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This paper is spreading like wildfire in the science online community--not because of it's results--but because of how this data was obtained. It reveals that F

This paper is spreading like wildfire in the science online community--not because of it's results--but because of how this data was obtained. It reveals that Facebook is monitoring everything you do on the platform. When you start to write a post, maybe in a moment of anger, think better of it, and delete that post to write something more moderate, Facebook has recorded everything you wrote and deleted. This isn't a new revelation to HN. I've seen posts here before analyzing the javascript behind Facebook and showing how it's recording your every keystroke. According to the academics I follow, this paper is the evidence that the company is sharing that data with third parties.

asteli 9y ago
Facebook didn't have to write this paper. They could have done the research and held onto it. They could have not bothered to do research at all. To me, this says that they're willing to do sociological research regarding the implications of their platform, and to share it publicly. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I think this shows transparency, a certain sense of social responsibility, and at the top level some semblance of understanding of the scope of the effect they have on society.
- 659087 9y ago
  They're also willing to perform mass psychological experiments on hundreds of thousands of people without consent. I suppose we should be thanking them for that as well? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/10932534/Facebook-conducted-secret-psychology-experiment-on-users-emotions.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/10932534/Face...
  - asteli 9y ago
    Every big website you use performs psychological experiments on millions of users without explicit consent. That's basic A/B testing. The difference here is that instead of A/B testing to see whether they can get you to click a button more, they tested to see how their platform, which has dramatically altered how people live and socialize, alters users emotional states. It's off-putting because people enjoy the illusion of unmolested free will, and don't understand the degree to which they're already being experimented on. That being said, the social and emotional health implications are too huge to leave things like this unresearched.
- b0rsuk 9y ago
  Or they're just so confident the product* won't care, because they're too heavily invested and can't imagine life without FB. * a.k.a. users
bllguo 9y ago
But this paper is from 2013? Are you saying that this paper is spreading now, or had spread in the past?
SerLava 9y ago
I really feel like this should be over the line. If you share info with someone, sure, you're a sucker. No right to control that which you freely give up. But when you type something out and specifically decide not to transmit it? That's beyond the pale. They have no right to spy on people like that. It's the one thing.
- username223 9y ago
  > But when you type something out and specifically decide not to transmit it? That's beyond the pale. This is why, if you still find FB useful, you should use mbasic.facebook.com. At least for now, it works with absolutely no JavaScript. The 2013 paper talks about edits, which this doesn't protect -- dickish to collect, but fair -- but the key-logging JS crosses the line for me.
simooooo 9y ago
Did you read the pdf? They just logged when a post/comment was started and how long before it was posted.
deleted 9y ago
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asteli 9y ago

Facebook didn't have to write this paper. They could have done the research and held onto it. They could have not bothered to do research at all. To me, this says that they're willing to do sociological research regarding the implications of their platform, and to share it publicly. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I think this shows transparency, a certain sense of social responsibility, and at the top level some semblance of understanding of the scope of the effect they have on society.

659087 9y ago
They're also willing to perform mass psychological experiments on hundreds of thousands of people without consent. I suppose we should be thanking them for that as well? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/10932534/Facebook-conducted-secret-psychology-experiment-on-users-emotions.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/10932534/Face...
- asteli 9y ago
  Every big website you use performs psychological experiments on millions of users without explicit consent. That's basic A/B testing. The difference here is that instead of A/B testing to see whether they can get you to click a button more, they tested to see how their platform, which has dramatically altered how people live and socialize, alters users emotional states. It's off-putting because people enjoy the illusion of unmolested free will, and don't understand the degree to which they're already being experimented on. That being said, the social and emotional health implications are too huge to leave things like this unresearched.
b0rsuk 9y ago
Or they're just so confident the product* won't care, because they're too heavily invested and can't imagine life without FB. * a.k.a. users

bllguo 9y ago

But this paper is from 2013? Are you saying that this paper is spreading now, or had spread in the past?

SerLava 9y ago

I really feel like this should be over the line. If you share info with someone, sure, you're a sucker. No right to control that which you freely give up. But when you type something out and specifically decide not to transmit it? That's beyond the pale. They have no right to spy on people like that. It's the one thing.

username223 9y ago
> But when you type something out and specifically decide not to transmit it? That's beyond the pale. This is why, if you still find FB useful, you should use mbasic.facebook.com. At least for now, it works with absolutely no JavaScript. The 2013 paper talks about edits, which this doesn't protect -- dickish to collect, but fair -- but the key-logging JS crosses the line for me.

simooooo 9y ago

Did you read the pdf? They just logged when a post/comment was started and how long before it was posted.

deleted 9y ago

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