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While I agree with you in part, social media isn't a "boogie man". Their data brokering behavior is harmful. ISPs data brokering behavior is harmful. Both thing

• keepper 8y ago
  Define data brokering. Only Targeting isn’t brokering. Being naive and opening an app platform that allows users to give some information isn’t brokering. Selling bundles of PII without the users knowledge from quasi legal sources to companies and government agencies in digestible form is. There are actual data brokers in the advertising industry. Seedy companies who with a tracking pixel ( or just outright data dumps ) can give you actual PII data. Facebook ( and to and extend google, althought an insane amount of malware goes thru google ads,I’m sure you’ve gotten the “you’ve won redirects”), have been putting those companies out of business. Both Facebook and google have a ton of flaws. Facebook has been super naive on some areas. But Most of the reporting on their “data issues”, have not remotely offered a real view of the industry, or what actually happened.
  • mtgx 8y ago
    Facebook may have not "sold" the data but they were "sharing" it with other companies like Huawei, Acxiom, etc. I don't see how that's any better. They were giving it in exchange for other data or favor instead of monetary compensation.
    • rock_hard 8y ago
      Nope they were not! It was the other way around! You were able to use Acxiom/etc data to target people on Facebook
      • djohnston 8y ago
        it blows my mind that, even in a community as technically literate as HN, people are hurr-durr on "facebook selling my data!"
  • perfmode 8y ago
    Defending Facebook isnt worth it. For what gain? On principle? Cmon