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Facebook Said It Would Give Detailed Data to Academics. They’re Still Waiting

30 points by LogicRiver 7y ago

scoobyyabbadoo 7y ago
>As frustrations mount, researchers and the major foundations that fund their work fear that the ambitious project may not survive, multiple people told BuzzFeed News. A source with knowledge of discussions between the key parties involved in the project said the funders — which include the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, Omidyar Network, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation — are now discussing ways to increase the pressure on the social media giant. >“[Facebook has] definitely thrown major talent at the issue; but ultimately, the proof is in whether we ever get to eat the pudding,” David Lazer, a distinguished professor of political science and computer and information science at Northeastern University, and one of the researchers due to receive Facebook data, told BuzzFeed News. Why do these researchers feel entitled to my personal data? Is Facebook willing to hand me data on the propaganda networks the media uses to manufacture consent?
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  > Why do these researchers feel entitled to my personal data? Do you feel facebook is entitled to your personal data? (I assume your complaint implies you use facebook)
  - fastball 7y ago
    Of course they are. I gave it to them.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
mlb_hn 7y ago
SS1 researcher responded on Twitter, https://twitter.com/SolomonMg/status/1164927631957143554 https://twitter.com/SolomonMg/status/1164927631957143554. TLDR: they've been working on building a framework to preserve privacy and then to train researchers on how to access the database. That isn't a simple process.
wfbarks 7y ago
I feel like journalists just put facebook between a rock and hard place. "Facebook is sharing data with company X, arrrggh" "Facebook isn't sharing data with Academics, arrrrgh"
- new2628 7y ago
  That's still a much better place than the one where it really belongs to.
- scoobyyabbadoo 7y ago
  What this article calls "Academics" it's really just lefty intelligence orgs, so of course journalists will advocate for them. Cambridge Analytica's major crime was helping a Republican that one time
kylecazar 7y ago
Honestly, I'm not entirely convinced they were right to promise access to this data to begin with.

30 points by LogicRiver 7y ago

>As frustrations mount, researchers and the major foundations that fund their work fear that the ambitious project may not survive, multiple people told BuzzFeed News. A source with knowledge of discussions between the key parties involved in the project said the funders — which include the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, Omidyar Network, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation — are now discussing ways to increase the pressure on the social media giant. >“[Facebook has] definitely thrown major talent at the issue; but ultimately, the proof is in whether we ever get to eat the pudding,” David Lazer, a distinguished professor of political science and computer and information science at Northeastern University, and one of the researchers due to receive Facebook data, told BuzzFeed News. Why do these researchers feel entitled to my personal data? Is Facebook willing to hand me data on the propaganda networks the media uses to manufacture consent?

tempguy9999 7y ago
> Why do these researchers feel entitled to my personal data? Do you feel facebook is entitled to your personal data? (I assume your complaint implies you use facebook)
- fastball 7y ago
  Of course they are. I gave it to them.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

mlb_hn 7y ago

SS1 researcher responded on Twitter, https://twitter.com/SolomonMg/status/1164927631957143554 https://twitter.com/SolomonMg/status/1164927631957143554. TLDR: they've been working on building a framework to preserve privacy and then to train researchers on how to access the database. That isn't a simple process.

wfbarks 7y ago

I feel like journalists just put facebook between a rock and hard place. "Facebook is sharing data with company X, arrrggh" "Facebook isn't sharing data with Academics, arrrrgh"

new2628 7y ago
That's still a much better place than the one where it really belongs to.
scoobyyabbadoo 7y ago
What this article calls "Academics" it's really just lefty intelligence orgs, so of course journalists will advocate for them. Cambridge Analytica's major crime was helping a Republican that one time

kylecazar 7y ago

Honestly, I'm not entirely convinced they were right to promise access to this data to begin with.