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Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

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Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#81

Post by zck »

kmavm wrote: post #59

Some points that are getting lost in the discussion below. I work at Facebook. 1. Facebook lets you export your data. It has been possible to do so ever since the graph API debuted in April '10. Since the market wasn't filling the gap, we even built a "download your information" product ( https://register.facebook.com/editaccount.php -> Download Your Information). It gives you a zip file with all your contact info, p…

>It gives you a zip file with all your contact info, photos, video, status updates, wall posts, etc. If somebody would like to write an importer for Diaspora, or Google Me, or even a non-vaporware competitor, they are well within Facebook's ToS, imho.

If I'm trying to write an importer for this Facebook data, how can I differentiate John Smith (my friend) from the thousand other John Smiths? It's easy to do if I have John's email.

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#82

Post by inafewwords »

kmavm wrote: post #59

Some points that are getting lost in the discussion below. I work at Facebook. 1. Facebook lets you export your data. It has been possible to do so ever since the graph API debuted in April '10. Since the market wasn't filling the gap, we even built a "download your information" product ( https://register.facebook.com/editaccount.php -> Download Your Information). It gives you a zip file with all your contact info, p…

>3. Most importantly, what Google is insisting on is completely insane.

Facebook can figure out who people know. They don't need to use facebook. Their friends' contact list is enough to construct a semblance of their social circle.

So the repercussions isn't limited to that person. They are implicating their friends' privacy (no matter how minor) to the very anti-consumer-privacy fronted company Facebook.

Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#83

Post by far33d »

zck wrote: post #81
kmavm wrote: post #59

Some points that are getting lost in the discussion below. I work at Facebook. 1. Facebook lets you export your data. It has been possible to do so ever since the graph API debuted in April '10. Since the market wasn't filling the gap, we even built a "download your information" product ( https://register.facebook.com/editaccount.php -> Download Your Information). It gives you a zip file with all your contact info, p…

>It gives you a zip file with all your contact info, photos, video, status updates, wall posts, etc. If somebody would like to write an importer for Diaspora, or Google Me, or even a non-vaporware competitor, they are well within Facebook's ToS, imho. If I'm trying to write an importer for this Facebook data, how can I differentiate John Smith (my friend) from the thousand other John Smiths? It's easy to do if I have…

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Re: Facebook Finds A New Way To Liberate Your Gmail Contact Data

#84

Post by konad »

sgift wrote: post #22
konad wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do know the referer header is optional don't you, I mean, you'd look pretty dumb relying on it for any web service because, you know, some crazy people turn them off altogether, perhaps with the Firefox add-on RefControl.

I have seen various websites which use referrers despite this drawback. They will simply block you if your browser doesn't send a referrer.

Do you know any off hand ? I've had referer headers stripped for a few months now and afaik it's never caused my any problems.
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