Slashdot Mirror
The Facebook Ads Teens Aren't Supposed To See
schwit1 writes in with this story about Facbook's questionable ads including webcam modeling and diet drugs. "Sophie Bean, 14, of Sequim, Wash., said she was thought she was 'liking' a Facebook ad related to fashion modeling. Instead, it promoted a Facebook page that recruited adult webcam models. 'I just thought it was for modeling, and I'm interested in that, and I thought it would help me out,' Sophie said. Sophie wasn't the only teen connecting with the page, which Facebook statistics show is most popular with users 13 to 17. Clicking on it didn't pull the teens into nude webcam modeling, but did mean they would receive the page's updates and could be mentioned in future versions of the ad."
Stupid American brat clicks on Facebook ad she doesn't like. The world is shocked.
Clearly important for the new slashdot "pro beta" crowd!
Adblock to the rescue! (And fuck Facebook. Hope they go bankrupt.)
This clearly demonstrates that "you" are the product!
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
said she was thought she was 'liking' a Facebook ad related to fashion modeling.
Wow... I understand she's only 14 and all, but we really need to start making sure kids understand how the internet works, and that every single thing they do is data-mined and used to monitize them... and not for their benefit! That they should NEVER "like" a facebook ad, and even better, should only be online using adblock.
It's scary that someone who's 14 is unaware of how to protect themselves online, and it's scary that we're not as a society teaching them this, just like we teach them reading, writing, math, history, civil rights, and balancing a budget. Knowing how to protect yourself in the digital world is now just as important as knowing how to protect yourself in the real world.
It is for adults.
And here the age of consent is 14.
Are they also not targeting people under 21 for alcohol beverages?
Typically, porn-related ads are a sign of a desperate website.
This clearly demonstrates that "you" are the product!
Yes, yes, yes... We know this already. So much so, in fact it's now an official Slashdot meme.
But of course we are intelligent educated adults with good sense, so we understand this and know how to avoid being sucked in, right?
The case in point demonstrates at least (but probably more) two things: One, children (the story is about a 13 year old) are not generally as "worldly wise" as us intelligent educated adults with good sense, and that Facebook is facilitating a commercial activity that potentially exploits vulnerable people, some of whom are minors.
Shocking? Perhaps, but this is just one that slipped through to be discovered. Of course we are the product, and being the product, it goes without saying that we will be exploited while using Facebook. Or *any* "social media" including Slashdot
This just shows how low things have sunk, something that should have been expected.
There's nothing wrong with "erotica" and indeed there are many who think that there is nothing wrong with children discovering "erotica", but there are limitations, exploiting vulnerable woman (and men) is questionable, and a promotional system that allows for the exploitation of children is certainly well "across the line".
Facebook is a big machine, perhaps they were not aware of this "problem" customer. They should at least be afforded the opportunity to take care of this and perhaps close the hole.
But yes, I think we already know that we are Facebook's "product".
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Why would tell FB that you like anything?
...unless she is in the upper 1% of hotness, she had better line up some other career options. Modeling is not what teens imagine it to be, and the competition is ridiculous.
This is the worst thing since newspaper classified ads recruited women for phone sex.
Remember newspaper classified ads? They were like Craigslist, except you had to buy the newspaper to see them.
"Even for Slashdot, that was a very obscure reference!" - Anonymous Coward
Wait... there are still people under the age of 35 on facebook?
I mean - I get it, we should all be aware on line. But it's not the end of the world to "like" a product manufacturer or service provider. It can be a symbiotic relationship - I like your stuff and want to keep abreast of what you're doing so I "like" your page and get updates. That might be the release of a new octocopter, or a new show opening at Disney World, or casting dates for an indie film, or a coupon for a new makeup product.
This sounds more like false advertising from a sleazy online porn shop. So, yes, we should all be aware; but we shouldn't be paranoid.And, yes, I think Facebook has a role/responsibility in vetting their advertisers and leveraging their data for appropriate marketing targets.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
This is awful! I'm shocked! SHOCKED, I tell you! I'm going to write to my congressman and tell him... Tell him... Um...
Wait, what exactly am I supposed to be outraged about here?
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
They tried to get her to pose nude, and she lives in "see quim"?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
I need it. For research purposes.
Full-voting member of the Slapaho tribe?
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
The e in Sequim is silent.
aren't teenager the main target for such products?
Citizens Everywhere Will Damage Their Biological Rhythm for Nobody's Good
FTFY
If teens aren't abandoning Facebook, maybe they will now.
In case you're wondering "Sequim" is pronounced "skwim" excatly like "swim" with a "K" after the "S".
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
Wow, she's an idiot. If you go to Vegas and say you're interested in gambling, you're all set. If you get to inner city New Jersey and say you're interested in gambling, you're not going to get quite the same quality of gambling establishments interested in your patronage. In related news, don't try to get into modeling anywhere on the entire internet.
I-I was only looking for underwear for my girlfriend, I didn't think it'd be a porn page!!
I usually run adblock+ on my browsers so I don't see that many ads, and because of that, I not clicked on any ads.
But at one time I did log in to Facebook using a computer that did not have adblock+ installed and the ads were the type I really did not expect even Facebook to allow. It was really just porn ads disguised as someone sending me a personal message or whatever.
When they have no problems going that low, I feel even better about using adblock+.
For other reasons, I have not logged in to Facebook for 1/2 a year now and I have disabled my account so I don't know if this crap is still going on.
Which is exactly why Parents should monitor their kids computer use. Who is making a big stink about this story? The internet is not all flowers, puppies, and unicorns.
[Different AC]
Felt good. Should have done this years ago.
Isn't it based on old traditions and superstition about 14 year olds and sexuality?
Because by the time she's about that age, she's taken nude pictures of herself however many times, and has lost her virginity. And by age 16 or 18 she's going to perform her first sex act, strip, or webcam scene for money. What is the deal with introducing this information to her at 14, exactly, and why should she not be able to handle it on her own (to dismiss or accept it, for her own individual purposes)?..
They are actively encouraged by expensive marketing to expose themselves online. Adults are not resisting it so why expect the kids to have more guts and resist?