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New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

reuters.com

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Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#81

Post by sizzle »

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #65
temp1928384 wrote: post #63

Anyone else working in tech for the past few years having more frequent existential crises about what they have enabled? I have never worked at FB, but I've worked at a few well known yet somewhat controversial companies (in fintech, marketplaces, etc.) that I sometimes feel uneasy about.

here too. I'm trying to figure out which different field I could get into (even it means leaving Tech[0] totally) and do something that provides some kind of benefit for humanity and the future of my kids. It was foolish the way I felt in the 90ies thinking that Software and computing would be a net benefit. there has to be a field which isn't just about data extraction, mass surveillance (or worse). [0] https://news…

Look into GIS tech, it's used by a lot of good people across government agencies, research universities and public utilities to do their jobs better by spatially visualizing their own data.

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#82

Post by East-Link »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #52
East-Link wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Cambridge Analytica is not defunct, but rather changed its name to Emerdata. It's too bad Reuters didn't get that part correct. That's not true, I used to work there. Everyone was laid off in July or so. I haven't heard of anyone joining Emerdata, and I do see those guys now and again. I know where all the technical people work. Emerdata was created before the media shitstorm to absorb all the pointless corporate en…

It was just an ad tech company with a few political clients and some snake oil regarding psychographics. Your snake oil evidently outperformed the best modern medicine. So, congratulations for that, I guess.

Our psychographics were

- ineffective (no change in effectiveness if you randomise which "personality" sees which ad)

- never based on Facebook data during my time of employment there -- early 2016 onwards

- not used in the USA presidential election of 2016

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#83

Post by chiefalchemist »

peterwwillis wrote: post #36
sp332 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're called "shadow profiles". https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/18/1429223/facebook-is-...

How does nobody know about these? Shadow profiles have been standard in every large advertising network for 15-20 years at least. If your ad content is on lots of different web properties, you can "track" a user across each one, inferring data about the user one piece at a time, until you have a large profile. Then you use that profile to target ads/marketing. They never have to directly give you any data, but you ca…

One reason could be that FB has __never__ publicly (afaik) positioned itself as an "advertising network." It's also gone on record (afaik) to say it's __not__ akin to traditional (print) publishers. It has said time and again it is a social network, and it's going to save the world.

Mind you, I'm not completely naive. I don't trust MZ & SS, but your expectation that every know and understand the inner workings of all the large aadvertising networks feels a bit excessive.

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#84

Post by peterwwillis »

chiefalchemist wrote: post #83
peterwwillis wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does nobody know about these? Shadow profiles have been standard in every large advertising network for 15-20 years at least. If your ad content is on lots of different web properties, you can "track" a user across each one, inferring data about the user one piece at a time, until you have a large profile. Then you use that profile to target ads/marketing. They never have to directly give you any data, but you ca…

One reason could be that FB has __never__ publicly (afaik) positioned itself as an "advertising network." It's also gone on record (afaik) to say it's __not__ akin to traditional (print) publishers. It has said time and again it is a social network, and it's going to save the world. Mind you, I'm not completely naive. I don't trust MZ & SS, but your expectation that every know and understand the inner workings of all…

I don't expect most people to know about it, I just find it odd when news outlets make industry knowledge seem like a secret they're only now revealing.

"This just in: Door locks on most buildings can be easily picked, film at 11"

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#85

Post by harryf »

kekebo wrote: post #20
dillondoyle wrote: post #6

I assume this is other apps using FBs analytics toolset? Where I can send a custom event with {email:dillondoyle@gmail.com, data: {likes_dogs: 1, likes_cats: 0}} or what they are mad about is {weight: 120, has_hiv:0} ? IDK seems silly to me or maybe I'm in too deep and can't see the forest for the trees.

if this is related to the Facebook Mobile SDK it seems that it is sending a lot of data home by default and that setting it up for ethical data collection isn't straightforward for most developers[0] [0] at least for android, based on this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0vlD7r-kTc (35C3 - How Facebook tracks you on Android) edit: add video title

Thanks for posting this - great talk!

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#86

Post by amelius »

chmaynard wrote: post #13

Ever wonder why Facebook is giving everyone on earth so much free software and processing power? They seem to be making money, how do they do it? [10 minutes of deep thought] Ok, we get it. If someone offers you something of value for free, politely say "no thanks" and run the other way. Edit: If a for-profit company offers you something of value at no cost, you or someone else will end up paying for it later. Advert…

> Ok, we get it. If someone offers you something of value for free, politely say "no thanks" and run the other way.

The problem starts when half of your colleagues accept that "something", and start discussing it on HN. (For example: "React", or any other FB open source project).

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#87

Post by jaabe »

Dahoon wrote: post #75
jaabe wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in the public sector, so we never do evil things like that. I do often wonder if we’re digitizing too much. Like I pay for public transportation (I’m Danish, we have great public transportation) with an App, which is nice and all, but the user experience is actually worse than when it was just a piece of paper. We’ve saved the public billions by making some processes easier, but we’ve also digitised a lot of s…

I'm not sure I agree that the public sector doesn't do what you call evil things. Like right now in Denmark there are the whole watching every move everyone make via logging phones even though the EU says it is illegal. There's also the thing with forcing children to answer questionnaires that will likely be in the system for... ever basically. Lots of public sector sites also use Facebook and have Google analytics o…

I agree, I should probably have specified which part of the public sector I was in. At a municipal level we try not to do evil things.

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#88

Post by jaabe »

antpls wrote: post #80
jaabe wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in the public sector, so we never do evil things like that. I do often wonder if we’re digitizing too much. Like I pay for public transportation (I’m Danish, we have great public transportation) with an App, which is nice and all, but the user experience is actually worse than when it was just a piece of paper. We’ve saved the public billions by making some processes easier, but we’ve also digitised a lot of s…

> Especially not from a user perspective, if you’re a social worker you now have to know how to use 5-10 complicated and error prone IT systems, on top of your regular job, and we just keep on adding more. I mean,those 5-10 systems are linked to their work on top of that there are another 5-10 adiministrative systems and maybe 50 different digital forms. The workers are users of those IT systems, but not the end-user…

> “better for less money" : According to what sources? What indicators?

I’m tempted to say “pick one”. Workers are less satisfied, more stressed and less efficient. Citizens are less satisfied and receive a lower quality of service. Financially it depends, on paper it’s better but if you add in the cost of sick days and the impact of lower citizen life quality has on society, then a lot of digitisation has been disastrous.

Not all of it, mind you, just some of it.

Re: New York governor orders probe into Facebook access to data from other apps

#90

Post by [deleted] »

rock_hard wrote: post #35
chmaynard wrote: post #13

Ever wonder why Facebook is giving everyone on earth so much free software and processing power? They seem to be making money, how do they do it? [10 minutes of deep thought] Ok, we get it. If someone offers you something of value for free, politely say "no thanks" and run the other way. Edit: If a for-profit company offers you something of value at no cost, you or someone else will end up paying for it later. Advert…

Most everything on the internet is free...so are you saying we should just stop using it?

[deleted]
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