Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies • Hacker News Board

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#81

Post by nebula8804 » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 10:16 AM UTC

nico wrote: post #52

Just tried creating a fb account to manage some ads It let me create the account, but then to manage the ads they had me create a business account, and a few seconds later, they blocked my fb account Exactly the same thing happened to someone else I’m working with We are trying to appeal, but seems like it might go nowhere Any tips would be appreciated

I became an obsessive FB marketplace user buying up tons of other peoples old junk until one day I initially offered to purchase a table but discovered that IKEA was selling the same table for 5$ less in new condition. I explained my reasoning to the seller and sent her the link and within minutes I was banned from Marketplace with no recourse. I don't know if she reported me or something.

I was really bummed for weeks because FB support does not exist. But after a while I figured out that if you sign up for FB verified you gain access to human based support. I did so and eventually they managed to restore my account with no reason as to why I was banned. Maybe that will help?

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#82

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 10:22 AM UTC

denvaar wrote: post #60

Couple days ago I logged into Facebook for the first time in about 2-3 years because I wanted to download a video that I had saved there. What a hot mess. I needed to reset my password, but the form was seemingly unresponsive. Then suddenly a message appeared in a dialog popup letting me know that I had been temporarily locked out. I eventually managed to log in. Inside the app, I had a handful of messages from vario…

[deleted]

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#83

Post by paride5745 » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 10:27 AM UTC

Every time I open FB, I see only sponsored and suggested content, and never any content from friends, pages or groups I'm in.

Since a few years I moved my social media presence on Mastodon and Instagram (too many non-tech people stuck in Meta-lands). Honestly, I am kinda happy to see many of the pages I follow on FB moving to Threads, yes it is still Meta, but with the incoming ActivityPub integration it feels better.

I wonder how long until Meta will eventually integrate FB with Threads, so that you can easily crosspost between the two, as FB seems to be in maintenance mode since a while and I think Meta will eventually shift focus on Threads more (so expect Threads groups, Threads marketplace, Threads messenger, ...).

Hopefully with ActivityPub I can follow my racing teams pages from my own Mastodon-server and delete my Meta account (finally)...

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#84

Post by Erratic6576 » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 10:30 AM UTC

leotravis10 wrote: post #15

TacticalCoder wrote: post #9

Never had Instagram. Never had WhatsApp. Had an old Facebook account opened under a fake name, using a throwaway email (haven't opened it in six months, maybe more). That company is cancer.

Even if you don't have a account, they still provide a "shadow profile" on you and it has been proven and admitted. https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17225482/facebook-shadow-...

We don't use FB, we are used by it whether we have an explicit account or not

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#85

Post by Erratic6576 » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 10:32 AM UTC

I'm using mullvad’s extended DoH. I can't even visit twitter anymore. I hope it's putting a dent on suck's hidden island’s budget

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#86

Post by rightbyte » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 10:47 AM UTC

nebula8804 wrote: post #80

denvaar wrote: post #60

Couple days ago I logged into Facebook for the first time in about 2-3 years because I wanted to download a video that I had saved there. What a hot mess. I needed to reset my password, but the form was seemingly unresponsive. Then suddenly a message appeared in a dialog popup letting me know that I had been temporarily locked out. I eventually managed to log in. Inside the app, I had a handful of messages from vario…

>I couldn't stop thinking to myself about how many smart people work there, and how much money the company has, yet still it was one of the worst online experiences that I've had. Really feels like the product has been in 'maintenance mode' for a while. Probably the focus in the company has shifted to growing platforms and not declining ones. Once the grandparents are on the platform it dies. Was it a video you uploa…

> Once the grandparents are on the platform it dies.

Really? I thought the point of Facebook was to be in touch with friends and relatives.

I would rather say that "grandparents" were slow to adapt Facebook amd likewise slow to leave.

The decline of Facebook seems to me to be related to the feed pushing crap people don't care about and competition from Instagram, TikTok amd whatever.

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#87

Post by wil421 » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 11:09 AM UTC

> The Markup has written extensively about the Meta Pixel and how it has been used to surveil people as they dial suicide hotlines, buy their groceries, take the SAT, file their taxes, and book appointments with their doctors. Website owners can configure the pixel to track user website interactions such as searches or filling out a form, sending each action to Meta, even if the user doesn’t have an account on Facebook. Although research tools like The Markup’s Pixel Hunt can detect the Meta pixel or SDK tracking, there is no way for a consumer to monitor the traffic between a company’s server and Meta’s.

Another reason to never touch an Ad company’s phone.

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#88

Post by wil421 » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 11:12 AM UTC

paride5745 wrote: post #83

Every time I open FB, I see only sponsored and suggested content, and never any content from friends, pages or groups I'm in. Since a few years I moved my social media presence on Mastodon and Instagram (too many non-tech people stuck in Meta-lands). Honestly, I am kinda happy to see many of the pages I follow on FB moving to Threads, yes it is still Meta, but with the incoming ActivityPub integration it feels better…

Agreed. I opened the Facebook website on my phone last weekend to search for a pic on a kayak fishing group. It was impossible to navigate my feed, it was all sponsored content, ads, and Facebook’s ads for its own content.

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#89

Post by blinding-streak » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 11:18 AM UTC

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #44

legitster wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes and no. FB's tracking pixel can be both first and third party: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/471978536642445?id=12... Getting rid of third-party support will mean FB doesn't get anonymous data from random website users - but if you are logged into FB or hit the page from a FB link, it would still be trackable as a first-party cookie.

The camera app on my Android phone pings Facebook every time it starts up despite me not having an account to use any of the Facebook integration. Presumably the lib does the same in many other apps.

Clearly you're not using the stock, default camera app then.

Re: Each Facebook user is monitored by thousands of companies

#90

Post by dspillett » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 11:40 AM UTC

“… and we wish we had that sort of pull instead of the small number of hundreds of stalking partners we get some of our income from” -- that site¹, no doubt.

Though credit to Consumer Reports for their refreshingly honest stalking opt-in banner: the two choices are “accept all” and “do not sell my personal information”, so there is no doubt what “accept all” results in.

--

[1] before the link was updated to go direct to consumerreports.org