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It’s probably because extension was recording usage of Facebook. They are cracking down on any type of user data collection even with user consent. Which is iro

by e9 5y ago

It’s probably because extension was recording usage of Facebook. They are cracking down on any type of user data collection even with user consent. Which is ironic but in some way makes sense to avoid another Cambridge Analytica. Edit: to clarify confusion, author of the extension worked with university to collect user data to use for study: https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every...

ARandomerDude 5y ago
Facebook is an ad platform. The guy wrote a plugin that removes their ability to display ads. Now he's banned. It's pretty straightforward.
akersten 5y ago
With the disclaimer that I haven't looked too closely into it - that does make things sound a little sketchier from a user privacy perspective. I probably wouldn't use the extension myself. I'm still curious how Facebook has standing just because data is being recorded about the user's browsing which happens to include (maybe exclusively) their website. Most browser extensions are capable of exfiltrating page content - are they all in target for FB to say "nah, we don't like that" on behalf of someone who goes to facebook.com with the extension installed? I would think (hope) not.
lowkey_ 5y ago
I imagine it's more so, at least according to the article as well, that this extension is automating user interactions. As an example of automated user interactions: It's clearly not allowed to use an extension that will automatically follow on Instagram in order to increase your follower count. Sadly, although this extension should morally be categorized differently, it falls into the same category per their rules — automatically following is treated the same as automatically unfollowing. (In fact, a common feature of automatic follower bots is to automatically unfollow afterwards).
burkaman 5y ago
No, the letter is here: https://louisbarclay.notion.site/Unfollow-Everything-cease-and-desist-letter-from-Facebook-ea219169421b457bb7ce010b7bf9ce1f https://louisbarclay.notion.site/Unfollow-Everything-cease-a.... It's because the extension "automates actions on Facebook". Why do you say it was recording usage?
- e9 5y ago
  The author of the extension admits he worked with university to collect user data for some study: https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every...
  - dredmorbius 5y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28806696 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28806696
dredmorbius 5y ago
Given the numerous other claims and demands made in P&C's C&D, why not specifically include such a claim, if merited. It would certainly read far more charitably toward FB on HN, in US Senate and House hearings, and at the FTC, FCC, and DoJ. But that's just me.
dredmorbius 5y ago
Since you linked to the Slate article, let's quote it directly: A few months after I published Unfollow Everything, academics at the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland, expressed interest in using it to study the News Feed’s impact on the amount of time spent on Facebook and the happiness of the platform’s users. We began working together. The university recruited people to join two study groups: one where participants deleted their News Feeds using Unfollow Everything and a control group where participants left their feeds intact. Participants agreed to share limited and anonymous information—specifically, the amount of time they spent on Facebook, the number of times they visited the site, and the number of friends, groups, and pages they were following and not following, both in total and broken down by category. (For regular Unfollow Everything users, the only Facebook-related data shared was the ratio of followed profiles to total profiles, a metric that helped me ensure the tool was working.) Again: For regular Unfollow Everything users, the only Facebook-related data shared was the ratio of followed profiles to total profiles, a metric that helped me ensure the tool was working. https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every... The "data sharing" claim, which you've repeated several times in this thread, is as bogus as any other FB have proposed.

by e9 5y ago

ARandomerDude 5y ago

Facebook is an ad platform. The guy wrote a plugin that removes their ability to display ads. Now he's banned. It's pretty straightforward.

akersten 5y ago

With the disclaimer that I haven't looked too closely into it - that does make things sound a little sketchier from a user privacy perspective. I probably wouldn't use the extension myself. I'm still curious how Facebook has standing just because data is being recorded about the user's browsing which happens to include (maybe exclusively) their website. Most browser extensions are capable of exfiltrating page content - are they all in target for FB to say "nah, we don't like that" on behalf of someone who goes to facebook.com with the extension installed? I would think (hope) not.

lowkey_ 5y ago

I imagine it's more so, at least according to the article as well, that this extension is automating user interactions. As an example of automated user interactions: It's clearly not allowed to use an extension that will automatically follow on Instagram in order to increase your follower count. Sadly, although this extension should morally be categorized differently, it falls into the same category per their rules — automatically following is treated the same as automatically unfollowing. (In fact, a common feature of automatic follower bots is to automatically unfollow afterwards).

burkaman 5y ago

No, the letter is here: https://louisbarclay.notion.site/Unfollow-Everything-cease-and-desist-letter-from-Facebook-ea219169421b457bb7ce010b7bf9ce1f https://louisbarclay.notion.site/Unfollow-Everything-cease-a.... It's because the extension "automates actions on Facebook". Why do you say it was recording usage?

e9 5y ago
The author of the extension admits he worked with university to collect user data for some study: https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every...
- dredmorbius 5y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28806696 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28806696

dredmorbius 5y ago

Given the numerous other claims and demands made in P&C's C&D, why not specifically include such a claim, if merited. It would certainly read far more charitably toward FB on HN, in US Senate and House hearings, and at the FTC, FCC, and DoJ. But that's just me.

dredmorbius 5y ago

Since you linked to the Slate article, let's quote it directly: A few months after I published Unfollow Everything, academics at the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland, expressed interest in using it to study the News Feed’s impact on the amount of time spent on Facebook and the happiness of the platform’s users. We began working together. The university recruited people to join two study groups: one where participants deleted their News Feeds using Unfollow Everything and a control group where participants left their feeds intact. Participants agreed to share limited and anonymous information—specifically, the amount of time they spent on Facebook, the number of times they visited the site, and the number of friends, groups, and pages they were following and not following, both in total and broken down by category. (For regular Unfollow Everything users, the only Facebook-related data shared was the ratio of followed profiles to total profiles, a metric that helped me ensure the tool was working.) Again: For regular Unfollow Everything users, the only Facebook-related data shared was the ratio of followed profiles to total profiles, a metric that helped me ensure the tool was working. https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every... The "data sharing" claim, which you've repeated several times in this thread, is as bogus as any other FB have proposed.