this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
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Privacy Guides

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In the digital age, protecting your personal information might seem like an impossible task. We’re here to help.

This is a community for sharing news about privacy, posting information about cool privacy tools and services, and getting advice about your privacy journey.


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[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

wow so surprised, much shocked

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Zuckerberg Did Nothing Wrong

I'm concerned that the narrative that what Facebook was trying to achieve here was wrong or bad is itself user-hostile, and pushes in favor of the non-fiduciary model of software.

Facebook paid people to let them have access to those people's communications with Snap, Inc., via Snapchat's app. This is so that Facebook could do their analytics magic and try and work out how often Snapchat users tend to do X, Y, or Z. Did they pay enough? Who knows. Would you take the deal? Maybe not. Was this a totally free choice without any influence from the creeping specter of capitalist immiseration? Of course not. But it's not some unusually nefarious plot when a person decides to let a company watch them do stuff! Privacy isn't about never being allowed to reveal what you are up to. Some people like to fill out those little surveys they get in the mail.

Now, framing this as Facebook snooping on Snapchat's data concedes that a person's communications from their Snapchat app to Snapchat HQ are Snapchat's data. Not that person's data, to do with as they please. If the user interferes with the normal operation of one app at the suggestion of someone who runs a different app, this framing would see that as two apps having a fight, with user agency nowhere to be found. I think it is important to see this as a user making a choice about what their system is going to do. Snapchat on your phone is entirely your domain; none of it belongs to Snap, Inc. If you want to convince it to send all your Snapchat messages to the TV in Zuckerberg's seventh bathroom in exchange for his toenail clippings, that's your $DEITY-given right.

User agency is under threat already, and we should not write it away just to try and make Facebook look bad.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Even if they paid them there are a lot of things being done here that could be illegal, hence why they immediately shut down the VPN after someone found out what they are doing.

Not to mention how highly unethical this all is. If you read the articles, there were multiple people FROM Facebook that questioned the approach.

There are obviously ways that this kind of research could be done ethically or legally, and your right that people should be empowered over their data. That does not mean a large company abusing it's knowledge and power should be legal.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's weird they put shit like that clearly in internal emails, you'd think they'd wanna keep things off the books.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Why? It's not illegal, people don't care, they've decimated privacy to the point no one cares, so they're doing nothing wrong as Lon as they can justify all his horrendous shit to themselves.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Why the hell do they even let them operate anymore? Spying on people. That's one of the most illegal things you can fucking do to a person, save bodily harm. Even law enforcement needs a damn permit for it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

It's not spying when you directly give them access to monitor your communications. Says section 632 subsection VIIXVVIIX Subsubsection D in the 69 fine print 42. Isn't everyone a lawyer with hundreds of hours to spend reading Eula's?

Also fuck this noise. It's made legal because people click agree to 10000000 pages of contract.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago

They have money. Period. End of discussion. Money equals do what you want. Having “fuck you” money equals do what you want to whoever you want without consequence.

This is the world we live in and it’s not going to change while half of an entire country’s voting body is willing to elect an insurrectionist that’s guilty of rape among ninety some-odd other things.

Best to just accept this and look inward to you and your own and do your best to keep those things happy and healthy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

How many times is Facebook going to be caught doing this kind of shit before some real action is taken? They clearly can’t be trusted. Let’s add them to the same TikTok ban at this point.

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