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You seriously think grandma and Joe the plumber are aware of Facebook's constant data collection? Let's have empathy for people outside the tech bubble and rea

by remir 9y ago

You seriously think grandma and Joe the plumber are aware of Facebook's constant data collection? Let's have empathy for people outside the tech bubble and realize that it's our duty as technical people to educate people around us about these issues.

tyfon 9y ago
I was on the phone with my mother and told her about the recent facebook things and she said "I am very careful about what I post on facebook so I don't worry". Then I told her about what they actually do with the pixel and like buttons and she was flabbergasted. "You mean they can see what I read even if I don't press the like button?" Not sure I convinced her to delete the account though as all her friends are there.
colmvp 9y ago
I would guess that the elderly are much more skeptical about handing over their personal information online than younger generations. For example, Facebook started off in colleges. And other forms of social media like Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram are predominantly used by younger cohorts who are ambivalent about what companies might use with their data. The information about data collection is out there, what with Google searches and all. People choose not to abstain. I'll give a more recent example: I meet 20-somethings at a meetup I go to each week. Most of them go to a pretty well-known university (thus, they are well educated), they ask me if they can connect with me via Facebook. I say I don't use Facebook, and then spend an extra 20 minutes explaining all the reasons why often to their astonishment. In my mind I'm like, "Really? How do you not know all of this? You read tons of magazines/journals?" The sad reality is that billions of people don't care. Even with this whole scandal, I'd be shocked if Facebook's stock price was hurt in the long term.
lisp_me_away 9y ago
You don't talk to many casuals then. They are fully aware that all of their data is being recorded and used against them. They've been aware since the massive NSA scandal.
- remir 9y ago
  What about the like button on web sites and the FB pixel that is invisible to the user? Again, you seriously think Joe average is aware of that?

by remir 9y ago

tyfon 9y ago

I was on the phone with my mother and told her about the recent facebook things and she said "I am very careful about what I post on facebook so I don't worry". Then I told her about what they actually do with the pixel and like buttons and she was flabbergasted. "You mean they can see what I read even if I don't press the like button?" Not sure I convinced her to delete the account though as all her friends are there.

colmvp 9y ago

I would guess that the elderly are much more skeptical about handing over their personal information online than younger generations. For example, Facebook started off in colleges. And other forms of social media like Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram are predominantly used by younger cohorts who are ambivalent about what companies might use with their data. The information about data collection is out there, what with Google searches and all. People choose not to abstain. I'll give a more recent example: I meet 20-somethings at a meetup I go to each week. Most of them go to a pretty well-known university (thus, they are well educated), they ask me if they can connect with me via Facebook. I say I don't use Facebook, and then spend an extra 20 minutes explaining all the reasons why often to their astonishment. In my mind I'm like, "Really? How do you not know all of this? You read tons of magazines/journals?" The sad reality is that billions of people don't care. Even with this whole scandal, I'd be shocked if Facebook's stock price was hurt in the long term.

lisp_me_away 9y ago

You don't talk to many casuals then. They are fully aware that all of their data is being recorded and used against them. They've been aware since the massive NSA scandal.

remir 9y ago
What about the like button on web sites and the FB pixel that is invisible to the user? Again, you seriously think Joe average is aware of that?