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I'm not a huge facebook fan but this thing about only being able to disable but not delete the app is misleading about how sinister it is. All it means is that

I'm not a huge facebook fan but this thing about only being able to disable but not delete the app is misleading about how sinister it is. All it means is that the app comes installed by being part of the ROM image. It can be disabled which is essentially the same as deleting it, except you don't get the space back (which is fine since it's the rom, you can't use it without reflashing anyway). Once disabled, the Facebook app won't be able to track you or be loaded into memory. What this deal is really about is the Facebook app coming preinstalled on new Samsung phones. Bloatware: yes. But don't make too big a deal about the "undeletable" thing.

zhobbs 8y ago
Agree 100%. This is the same bloatware Android has seen since day one, nothing new here.
EpicEng 8y ago
Agreed, but from what I've been reading/hearing, the primary concern is "can FB track me even if the app is disabled?" These are non-technical people who don't trust FB. It's a valid question.
- pbalau 8y ago
  FB can't track you because the app cannot be deleted, they can track you because other apps, not even other FB apps, voluntary send FB info about you. But this doesn't match the narrative that FB is bad, so the Murdoch empire will be quiet about it.
  - EpicEng 8y ago
    I think you're missing the point. I'm not saying FB can track you via their disabled app. I'm saying many don't trust Samsung or FB when they say they cannot. The majority of people don't even come close to understanding how data gets bought and sold or how impactful it can be in the long term.
- habitue 8y ago
  I can understand nontechnical people becoming distressed by the fact that it can't be deleted. But Bloomberg (and Techcrunch) should not be making a big deal out of those fears. Both articles seem to be stoking the angle "ooh, you can't delete it! Sinister..."
- perfunctory 8y ago
  "These are non-technical people ..." Don't know. I have the same question. "can FB track me even if the app is disabled?" How the hell do we know it's impossible?
  - propogandist 8y ago
    it's not necessarily the facebook app (if you have it disabled), but most free and even paid apps are 'phoning' facebook and sending up data when you open the app (as part of the FB SDK). This is what became big news recently. I've noticed it for years and thought it was widely known. There are apps that will try to hit graph.facebook.com before they even connect to their own services. You can install a VPN based firewall to block this behavior.

zhobbs 8y ago

Agree 100%. This is the same bloatware Android has seen since day one, nothing new here.

EpicEng 8y ago

Agreed, but from what I've been reading/hearing, the primary concern is "can FB track me even if the app is disabled?" These are non-technical people who don't trust FB. It's a valid question.

pbalau 8y ago
FB can't track you because the app cannot be deleted, they can track you because other apps, not even other FB apps, voluntary send FB info about you. But this doesn't match the narrative that FB is bad, so the Murdoch empire will be quiet about it.
- EpicEng 8y ago
  I think you're missing the point. I'm not saying FB can track you via their disabled app. I'm saying many don't trust Samsung or FB when they say they cannot. The majority of people don't even come close to understanding how data gets bought and sold or how impactful it can be in the long term.
habitue 8y ago
I can understand nontechnical people becoming distressed by the fact that it can't be deleted. But Bloomberg (and Techcrunch) should not be making a big deal out of those fears. Both articles seem to be stoking the angle "ooh, you can't delete it! Sinister..."
perfunctory 8y ago
"These are non-technical people ..." Don't know. I have the same question. "can FB track me even if the app is disabled?" How the hell do we know it's impossible?
- propogandist 8y ago
  it's not necessarily the facebook app (if you have it disabled), but most free and even paid apps are 'phoning' facebook and sending up data when you open the app (as part of the FB SDK). This is what became big news recently. I've noticed it for years and thought it was widely known. There are apps that will try to hit graph.facebook.com before they even connect to their own services. You can install a VPN based firewall to block this behavior.