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Facebook is Pushing Its Data-tracking Onavo VPN Within Its Main Mobile App (techcrunch.com)
TechCrunch reports: Onavo Protect, the VPN client from the data-security app maker acquired by Facebook back in 2013, has now popped up in the Facebook app itself, under the banner "Protect" in the navigation menu. Clicking through on "Protect" will redirect Facebook users to the "Onavo Protect -- VPN Security" app's listing on the App Store. We're currently seeing this option on iOS only, which may indicate it's more of a test than a full rollout here in the U.S. Marketing Onavo within Facebook itself could lead to a boost in users for the VPN app, which promises to warn users of malicious websites and keep information secure as you browse. But Facebook didn't buy Onavo for its security protections. Instead, Onavo's VPN allow Facebook to monitor user activity across apps, giving Facebook a big advantage in terms of spotting new trends across the larger mobile ecosystem. For example, Facebook gets an early heads up about apps that are becoming breakout hits; it can tell which are seeing slowing user growth; it sees which apps' new features appear to be resonating with their users, and much more. Further reading: Do Not, I Repeat, Do Not Download Onavo, Facebook's Vampiric VPN Service (Gizmodo).
maybe with a side helping if blockchain and AI
In other news, the NSA will now be offering software to keep your data hidden from the NSA.
As a non-user of Facebook, I felt left out of the privacy invasion party. Now I can be like all the cool kids and have my most intimate personal information hoarded by a corporation!
I wouldn't trust Facebook with anything. We will keep you secure from others but not from ourselves.
If you just use this helpful VPN Facebook has provided you can dodge the evil net caps and packet sniffing that comcast will impose on you.
Surf the web freely and safely with Facebook!
And remember... we care!
Facebook wants to make sure your information stays secure, by redirecting all traffic from your mobile device through their servers to be analysed.
Next thing you know google will be offering DNS, or even become an ISP, or if they really have some brass hold peoples e-mail and documents.
Does a vpn provide much security over https?
Perhaps a vpn also shields the dns lookup from scrutiny. But in this case Facebook is pilfering your vpn lookups too, so thatâ(TM)s moot as a distinction.
Whatâ(TM)s the benefit of vpn in the age of https everywhere
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
You'd have to be absolutely mental to VPN all your traffic through Facebook's servers. They have direct access to all your traffic as it leaves their VPN concentrator. Their wet dream.
People really need to educate themselves about how VPNs work, what they are and aren't good for.
Secure, encrypted traffic between two endpoints? GOOD!
Secure, encrypted traffic between yourself and an actor with unknown motives who by default has to decrypt it before sending it on it's way to the Internet? DOUBLE PLUS UNGOOD!
~Any apparent grammatical or typographic errors are caused by defects in your display device.
I am shocked, shocked that a megacorp (not to mention that it just happens to be one that was already primarily known for being a piece-of-shit) offers a trojan horse VPN service.
Who could have predicted that Facebook would want to spy on people?! No, I wouldn't have guessed it to be untrustworthy, and you wouldn't have guessed either! Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to using something safe: my Google VPN (unless someone tells me that the FBI's VPN service is better).
"Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
I don't know what would be worse. No VPN, or a "free" VPN from a place doing heavy package analyzing. On one hand, I've seen Wi-Fi machinations, be it HTTP intercepts, attempts to get the device to accept an untrusted key as a trusted root CA, and other stuff, so any VPN would be useful to deter that. On the other hand, FB isn't someone whom I would trust to be a privacy provider.
Personally, I'll stick with with my Digital Ocean droplet for my VPN needs. There are fewer parties that can have access to snarfing my network logs... just the DO admins and me.
All the way from social media brand to the user, back from the user to social media brand.
A nice secure pathway from the approved ads.
A VPN by an ad company for "free"....
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
If you're that concerned about privacy and security, you can spin up a BSD or Linux VM, install OpenVPN, and go to town. It will only really be beneficial if you're using insecure public hotspots, because at some point, your data has to exit the VPN and go out to the internet at large.
Remember, if the service is free, YOU are the product.
~Any apparent grammatical or typographic errors are caused by defects in your display device.
and Samsung TVs and Onkyo Stereos (All with horrifying privacy policies).
F that.
Dedicated apps for Facebook or other popular sites have more cons than pros [both puns intended]