Leaving FB.

[bcm119]

Correct. And more.

This is not a conspiracy theory. It's part of the privacy problem FB faces...

They have tentacles across the internet, and their platform tracks eyeballs well beyond their primary domain. Many other media properties use FB directly or indirectly to serve ads (and cookies), track traffic, etc.

And as mentioned above, unwitting friends graciously hand over their own activity - which includes interactions with you. FB knows your name, your phone number, your address, where you went to school, etc., etc., etc.

TH noted that you don't need to volunteer this information to FB, however someone else will certainly do it for you - intentionally or not.

FB has aggregated all of this data, and their mission is to monetize it.

Whenever you see an ad and the content seems prescient ("I swear I haven't searched for Campagnolo on this browser before" - ok unlikely example), it's because you're being effectively targeted by one or more of the major media platforms - FB or other.


The thing that really gets me: Given all the data the powers that be have aggregated about our clicks - they still utterly fail to serve relevant, good content MOST of the time.

Not only is the decor in the casino dated, but the payouts are low and the drinks are the expensive.

Why do any of us return at all?

How Facebook Figures Out Everyone You've Ever Met
https://gizmodo.com/how-facebook-fig...819822691?IR=T

Oldie but Goodie...




This is why I generally limit my social media participation to cycling related "platforms"...

So what is the benefit of not using social media to you? Less targeted ads in your browser?

[dgaddis]

That makes sense. They don't create a Facebook page for you, but they do likely know you exist and what some of your interests are. Although, can you tag people in a picture who aren't using FB?

Podcast - Reply All, episode 109, Is Facebook Spying On You, worth a listen.

I remember the first time I posted a picture and it suggest tags for people - using facial recognition (and my friend list) they knew who the people in the picture were.

And don't forget folks - your Facebook profile will be viewed by prospective employers. And your FB profile alone can be reason enough not to give you a call. So think twice about what political stuff you share, and those comic con pictures of you all dressed up, etc.

[bcm119]

That makes sense. They don't create a Facebook page for you, but they do likely know you exist and what some of your interests are. Although, can you tag people in a picture who aren't using FB?

No

And don't forget folks - your Facebook profile will be viewed by prospective employers. And your FB profile alone can be reason enough not to give you a call. So think twice about what political stuff you share, and those comic con pictures of you all dressed up, etc.

Not if you learn how to use the privacy settings. You can also prevent yourself from being tagged in something w/o your permission.

I think we’re past the point of worrying about our data getting “out there”, because it already is. It's already out there and being sold to advertisers, and the result is that you see ads for bike parts instead of golf clubs.

Don’t let the marketing data aspect of FB dillute the real problem. The danger is the misinformation FB spreads, and how that misinformation galvanizes various groups of people who believe various strains of misinformation. FB is like an encyclopedia of everything, but written by 12 year olds. People who use it responsibly aren’t the problem. The fact is, some people don’t have the education and/or reasoning skills to filter information on FB, and that’s a weakness that’s affecting us all.

When we’re all connected, the weak can undermine the strong. Russia has figured that out.

[Bud_E]

Here is a good article that tells how to control ( somewhat ) how much personal info FB has access to - for those of us who use it to follow kids, friends, relatives, and the occasional postings from musicians, bicycle-realted sites, etc. https://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/heres...Guide_facebook ( I also posted it to my FB page )

[colker]

No



Not if you learn how to use the privacy settings. You can also prevent yourself from being tagged in something w/o your permission.

I think we’re past the point of worrying about our data getting “out there”, because it already is. It's already out there and being sold to advertisers, and the result is that you see ads for bike parts instead of golf clubs.

Don’t let the marketing data aspect of FB dillute the real problem. The danger is the misinformation FB spreads, and how that misinformation galvanizes various groups of people who believe various strains of misinformation. FB is like an encyclopedia of everything, but written by 12 year olds. People who use it responsibly aren’t the problem. The fact is, some people don’t have the education and/or reasoning skills to filter information on FB, and that’s a weakness that’s affecting us all.

When we’re all connected, the weak can undermine the strong. Russia has figured that out.

Yes... what bothers me is how it´s "shaping the world" the wrong way, every day.

[ides1056]

And the minutes come off your life, not just your "plan"


- Garro.


this, totally

I walked outside last night at home, no internet, television, or cell, and the sky blazed down, amazing me.

[Tom]

You have no privacy. Years ago I attended a presentation by someone whose seed money came from the CIA because they came up with a slick way of figuring out from public data who was a real person and who wasn't. They claimed based on public info and maybe a little help from your cell provider they could predict your exact whera bouts with near certainty any time up to four days away.

[Tom]

It reminds me of 35 or so years ago I'm in this IBM tech class. One character big military guy worked for NORAD. This other guy said he worked for a three letter agency all coy. At some point when the topic was security the NORAD guy goes we can't let the Russians get the launch codes. The three letter guy smirks and says don't worry they already do.

[TTX1]

So what is the benefit of not using social media to you? Less targeted ads in your browser?

The point about ad targeting is: the advertiser selects the target.

FB has relatively low incentive to serve user interests; their focus is advertiser interests.

To answer your question, the benefits of limiting social media include:

More time with friends and family
More authentic / “full fare” interactions and experiences
Less diversion and distraction
Less accidental engagement; more purpose and intent
And of course, more time to ride...

[Daverino]

I’d like to say my decision to quit FB 6 yrs ago was due to my keen sense of being exploited for profit by a mega-corporation.
The real reason was that I was wasting waaay too much time on the toilet on FB, and it was contributing to my hemorrhoids.

[caleb]

On the topic of shadow profiles, it strikes me that there's something of a fuzzy line right now in tracking people without explicit consent between observation in public, and stalking. Both of these concepts predate the internet age, but seem applicable to it, and have been applied to electronic media in some courts.

We've always recognized that there's no right to privacy in public. A news photographer can take a picture of any of us on the sidewalk and publish it on the front page without our consent, and they can profit from it without sharing any royalties. I think we all get that and are okay with it.

But when we start to follow people around without their consent who commonly expect a certain form of privacy (regardless of the tech industry's push to convince everyone that privacy is dead), that starts to look like conventional forms of stalking, especially when such following posses the possibility of harm to the person being followed. If the govt needs a warrant to put a GPS tracker on the exterior of an automobile (US v. Jones), how different is it to aggregate and store a person's behavior patterns without consent when a leak of that data could harm them (identity theft, etcetera)? Is an electronic cookie or app different than a GPS tracker on a car? I don't see that there clearly is a difference.

[Bob Ross]

Sure they do it. Every time someone tags you in a picture

FB users can't tag you in a picture if you don't have a FB account..

[lumpy]

If the govt needs a warrant to put a GPS tracker on the exterior of an automobile (US v. Jones), how different is it to aggregate and store a person's behavior patterns without consent when a leak of that data could harm them (identity theft, etcetera)? Is an electronic cookie or app different than a GPS tracker on a car? I don't see that there clearly is a difference.

I think the biggest difference is between government action and private action. Private actors don't have constitutional limits.

[caleb]

I think the biggest difference is between government action and private action. Private actors don't have constitutional limits.

No, but there are certainly legal limits. It's going to depend on the state, but in general a private person can't track another one through electronic or manual means without their consent. The same would go for most businesses. Imagine if your auto mechanic installed a tracker on your car without your knowledge while it was in for maintenance? People would freak.

It seems that there's a presumption that internet technology companies somehow have different standards than other businesses. I guess we'll see how long they can continue to get people to go along with it.

[dgaddis]

No, but there are certainly legal limits. It's going to depend on the state, but in general a private person can't track another one through electronic or manual means without their consent.

Yes but if you're using a company's services you're agreeing to their terms of service, which likely includes using GPS data.

Every so often this thing will go around FB. People actually think it's true!

As of September 28th , 2015 at 10:50p.m. Eastern standard time, I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates.

If you use FB, anything you upload or post - it's theirs, forever. That's your cost of using the service.

[caleb]

Yes but if you're using a company's services you're agreeing to their terms of service, which likely includes using GPS data.

I was referring only to the concept of "shadow" profiles on people who have never had accounts, which someone referenced above.

Once someone enters into a user agreement, I agree that it's on them.

[bcm119]

.....
To answer your question, the benefits of limiting social media include:

More time with friends and family
More authentic / “full fare” interactions and experiences
Less diversion and distraction
Less accidental engagement; more purpose and intent
And of course, more time to ride...

Valid reasons. Mental health/quality of life are compelling reasons to disengage from social media.

The rest of the reasons are a bit like the "I got rid of my TV" fad a few years ago, or the "I'm not buying from REI" fad a few weeks ago.

[GrantM]

The thing that really gets me: Given all the data the powers that be have aggregated about our clicks - they still utterly fail to serve relevant, good content MOST of the time.

That's what i don't understand. Here's my example, I buy vinyl records, visit a few forums for vinyl, and shop on-line for vinyl.
Amazon sends me suggested CD's on a daily basis, despite the fact i've only bought vinyl from them in the last 10 years.

-g

[Matthew Strongin]

That's what i don't understand. Here's my example, I buy vinyl records, visit a few forums for vinyl, and shop on-line for vinyl.
Amazon sends me suggested CD's on a daily basis, despite the fact i've only bought vinyl from them in the last 10 years.

-g

It's all based on aggregation of data and identification of trends. Many more vinyl buyers also buy CDs than those who don't. So you get CD suggestions.

[dgaddis]

What honestly amazes me is how, apparently, effective the ads are. I have never, not even once, bought something because I saw an add for it online. NEVER. Maybe a handful of times a year I'll see something that makes me think "huh, what is that" and I click the link to find out more about it, but I've never actually bought it. Generally speaking I don't even see the ads.

Also, part of the problem is when I decide I want something, do some searching for it, I make up my mind and buy it. So by the time The Man starts showing me ads for related stuff, it's too late, I've already made my purchase.