4 ms·

It's creepy because of the business model. You don't pay them to use it, so they have to make money selling information about you. As long as Facebook is free,

by ryandvm 14y ago

It's creepy because of the business model. You don't pay them to use it, so they have to make money selling information about you. As long as Facebook is free, there's no way around this. The problem of course is that nobody is willing to pay for something like Facebook. It turns out that our privacy isn't worth squat.

hackinthebochs 14y ago
>so they have to make money selling information about you. What does this mean? Who have they sold information to? There is a big difference between selling ones information and using said information to better target ads. I was under the impression they do the latter, which seems perfectly legitimate to me.
- joering2 14y ago
  by "sold information" he did not necessarily mean they offer it to anyone to buy on a free market: hey Joe, pay us $10 for 1,000 real-life users and their full info, likes, geos, photos, etc etc. But they took money (sold themselves?) to shady individuals like DST, where Milner worked with individuals such as the now jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. I would assume, if you put $200MM into company like Facebook, you have an admin-root access to their databases. With so much cheddar you willing to pump into it, I cannot imagine it to be otherwise. Who knows what they really did with all users information. edit: to make it more clear, I give you an example. Long time ago I have registered for Facebook with my developer email. I am limited with places I've given this email to. But now and then I see emails popping up in my spam mailbox that are extremely closely related to the output I've been given to FB wall, likes etc. Now, I have no proof whatsoever, but I dont see a "problem" why they wouldnt put $200MM into company and have access to all the email addresses organized by what people like, want and then just sell it to spammers (or actually, having your own spam cannon in the net).
- ryandvm 14y ago
  I don't believe I'm stretching things to call it "selling information about you". Facebook takes money from advertisers and delivers you to them via highly targeted advertising. That is, by purchasing something through a Facebook ad, that seller now knows that you're an 81 year old female in Sarasota Springs in a "complicated" relationship that likes mountain biking. I'm not saying that this transaction is unethical, I just think it's creepy.

by ryandvm 14y ago

hackinthebochs 14y ago

>so they have to make money selling information about you. What does this mean? Who have they sold information to? There is a big difference between selling ones information and using said information to better target ads. I was under the impression they do the latter, which seems perfectly legitimate to me.

joering2 14y ago
by "sold information" he did not necessarily mean they offer it to anyone to buy on a free market: hey Joe, pay us $10 for 1,000 real-life users and their full info, likes, geos, photos, etc etc. But they took money (sold themselves?) to shady individuals like DST, where Milner worked with individuals such as the now jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. I would assume, if you put $200MM into company like Facebook, you have an admin-root access to their databases. With so much cheddar you willing to pump into it, I cannot imagine it to be otherwise. Who knows what they really did with all users information. edit: to make it more clear, I give you an example. Long time ago I have registered for Facebook with my developer email. I am limited with places I've given this email to. But now and then I see emails popping up in my spam mailbox that are extremely closely related to the output I've been given to FB wall, likes etc. Now, I have no proof whatsoever, but I dont see a "problem" why they wouldnt put $200MM into company and have access to all the email addresses organized by what people like, want and then just sell it to spammers (or actually, having your own spam cannon in the net).
ryandvm 14y ago
I don't believe I'm stretching things to call it "selling information about you". Facebook takes money from advertisers and delivers you to them via highly targeted advertising. That is, by purchasing something through a Facebook ad, that seller now knows that you're an 81 year old female in Sarasota Springs in a "complicated" relationship that likes mountain biking. I'm not saying that this transaction is unethical, I just think it's creepy.