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This obsession with Facebook is getting really annoying. When I lived in the States 15 years ago Publix (and I guess other stores, or maybe my bank) already so
by nkkollaw 9y ago
This obsession with Facebook is getting really annoying.
When I lived in the States 15 years ago Publix (and I guess other stores, or maybe my bank) already sold a list of everything I bought with my debit card to advertising agencies, along with my full name and home address. I would get ads to my house, tailored to what I had bought a few days before, I'd say at least once a week.
There are also hundreds of other companies that sell data besides Facebook.
No one is talking about the companies that _buy_ the data, either. Can't the case be made that that's unethical too, and if they didn't happily buy the data Facebook would have to find another way to make money?
My point us that it's all good to spread the word about questionable practices employed by companies that people use, but do we have to exclusively focus on Facebook forever, like it's the source of all evil and everyone else is a saint, or can we talk about someone else for a change..? Even in this article other companies are mentioned barely to prove the author's point against Facebook.
- kstrauser 9y agoIf a million people are upset with the practices of a million companies, each company loses a customer and nothing changes. If the million people concentrate on a single company, that company notices. And when the next company tries the same shenanigans, they can be reminded about what happened to the first once. That's a bigger when for society than spreading out the protests.
- nkkollaw 9y agoIf we're talking about efficience, I would argue that concentrating on letting governments know would be even better. Facebook knows that regular users have no idea about privacy and it would take years to lose a big enough portion of users to even matter.
- echelon 9y agoPublix probably can't infer from your shopping list what your sexual fetishes are, or who you've slept with. Facebook, on the other hand, knows you're a furry and have an on-again off-again thing with your boss.
- nkkollaw 9y agoWell if Publix knows that depends on whether you use cash or card at sexy shops ;-) As for the rest, that just depends on how much you share, and I would argue that other companies (like Google) might know even more than Facebook does. I've also created Facebook campaigns for clients and there was no way to target cheating husbands, just very broad interests.
- submeta 9y agoThe problem is not only privacy and that they sell user data. There is much more that is an issue. Look at what early founders criticize (the founder of Napster is among them). This platform manipulates it's users into spending as much time on the platform as possible by utilizing gamification mechanisms, and by putting news and messages into their feeds that they highly propably will engage with, but not the ones that will give them new perspectives, like a good newspaper would do. And it is dangerous for democracies. Because of all the things we learned about in the last months. Echo chambers and that sort of things.
- sofaofthedamned 9y agoAgreed. I deleted my FB account 6 years ago. 2 years ago I went for an eye test at a local opticians. Yesterday I received a letter from them saying my test was due, even though i've moved since. For clarity - i'm in the UK and have removed myself from the edited electoral register. So who matched my data and gave my new address to the optician?
- Lionsion 9y agoDid you setup mail forwarding to your new address? I don't know about the UK, but in the US that puts your new address in a database that can be queried by anyone who has your old one.
- sofaofthedamned 9y agoGood point, but no I didn't. As soon as GDPR is in I fully intend to query them as to the source!