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If you read the TechCrunch article you wouldn't have to guess where it was shown. There is a screenshot of the prompt that shows that the prompt and explanation

If you read the TechCrunch article you wouldn't have to guess where it was shown. There is a screenshot of the prompt that shows that the prompt and explanation "Continuously upload info about your contacts like phone numbers and nicknames, and your call and text history." Your solution of hiding this information in a minimal terms of service is strictly worse. My take away is that you can tell users exactly what you're doing and they'll still be outraged. So don't do creepy stuff.

mehrdadn 9y ago
I got my contacts uploaded at some point despite always making sure to reject their prompt. I'm sure people will claim it was just a "bug" or I must have just mistapped (which I have no reason to believe was the case, but how would I prove this), but either way, it's oddly convenient how it works out for them.
- underwater 9y ago
  That is worrying. The iOS security model would have served you better; Facebook could never accidentally forget you’d said no.
  - mehrdadn 9y ago
    > That is worrying. Indeed. :\ > The iOS security model would have served you better; Facebook could never accidentally forget you’d said no. Interesting, so you mean this is the case even if I uninstall and reinstall the app? What if I wipe the OS and reinstall (as "cleanly" as is possible)?
    - josephg 9y ago
      In the iOS security model there's no fixed grab-bag of permissions you accept when an app is installed. Instead the app must explicitly ask for access to each credential on an as-needed basis while the app is running. The request must happen when you request to use that particular feature. And the app is expected to continue working if you say no; just with the corresponding features disabled. So for example, on iOS whatsapp only requests camera access when you try to take a photo in the app. If you say no, facebook can't access the data. Facebook can't conveniently forget that you said no and access the data anyway - if you say no at the system prompt, the OS won't give the app access to that data in the first place. The system isn't perfect - it turns out my mum wasn't getting chat notifications on her iphone because she doesn't know what notifications are and she's been saying no to the prompts. But I find it somewhat refreshing to see beginner users erring on the side of saying no, rather than always saying yes to every random prompt the computer spits out. Fail-private is better than fail-public.
      - mehrdadn 9y ago
        I don't think Facebook ever "forgot" what I said, rather it was that I was reinstalling the app for whatever reason, so it really didn't have that information. That's why I asked what would happen if something similar happened on iOS. Also note that Android's new security model (version 6+?) is pretty similar to what you described, but yes, I do believe this incident occurred on an older version.
  - Symbiote 9y ago
    Facebook probably knows if the user is drunk. Ask for permission at 3am on Sunday. People will press Allow just to get done whatever they thought they were doing, and forget they ever pressed it.
justonepost 9y ago
I think this should be amended to "don't do creepy stuff" in the cloud. This is why encryption on our phones is so important. I want my phone knowing all sorts of "creepy" things about me (medical records, etc) so that it can be more useful. What I don't want is that information anywhere except under my immediate control. Storing encrypted in the cloud is OK as well, I suppose, as long as the encryption key is only available to me.
mverwijs 9y ago
Privacy is like eating your vegetables. Or doing those push ups eery morning. Given any excuse people will ignore common sense and the lizard brain takes over. Facebook knows this like no other. The outrage too comes from the lizard brain once it realizes the dangers of the situation it is now in.
yeahdef 9y ago
One man's creep is another man's crop.
simion314 9y ago
In the article is mentioned people that did not get that prompt and still have the contacts and calls uploaded, could this prompt been added later so people that used FB before it was added did not had the chance to opt out? I did not see in the screenshot an OS permission prompt, so if the app had the access locally a bug in the settings could have reset/flip the options and upload the data anyway, like how Windows forgets about your privacy settings on updates.

mehrdadn 9y ago

I got my contacts uploaded at some point despite always making sure to reject their prompt. I'm sure people will claim it was just a "bug" or I must have just mistapped (which I have no reason to believe was the case, but how would I prove this), but either way, it's oddly convenient how it works out for them.

underwater 9y ago
That is worrying. The iOS security model would have served you better; Facebook could never accidentally forget you’d said no.
- mehrdadn 9y ago
  > That is worrying. Indeed. :\ > The iOS security model would have served you better; Facebook could never accidentally forget you’d said no. Interesting, so you mean this is the case even if I uninstall and reinstall the app? What if I wipe the OS and reinstall (as "cleanly" as is possible)?
  - josephg 9y ago
    In the iOS security model there's no fixed grab-bag of permissions you accept when an app is installed. Instead the app must explicitly ask for access to each credential on an as-needed basis while the app is running. The request must happen when you request to use that particular feature. And the app is expected to continue working if you say no; just with the corresponding features disabled. So for example, on iOS whatsapp only requests camera access when you try to take a photo in the app. If you say no, facebook can't access the data. Facebook can't conveniently forget that you said no and access the data anyway - if you say no at the system prompt, the OS won't give the app access to that data in the first place. The system isn't perfect - it turns out my mum wasn't getting chat notifications on her iphone because she doesn't know what notifications are and she's been saying no to the prompts. But I find it somewhat refreshing to see beginner users erring on the side of saying no, rather than always saying yes to every random prompt the computer spits out. Fail-private is better than fail-public.
    - mehrdadn 9y ago
      I don't think Facebook ever "forgot" what I said, rather it was that I was reinstalling the app for whatever reason, so it really didn't have that information. That's why I asked what would happen if something similar happened on iOS. Also note that Android's new security model (version 6+?) is pretty similar to what you described, but yes, I do believe this incident occurred on an older version.
- Symbiote 9y ago
  Facebook probably knows if the user is drunk. Ask for permission at 3am on Sunday. People will press Allow just to get done whatever they thought they were doing, and forget they ever pressed it.

justonepost 9y ago

I think this should be amended to "don't do creepy stuff" in the cloud. This is why encryption on our phones is so important. I want my phone knowing all sorts of "creepy" things about me (medical records, etc) so that it can be more useful. What I don't want is that information anywhere except under my immediate control. Storing encrypted in the cloud is OK as well, I suppose, as long as the encryption key is only available to me.

mverwijs 9y ago

Privacy is like eating your vegetables. Or doing those push ups eery morning. Given any excuse people will ignore common sense and the lizard brain takes over. Facebook knows this like no other. The outrage too comes from the lizard brain once it realizes the dangers of the situation it is now in.

yeahdef 9y ago

One man's creep is another man's crop.

simion314 9y ago

In the article is mentioned people that did not get that prompt and still have the contacts and calls uploaded, could this prompt been added later so people that used FB before it was added did not had the chance to opt out? I did not see in the screenshot an OS permission prompt, so if the app had the access locally a bug in the settings could have reset/flip the options and upload the data anyway, like how Windows forgets about your privacy settings on updates.