Facebook Threatens To Delete Users' Photos If They Don't Install Moments app (betanews.com)

Mark Wilson, reporting for BetaNews: Not content with forcing people into using its Messenger app, Facebook is continuing its aggressive tactics and driving users to install its photo-sharing app, Moments. The social network has warned users that their photos face deletion if they fail to use the Moments app. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a huge surge in interest in the app, pushing it to the top of the download charts. Facebook says it is going to delete Synced Albums and Synced Photos if Moments is not installed by July 7, sending warning emails to a number of users. This has understandably led to panic installations of Moments as people sought to protect the photos that have been automatically synchronized from their phone. It's important to note that it is only these synced photos that are at risk, but it's clear that there is an element of confusion about what Facebook is planning to delete.

Comments

Why does this cause surprise or panic?

[Anonymous Coward]

"only these synced photos that are at risk, but it's clear that there is an element of confusion about what Facebook is planning to delete."

No, it's clear that you should not use Facebook for informaiton you care about, or at all if you care about your privacy.

keep what's yours

[Lead Butthead]

the reason why you should never trust data you want to keep with a third party.

Re:keep what's yours

[Threni]

Well, when you're using a free service, anyway.

If I was in a restaurant, or getting someone to fix my car or paint my house and i wasn't giving them any money I'd set my expectations accordingly.

If you want to keep your pictures safe, just don't upload them to facebook and hope they'll keep them safe foryou forever; spend a few pennies on a usb key and keep them safe yourself forever, and/or store them on google photos.

This really isn't something which should a surprise a developmentally normal adult.

Re:keep what's yours

[TigerPlish]

Entire generations are forgetting that. It's not just the Millenials -- I'm an "X" and I find most of my friends have shunned physical media wholeheartedly. I look at them like they're crazy.

Streaming and cloud offer no permanence unless one can store local copies of equal quality.

I was shocked about 3 years ago when I wanted to add four more "Benno" DVD shelf towers from Ikea to my existing 10. Benno is the foundation of my home cinema storage. I couldn't find them in the store, it said "order only." So I ordered, and paid a fortune in freight because there's no store pickup for special orders.

SO I got them, put them up, and now, should I want more, i'm screwed unless I buy used. But fortunately, i follow my own storage advice -- whatever you think is adequate, double it.

The point of the anecdote? Physical is dead, no matter how much we try to cling to it. And entire generations are being suckered into believing this and trusting it! Ugh!

But of course, this is what the industry wants! Want that movie? Pay for it for every view! Want that song / record? Pay for it for every listen! Or at least a subscription!

I'm starting to feel physical media was our way of holding "their" content ransom.

Re: keep what's yours

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think they're forgetting - they've never really known any different. Most kids these days never experienced the joy of spending a day reloading data from a pile of floppy diskettes.

That's OK

[theshowmecanuck]

Delete them. I won't upload photos to Facebook anymore. End of issue.

those who dont use these sites

[nimbius]

are left to wonder, is this cycle of trust, greed, and betrayal an inextricable part of the experience? Is the lennart pottering libertarian stance of "well no ones making you use it" simply how we're to approach these cabals of internet service? They do no wrong, offer a service, and we're to accept the illusion of choice?

shouldnt we, the product of sites like facebook, have more say in how the site is managed or what happens to our data? or are these sites just doomed to decline, obsolescence, and venture capital buyout without any accountability for the years of activity they had on the web vis-a-vis AOL?

By Delete them

[bobstreo]

they mean, remove them from your ability to access them.

  I'm guessing they're probably planning on holding onto them, and using them for pattern training, facial recognition and future blackmail..

Re:Panic in the (facebook) city

[coastwalker]

Facebook is fine so long as you do not use it for social networking. Great for cat pictures, great for liking random products. Just do not use it for anything personal.

Re:FB was always anti-social

[Anonymous Coward]

This is only the beginning...of the anti-social network

You think this is the beginning of the antisocial network? Zuckerberg, the highly socially skilled coder, thinks you're a dumbfuck: http://www.businessinsider.com...

With story after story about the above, and Facebook's treatment of its users, all the privacy problems, etc ... anyone who continues to use it falls under at least one of two categories: they enjoy the abuse, or they're morons.

You would have to be pretty stupid to be on the world's most massive and well-connected global communications network, and still think you need a particular web site to communicate.

The Cloud s a synonym for someone else's computer

[mTor]

That's all it really is. You're basically entrusting your data with companies that have to somehow make money off you or off your data.

So don't be surprised when they pull crap like this on you.