Facebook's "Evil Interfaces"

An anonymous reader writes "Tim Jones over at the EFF's Deep Links Blog just posted an interesting article on the widespread use of deceptive interface techniques on the Web. He began by polling his Twitter and Facebook audience for an appropriate term for this condition and received responses like 'Bait-and-Click' and 'Zuckerpunched.' Ultimately, he chose 'Evil Interfaces' from Greg Conti's HOPE talk on malicious interface design and follow-up interview with media-savvy puppet Weena. Tim then goes on to dissect Facebook (with pictures). So, what evil interfaces have you encountered on (or off) the Web?"

Comments

Ok, honestly

[Darkness404]

Honestly, FB should just give us decent privacy controls because the majority of their users won't bother. So its a win-win. FB gets to use whatever they want and the small number of us who want better privacy controls are pleased.

Re:Ok, honestly

[Richard_at_work]

You could always ... not use Facebook. What they don't have, they can't use.

Re:Ok, honestly

[Anonymous Coward]

That doesn't stop 'friends' putting information about you on their profile or tagging photos with your name.

Re:Ok, honestly

[Darkness404]

Not really. The main privacy problems aren't what they do but rather that they do it without notifying users and thus not obtaining their consent.

Imagine if I signed a contract that stated I would pay $500 in rent every month. Seven months later I get a letter saying that I owed back rent despite paying my $500 every month. Would it really hold up in court that the landlords had a 'right' to change the contract without notifying their tenants? But that is exactly what Facebook is doing. It is nothing more than online bait-and-switch only worse because generally with bait and switch you know that a change is taking place before you fork over the cash.

Re:Ok, honestly

[Darkness404]

...You mean like how right by every single post in the news feed there is a button where you can hide posts from certain people, groups, etc?

Re:Ok, honestly

[FictionPimp]

I actually deleted my facebook profile last week. But that doesn't mean they are actually going to delete my information or prevent anyone from tagging/talking about me.

Re:Ok, honestly

[momerath2003]

Try the contact: delete account page. I did this a year ago and my account is as permanently gone as it can be. Although, I read that

Re:Ok, honestly

[Ron Bennett]

Did you unfriend everyone, delete all messages, pictures, etc?

If no, log back in (your account will likely reactivate automatically) and delete everything out of it, and then DELETE the account.

Note that "deactivation" (the acct will persist indefinitely; reactivate automatically) is different than "deletion"; prime example of an "evil interface".

If delete is truly want you seek, use the delete account link shown below.

http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account

After "Deleting", do not attempt to log in for at least 2 weeks to test it's gone (I'd suggest waiting even longer, such as a month), because otherwise FB may think you're changing your mind and reactivate the account even despite choosing to delete it.

Ron

Re:Ok, honestly

[dgatwood]

Ah, but privacy is also finite. Once lost, it can never be regained.

It's not at all like MP3s because facts can't be copyrighted. It's more like giving a friend information in confidence, only to find out he sold it to a tabloid.

Re:Ok, honestly

[Ron Bennett]

Yep, in one word, "Apps".

Furthermore, the privacy settings are not as straight forward as they seem. Case in point is Facebook's new instant personalization feature that will show one's interests to others, including the general public - see link for more details.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/195385/facebook_gets_a_little_too_personal.html

On a related note, the number of Facebook friends one has is a risk in of itself ... you may have your privacy settings locked down tight, but what about all your friends?

The more "friends", the more risk of one or more of them being "hacked" and your "private" information being leaked out as a result. Then there's the related issue of "friends of friends", which is in and of itself is seemingly innocuous, but can become a privacy threat when one of them uses the same app you and/or friend does. "Rogue" friends are another privacy hole - very easy for one or more to slip in, especially for members who already have large friend lists.

Ron

Re:Ok, honestly

[zuperduperman]

If you really think you understand your privacy settings on Facebook and you have not invested a significant amount of effort to do so then you've most definitely been "zuckerpunched". There are all kinds of odd things sequested away in dark corners of the settings and profile page.

My most recent was when a bunch of people I barely knew started congratulating me on my birthday. Even though I'd disabled all the ways I though that information was available. Turns out there was another setting somewhere under "Profile", I think, with a checkbox that said something like "reveal my birthday to everyone".

evil interfaces

[MRe_nl]

"So, what evil interfaces have you encountered on (or off) the Web"?

Outlook Express.

Re:evil interfaces

[GeckoAddict]

I see your Outlook Express and raise you a Lotus Notes.

slashdot's change password interface

[Anonymous Coward]

I tried to change my password and now I can't log in anymore.

As soon as you see the word "richer"

[sphealey]

As soon as you see the word "richer", as in "richer user experience", hold on to your wallet. The only thing rich about a "richer user experience" is how rich it is going to make the person forcing it on you.

sPh

Two Related Research Papers

[Anonymous Coward]

For those interested, there are two related research papers available by Conti and Sobiesk. The first Malicious Interface Design: Exploiting the User was just published this week at the 2010 WWW Conference. The other is from IEEE Security and Privacy Magazine, Malicious Interfaces and Personalization's Uninviting Future. (PDF)

Re:Less deceptive now

[jo_ham]

How about the deceptive photo uploader?

I went to upload some photos and it told me that the only way to do this way to use the new shiny facebook photo uploader app, and asked me to install it. I said no (no way, in fact) and cancelled out of it, only to be directed to a page that said "you will have to use the simple uploader but it's not as good". Wait, what? Didn't you just tell me that the new app was the only way to upload photos now (yes, yes it did)?

It's things like that - tricking people into installing facebook apps - that make me question their motives.

Offline Evil Interface - Gas Pumps

[rockwood]

Most gas stations have the gas grades from lowest to highest, left to right respectively. However some gas stations reverse the order from right to left, thus possibly hitting the more expensive high grade. Damn evil oil companies :)

The Pirate Bay

[fyoder]

thepiratebay.org has something of a classic. Search, find, click, go to the download page, but wait, don't click on the big green "Download" button, that's for a toolbar or something which no doubt they get paid a little something for every time someone clicks. What you want is the smaller "DOWNLOAD THIS TORRENT" link underneath the inviting big green "Download" button.

No big deal since I like TPB, and what does one expect of pirates? "Yarrr, suckered ye good Jimmy me lad, now give us rum."

I don't blame him but....

[thetoadwarrior]

Mark Zuckerberg is a cock. Like anyone he is just doing what he can to be rich but he is shitting all over a lot of people and unfortunately people seem to be fine with this because they don't realise the negative effects of FB until it hits them.

Mark is not going to give up access to your data, it is what makes him rich, so people need to realise it's not smart to talk about your vagina or how drunk you got in such a public area. Once they realise that's dumb then maybe they'll tell Mark to quit shilling their data and that little twat will have to find another way to get rich.

The game section, the occasional comment box

[SmallFurryCreature]

Oh hell, all of slashdot is pretty much evil. It whispers to me: "Visit me, don't work, don't eat, kill your loved ones and strangers. Mod ME!" And I obey.