Facebook Testimony/Scandal

[Anonymous]

I'm watching the FB testimony today and thinking about my experience on the platform the last few years and feel like I have kind of an unpopular opinion about it.

I am someone who is very cautious, I always read what apps are requesting access to, I refuse to use apps that want access I don't want to give. I turn off location services, I regularly stay on top of my privacy settings. And my data hasn't been compromised.

Is this just a case of a lot of us being kind of embarrassed that we took our privacy on Facebook for granted? Whenever something is free, you and your data are the price you are paying to use it. I just find it hard to blame Zuckerberg for our collective casual behavior about our privacy.

The fake russian accounts, sure, they should crack down on this, but no one really knew how prolific this problem was until recently.

I dunno, could someone explain to me how this is Facebook's fault and not users' faults?

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, but I still think that FB should have made it very clear from the very beginning that your data could/would be used by 3rd parties.

By charging you for your privacy - something that has been discussed as an option - is no different than how the mafia operates. Pay us for our silence.

I would rather just close my FB account.

[Anonymous]

My Facebook account has been closed and deleted.

I have communicated more with my FB friends over the past week than I have in the past 5 years. We are texting, emailing, and chatting on the phone. Not everyone, of course. But more than you'd expect.

I feel more human again.

[Anonymous]

I 100% agree with you. People like to complain that we coddle children too much nowadays, but then they want to whine and complain because they didn't ask questions/read terms and conditions/etc. Where's the line here? Do we need to have something in big red letters that says "you don't have to pay to use this site, but we might sell your info"? I think that should be assumed.

It's the same story as the infamous "I'm going to sue McDonalds because my coffee was too hot" and now they have to put caution on the cups. How do we determine that the "Caution" is big enough? Where does this end?

I'm also pretty disappointed that with all of the problems and issues we could be working on in Congress, this is where the time is being spent.

[Anonymous]

I fundamentally agree with what you are saying, BUT the nature of how our "information" is being used is changing and it isn't really forseeable where this all headed.

Personally, if my data is being used to try to sell me stuff through targeted ads, I think that's a fair trade for the convenience of a free social media platform, and I'm OK with that.

It's possible/likely that at least some of the information that I've shared is being/will be used from more sinister things, and I've got a problem with that.

[Anonymous]

What about Instagram. how are you all handling your Instagram accounts, seeing how FB owns Insta and many people have their FB and Insta accounts connected so that their updates appear on both platforms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I fundamentally agree with what you are saying, BUT the nature of how our "information" is being used is changing and it isn't really forseeable where this all headed.

Personally, if my data is being used to try to sell me stuff through targeted ads, I think that's a fair trade for the convenience of a free social media platform, and I'm OK with that.

It's possible/likely that at least some of the information that I've shared is being/will be used from more sinister things, and I've got a problem with that.

So why didn't someone from Equifax get interrogated by Congress when they had a big data breach? I'd be more worried about by SSN being out there than my FB info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Instagram. how are you all handling your Instagram accounts, seeing how FB owns Insta and many people have their FB and Insta accounts connected so that their updates appear on both platforms.

This is OP. My Instagram account is private and I choose which pictures I then share to facebook.

[Anonymous]

I can’t believe people didn’t assume that FB was selling their data to the highest bidder. Did they actually think zuckerberg was like their actual friend or some general philanthropist that just wanted to help people connect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Instagram. how are you all handling your Instagram accounts, seeing how FB owns Insta and many people have their FB and Insta accounts connected so that their updates appear on both platforms.

This is OP. My Instagram account is private and I choose which pictures I then share to facebook.

well my FB account is also private but that didn't stop Cambridge Analytica etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Instagram. how are you all handling your Instagram accounts, seeing how FB owns Insta and many people have their FB and Insta accounts connected so that their updates appear on both platforms.

This is OP. My Instagram account is private and I choose which pictures I then share to facebook.

well my FB account is also private but that didn't stop Cambridge Analytica etc.

I don't post anything i would be embarrassed by if made public on social media, because the reality is that privacy on social media is an illusion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe people didn’t assume that FB was selling their data to the highest bidder. Did they actually think zuckerberg was like their actual friend or some general philanthropist that just wanted to help people connect?

I know. People are so stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe people didn’t assume that FB was selling their data to the highest bidder. Did they actually think zuckerberg was like their actual friend or some general philanthropist that just wanted to help people connect?

I know. People are so stupid.

It's a bit more complicated than that. FB was started as an internet business embracing a totally new way of communicating with each other through modern technology. Zuckerberg didn't start out as a philanthropist, he became one after he made his fortune. Have there been some technical pitfalls? Of course there has. Take a look at Bitcoin. He testified before congress basically saying that he knew he screwed up, why he screwed up and eventually took responsibility for his company's actions. A very far cry from the current WH modus operandi.

[Anonymous]

I agree, OP. There were recent news stories about how to download all the data FB has on you and people were dismayed and outraged that FB had records of their texts and phone calls. So I downloaded my file with some trepidation, only to find absolutely nothing surprising. Duh -- I had never allowed them access to my texts and calls!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe people didn’t assume that FB was selling their data to the highest bidder. Did they actually think zuckerberg was like their actual friend or some general philanthropist that just wanted to help people connect?

I know. People are so stupid.

It's a bit more complicated than that. FB was started as an internet business embracing a totally new way of communicating with each other through modern technology. Zuckerberg didn't start out as a philanthropist, he became one after he made his fortune. Have there been some technical pitfalls? Of course there has. Take a look at Bitcoin. He testified before congress basically saying that he knew he screwed up, why he screwed up and eventually took responsibility for his company's actions. A very far cry from the current WH modus operandi.

It's really not more complicated. Zuckerberg knew exactly what he was doing. He was in it to get rich. All his babble about we wanted to connect people is pure face saving b.s..

And yes, people are stupid when they don't consider how targeted ads know how to target you. Nothing is free people. You were for sale.