movement. It consists of two broad strategies: 1. Consumer Non-Cooperation (Boycott): Boycott of stuff sold, or given by these companies, irrespective of how attractive it is. 2. The Constructive Program (Self-Reliance): Building and supporting alternatives, even if they cost you a little bit more. All it needs is little self-discipline an…

The individual self discipline is great but the “collective” in collective leverage is what makes all the difference.
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