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Privacy Groups Ask FTC For Facebook Investigation
An anonymous reader writes "10 public-interest groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Facebook's various business practices. This demand comes right after two similar ones this week: two U.S. congressmen asked the FTC to investigate how Facebook's cookies behave, and Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner has agreed to conduct a privacy audit of Facebook. Given that the social network's international headquarters is in Dublin, the latter is the more serious one as the large majority of the site's users could be affected."
LIKE
Short of discovering that each of Facebook's datacenters is actually a vast, nearly empty, mausoleum, lit only by the unhallowed glow of Masonic runes drawn in the blood of innocents and the blinding glare of the all-seeing-eye atop the pyramid in the center; could there be any revelation about their privacy practices worse than those that can already be inferred from prior activity?
So, some politicos are going to investigate. They'll wave a magic wand of approval, or they'll wave a magic wand of disapproval. There's no way of knowing if this investigation will be good or bad. Maybe if we knew something about the individuals involved with the investigation, we could make some guesses.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Are they just being cookie monsters and user trackers with their cookies and shoddy privacy policies, or are they actually committing crimes? What gives the various government groups, ones NOT in the executive branch, authority to conduct any of this?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Google was already investigated by the Irish data protection commissioner when they wanted to launch streetview in ireland.
I have never had a Facebook account, and never will, because they add absolutely zero value over private listservs, forums, blogs, and websites.
Google on the other hand, I use very much for searching and other services. And it seems to me that Google collects even more valuable information than Facebook.
So why aren't these groups going after Google? ....
I cancelled my Facebook account a few weeks back after their last round of changes. I have no intention of using it again. Both Facebook and Google track everything you do. I think both should get nailed. In all likelihood, some Congresscritters will be paid off and this investigation will go nowhere.
The problem with that is that even if you have no FB account, they may still track you through the cookies built into their "like" buttons, spread around the internet.
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
Google was already investigated by the Irish data protection commissioner when they wanted to launch streetview in ireland.
Ireland is a tax haven for American corporations that don't want to pay their taxes. Consequently, if that gets Zuckerberg in a little hot water I'm all for it.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Although you can always turn off cookies. But I can't say I've done that lately to know how that would affect today's web experience like turning off JavaScript does.
this is my sig
You can, but why should you have to? Entering a web page does not provide permission to be tracked by random companies just because the webmaster put the code into the page to make it so. There is no reasonable expectation that permission is being granted for such 3rd party tracking.
This is a bit like walking onto the premises of say Starbucks and being tracked by Walmart. You might be consenting to having Starbucks track transaction, but there's certainly no basis for Starbucks to believe that you're consenting to be tracked by Walmart.
And they encourage the people you know who use Facebook to identify you in pictures ("Do you know this person? Tag the photo!"). Once a person has had a few friends tag them, there's probably a pseudo-account created for them. Don't be surprised if Facebook starts asking "How do you know XYZ? With your photo." of anyone tagged in photos you're tagged in (whether you have an account or not).
Justified by the power of Congress to "legislate trade between the States".
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
The privacy settings do not limit Facebook's own access to the data. Facebook can use the "magic" of the ToS to permit them to forward your data to anyone they please. As long as Facebook hosts the database, there's always the issue of them handing that data out.
Facebook's privacy settings are rendered useless at a regular basis when they decide to add new "features" requiring you to comb through and opt out of everything again. When I first created my account I went through and locked everything down in settings and since then have had to regularly hunt down leaks in my information because added something which enabled stuff all over again.
I'm this close to beginning a campaign to poison my information and start closing down my account...no really, I mean it! When I have to do more fiddling with Facebook's settings than I actually do reading or posting it stops being fun and becomes work. And who needs that?
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Because they keep changing which options are available, what the defaults are, and what the settings mean. Then they also reset to default when they change something. So if you want to have the privacy settings turned up in facebook then you need to check all the settings on a regular basis. You also need to not play any of the facebook games, since a lot of them are just given the same permissions with your account that you are. (unless they've "fixed" this last bit again. It's been how many times now?)
GENERATION 667: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation
Although you can always turn off cookies. But I can't say I've done that lately to know how that would affect today's web experience like turning off JavaScript does.
Switching off all cookies is overkill for the issue described by GP. If you're using Firefox, it's sufficient to install an add-on such as Facebook Blocker, which explicitly blocks all requests to Facebook which originate from non-Facebook sites. This obviously blocks tracking cookies from Facebook like-buttons on other sites, but does not interfere with your use of Facebook (if any; better to avoid Facebook sites completely).
I assume you already have a strategy for wiping LSO Flash objects ("super cookies"), such as Better Privacy or equivalent Firefox plugin. Some browsers don't need an add-on to do this. For instance in Opera, the delete private data action can also remove LSOs.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
Then don't accept the GPS tracker that Walmart hands you as you walk in the door, ditch it when you exit Walmart and they will never track your Starbucks usage...
Which is basically exactly what is going on here - you accept a token from Facebook, and you give that token back whenever its asked for. All voluntarily.
Ireland is just trying to prop-up part of the EU, which is having problems staying together
Guess what the I in PIGS (the group of European countries with problematic economies) stands for...
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How stupid are you? you're comparing apples and oranges.
with regard to websites we still have a choice to use it or not to use it.
yes - i know - peer pressure can be a bitch.
with regard to politicians ... well, it seems to be mostly decided by big money these days. which is why we have protests like "occupy wall street". we, the people, do not have a say anymore into if we want to go to war with a country or not. that is decided by forces beyond our control these days. sadly.
Facebook Blocker [mozilla.org]
Not available for Firefox 7.0.1 and not available since before 4.
Maybe you should check your facts a little. They appear to be outdated, or just wrong...
On the PC I'm posting from (posting via Opera 11.51), I have Firefox 7.0.1, and on its Extensions page, it says I have Facebook Blocker 1.0 which was released on 26 July 2011. Both Firefox 7.0.1 and Facebook Blocker 1.0 say that it's enabled, BTW.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
In actuality, this is a Tax fiction, used to avoid taxation on their massive EU and US/Canada earnings, and there is pressure by the EEC, since Ireland's economy is failing due to lack of tax collection from the Rich and Corporations like FB, MSFT, etc, to restore tax levels to a more common historic level.
But this does not provide them with a legal defense against violating National Privacy rights, as any Scientologist in Germany knows.
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