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Privacy proponents should cheer for this. Legally Meta must take down the app to comply with FTC's order (obligatory not a lawyer): https://www.ftc.gov/business

by ipsum2 4y ago

Privacy proponents should cheer for this. Legally Meta must take down the app to comply with FTC's order (obligatory not a lawyer): https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/07/ftcs-5-billion-facebook-settlement-record-breaking-and-history-making https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/07/ftcs-5-bi... > Another way the FTC says Facebook violated the order was by failing to adequately assess and address privacy risks posed by third-party developers. Other than getting developers to click an “I agree” terms-and-conditions box when registering an app with the Facebook Platform, Facebook didn’t screen developers or their apps before giving them access to massive amounts of data that users had designated as private. Of course, in the wrong hands, information like that can grease the wheels for identity thieves and fraudsters. > The order imposes additional requirements to address Facebook’s illegal conduct. For example, Facebook must implement a stringent program to monitor third-party developers and terminate access to any developer that doesn’t follow the rules. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/07/ftcs-5-billion-facebook-settlement-record-breaking-and-history-making https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/07/ftcs-5-bi...

Dylan16807 4y ago
Are you accusing these developers of violating privacy? If not, you're twisting things to the point of deception. Facebook is supposed to crack down, yes, but it's a specific thing they're supposed to crack down on, not ad-removal.
- ipsum2 4y ago
  > Are you accusing these developers of violating privacy? Yes, the app is downloading private user messages (ostensibly to show a modified messaging interface) and private photos, according to their feature list. This isn't a simple DNS-level ad-block, its acting as a proxy where the app developers can intercept and see all data. Their website doesn't even have a privacy policy, just a dummy link: https://www.theogapp.com/ https://www.theogapp.com/
  - chucklenorris 4y ago
    Proxying.. i don't think it means what you think it means. By that logic they should ban all of google's employees because chrome "proxies" information from facebook's servers (i.e. chrome shuffles private data from facebook's servers to user's eyeballs)
  - denkmoon 4y ago
    Incredible re the missing privacy policy. Definitely not a group of people that should be responsible for anyone's private data.
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    An app downloading on behalf of the user isn't a privacy issue. Are their servers acting as a proxy? Whether that's a privacy issue depends on how they configure/limit/audit their servers.
    - xvector 4y ago
      That is a naive view. If/when the app devs go malicious, it will be Meta on the legal hook for users' "stolen data." The press and users will blame Meta, not the developers of this app, or the users that unwittingly handed over their data. The headlines will say "X million Facebook users' data leaked," or "X million Facebook users hacked." Meta is acting in an entirely reasonable manner for a company under such regulatory and press scrutiny.
      - Thorrez 4y ago
        Blocking the app from accessing Instagram is one thing. Permanently banning the Facebook accounts of all the employees is another.
      - josephcsible 4y ago
        Does Microsoft get blamed every time credentials get stolen from a Windows box? Why would this be any different?
- fsociety 4y ago
  Let us go read their own twitter for fun. https://twitter.com/theogapp_/status/1574811386613334017 https://twitter.com/theogapp_/status/1574811386613334017 The app logs you in from a different location, requires an intermediate login if you use 2FA (they promise they log out immediately after), is sold for free by a venture backed startup, long-term vision is to export your data to other social media, and says logins always show up as Android (even on iOS). Maybe they aren’t doing anything malicious, but wow I would not trust it.
abigail95 4y ago
Are Firefox/Chrome third-party developers too? What's the difference between me creating my own web browser that renders instagram according to my own rules vs Chrome?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

by ipsum2 4y ago

Dylan16807 4y ago

Are you accusing these developers of violating privacy? If not, you're twisting things to the point of deception. Facebook is supposed to crack down, yes, but it's a specific thing they're supposed to crack down on, not ad-removal.

ipsum2 4y ago
> Are you accusing these developers of violating privacy? Yes, the app is downloading private user messages (ostensibly to show a modified messaging interface) and private photos, according to their feature list. This isn't a simple DNS-level ad-block, its acting as a proxy where the app developers can intercept and see all data. Their website doesn't even have a privacy policy, just a dummy link: https://www.theogapp.com/ https://www.theogapp.com/
- chucklenorris 4y ago
  Proxying.. i don't think it means what you think it means. By that logic they should ban all of google's employees because chrome "proxies" information from facebook's servers (i.e. chrome shuffles private data from facebook's servers to user's eyeballs)
- denkmoon 4y ago
  Incredible re the missing privacy policy. Definitely not a group of people that should be responsible for anyone's private data.
- Dylan16807 4y ago
  An app downloading on behalf of the user isn't a privacy issue. Are their servers acting as a proxy? Whether that's a privacy issue depends on how they configure/limit/audit their servers.
  - xvector 4y ago
    That is a naive view. If/when the app devs go malicious, it will be Meta on the legal hook for users' "stolen data." The press and users will blame Meta, not the developers of this app, or the users that unwittingly handed over their data. The headlines will say "X million Facebook users' data leaked," or "X million Facebook users hacked." Meta is acting in an entirely reasonable manner for a company under such regulatory and press scrutiny.
    - Thorrez 4y ago
      Blocking the app from accessing Instagram is one thing. Permanently banning the Facebook accounts of all the employees is another.
    - josephcsible 4y ago
      Does Microsoft get blamed every time credentials get stolen from a Windows box? Why would this be any different?
fsociety 4y ago
Let us go read their own twitter for fun. https://twitter.com/theogapp_/status/1574811386613334017 https://twitter.com/theogapp_/status/1574811386613334017 The app logs you in from a different location, requires an intermediate login if you use 2FA (they promise they log out immediately after), is sold for free by a venture backed startup, long-term vision is to export your data to other social media, and says logins always show up as Android (even on iOS). Maybe they aren’t doing anything malicious, but wow I would not trust it.

abigail95 4y ago

Are Firefox/Chrome third-party developers too? What's the difference between me creating my own web browser that renders instagram according to my own rules vs Chrome?

deleted 4y ago
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