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The point is not the content but the connection graph as you mentioned > Deriving the connection graph is not an issue exclusive to federated systems. No it i
by fhennig 7y ago
The point is not the content but the connection graph as you mentioned
> Deriving the connection graph is not an issue exclusive to federated systems.
No it is not, but with a single large entity there is only a single entity that you have to trust. If facebook doesn't look at or leak the metadata then you're save.
In a federated system there are so many people operating the system that it is much more likely that parts of your communication metadata gets exposed.
- rglullis 7y ago> If facebook doesn't look at or leak the metadata then you're save. Two words for you: Cambridge Analytica. The connection graph is something that is always going to be exploited at the big companies. It is not a matter of if or when, just how.
- fhennig 7y agoI was playing devils advocate here. Facebook has shown that they are not very trustworthy. But in theory it is easier to contain the data if it is only held in a single central location vs. distributed over many federated servers.
- rglullis 7y ago"Easier to contain" in this case does not mean "more likely to be safe". There is no incentive whatsoever for any large centralized body to not exploit the data. In any case, centralization is fragile. Even if there were some altruistic entity willing to run these services and not exploit it, it would still be a systemic risk.