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Mozilla Launches a Petition Asking Facebook To Do More For User Privacy (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the have-some-shame dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: After it was revealed that the personal data of 50 million Facebook users was shared without consent, Mozilla is calling on the social network to ensure that user privacy is protected by default, particularly when it comes to apps.

Ashley Boyd, Mozilla's vice president of advocacy, says that billions of Facebook users are unknowingly at risk of having their data passed on to third parties. He says: "If you play games, read news or take quizzes on Facebook, chances are you are doing those activities through third-party apps and not through Facebook itself. The default permissions that Facebook gives to those third parties currently include data from your education and work, current city and posts on your timeline."

52 comments

  1. It is FB's business model by aepervius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Their business model is to break as much privacy as they can get away and sell the data. And you ask them to reduce/stop that ? LOL. I have a bridge to sell you. They won't stop or do anything until forced by law, or forced to change their business model by having too many people bleed out of their platform. And that's it. Hoping for anything else is being incredibly naive.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
    1. Re:It is FB's business model by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Your privacy is the price you pay for for Facebooks services.
      Facebook then trades that information for cash.
      It isn't that hard of a business model for people to understand.
      If you don't want to give up your privacy, then don't use Facebook, or expect Facebook to offer you services. Unless enough people are willing to pay $100 a year for Facebook private.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:It is FB's business model by gnick · · Score: 1

      ...having too many people bleed out of their platform.

      I've seen more than a couple of posts on FB today from people vowing to spend less time there. You know, posting about it instead of spending less time there. And probably monitoring their account for replies like, "Right on!" and "Me too!" They'll all be back. They never really left.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    3. Re:It is FB's business model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But starting a petition to have them change their business model? Has all
      the makings of an In Soviet Russia memes

    4. Re:It is FB's business model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
      way to go captain obvious. here's another: most fb users dont care.

      instead of bleeting to the sheep on /., get on those social media sites and tell the 99.9999999% that dont care about their privacy how they're negatively affected.

    5. Re: It is FB's business model by c6gunner · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Problem is, Facebook tracks you regardless of whether you use their services.

    6. Re:It is FB's business model by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Unless enough people are willing to pay $100 a year for Facebook private.

      That won't work, period. Even if Facebook guaranteed to never sell or mind that data, that's still data you're giving facebook.

      The only way to guarantee privacy is simple - just don't post. It doesn't matter how strong any "privacy protection" (aka marketing) document is. It's still a marketing document. Yes, marketing - because these sites know that if everything is public, users will only post a few things. But if they know some things are "protected", they would post a lot more. So by offering lightweight "protections", they guarantee that a lot of people will give them a lot more information. Hence, marketing.

      The best way to keep something private is, and always has been, to just not post it online. It's like trying to keep a secret - do you tell everyone the secret, or no one?

    7. Re:It is FB's business model by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

      Their business model is to break as much privacy as they can get away and sell the data... Hoping for anything else is being incredibly naive.

      Came here to say pretty much this. And to add "Third-party apps? Gimme a break, Mozilla!". Facebook follows even non-logged-in users, (and a crapload of non-users as well), all over the Web. They suggest both products and FB friends to people, based on geo-location data that the FB app collects, and will even suggest friending someone whose only connection to you is having once been in the same location simultaneously. The primary problem isn't third party apps - the primary problem is that Facebook is still alive and has so many suckers lining up to be sold as products. Facebook needs to die, and the sooner the better.

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  2. Yet their default mode by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is to send back user data on usage. Lol.

    Fucking hypocrites

    1. Re:Yet their default mode by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      Seriously. If you change any of the data collection settings the browser begins to implode. They do no variable checks on any of it and can only opt out of the transmission part (until it "accidentally" transmits anyway).

      They were supposed to have a privacy council that met every month... I think they held it 3-4 times before forgetting about it. Flat out rejected concerns about the security of passwords (which proved to be insecure)

      Mozilla is a shitshow these days.

  3. Here's an idea... by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 2

    If you want privacy why not start by not posting personal details on a website, especially not one like Facebook?

    1. Re: Here's an idea... by DaMattster · · Score: 2

      It's a great idea too. Just delete Facebook and do something educational or meaningful.

  4. Mo$illa dosen't care about privacy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They are sending data to cloudflare in their latest nightlies, and they crippled individual cookie management by making the "new" way convoluted or installing yet another extension which will probably disappear when they replace web extensions with another fad extension API. We need a new independent browser foundation. Maybe the Waterfox and Pale Moon guys can join up one day.

  5. Code? by apilosov · · Score: 0

    I remember when Mozilla was about writing code, not about writing petitions...

    1. Re:Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember when Mozilla was about writing code, not about writing petitions...

      Are you sure writing code is even second on Mozilla's list any more?

    2. Re:Code? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      That was when they didn't have any sort of authority. They were straining to keep their product reliant while Netscape was on its decline. Which its work created Netscape 6 (The fifth version of Netscape) To keep up with IE 6. However it took too long to develop and Netscape had a few more updates and quietly went away... While Mozilla Moved to Firefox which was popular enough for them to start speaking out and being listened.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  6. Not likely to "really" happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Facebook's business model IS information collection, everything you can possibly give to them for analysis -- they have trade relationships that aren't disclosed (I know this for fact) which includes governmental agencies. They may publicly take measures to be more conservative with how they handle data, though their internal activities won't cease -- there have been multiple instances where Facebook has granted unfettered access to certain agreements internally that will never be made public. Anyone that doesn't believe this is purely ignorant.

  7. Pot, Meet Kettle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Firefox's idea of improving security is to remove some of their own built-in spyware. I'd find them more credible if they actually cared about their userbase.

  8. Their employees are delusional whores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Here's fb propaganda.

    Here's an employee's take

    When the truth is that they work for an advertising company that pimp's out their user's data to anyone who pays them. The "tech" they're developing is just new ways to scam users out of their information.

    facebook employees are like the whores who think they are the fiancé of the guy "giving" them money and gifts.

  9. Ineffective by DaMattster · · Score: 1

    The only way to get anything meaningful accomplished in the way of forcing Facebook to protect privacy is if enough people delete their accounts. You have to hit them in their wallet with ad revenue loss and data sales loss.

    1. Re:Ineffective by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With their ethics they would just generate fake accounts to cover the exodus

    2. Re:Ineffective by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      However it isn't a long term business model, as these fake accounts will not purchase from the adds.
      If someone is selling stuff on Facebook if they don't make money they will stop.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  10. Likely EU and Canadian actions regardless by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Ignored in much of these discussions is that the actions of FB, Twitter, and other social apps are frequently in contravention of Privacy Rights guaranteed by data treaties between the US and those nations, which in Canada at least are Constitutional Rights clearly spelled out in the original Constitution.

    This is also causing a tax backlash against such social media platforms, which have used "headquarter" locations to minimize tax exposure, or sited data storage repositories in specific countries to avoid legal implications of data usage that contravenes the national and international legal requirements.

    This will continue. The bounties for turning in such actions frequently go as high as treble damages and individual limits in the thousands per person affected, per instance, and those turning them in can get up to 10 percent of the total awards.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  11. Pot, meet kettle. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The company that fired its CEO and founder because of a personal, private donation he made to a political campaign, is now concerned with "personal data . . . shared without consent" and "ensuring that user privacy is protected".

    HA! That's rich.

  12. Personal information is for friends, not sales by iamhassi · · Score: 2

    Problem with Facebook is we post a new job or school or city because we want friends to know how we are doing. It's not for Facebook to take that information and sell it to anyone looking for someone going to a specific school or job. Facebook even constantly asks "where do you work? Connect with coworkers on Facebook" as if you're missing out if you don't tell Facebook where you work. Most people don't realize every word you write online is for sale. It's wrong that Facebook does it, there should be an opt out, but then advertisers wouldn't pay as much and Facebook would lose money.

    --
    my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    1. Re:Personal information is for friends, not sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      How else would FB be able to keep your FB account "free"?

    2. Re:Personal information is for friends, not sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How else would FB be able to keep your FB account "free"?

      Maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be "free," because what you are giving up is more costly than what you would pay out-of-pocket.

      Pay now, or pay later.

    3. Re:Personal information is for friends, not sales by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

      Problem with Facebook is we post a new job or school or city because we want friends to know how we are doing. It's not for Facebook to take that information and sell it...

      No, "we" do not. Speak for yourself. I don't post jack shit to Facebook. My friends? I talk to them. They know how I am doing because I speak to them. My new job is not fodder for my so-called "friends" to stare mindlessly into their phones. As for that last bit, you may want to review this before your next visit back to Facebook. It's obvious you've never read it.

      You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. In addition:

      For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.

      Yes, your personal writings and announcements of new jobs and schools are covered by IP. And that last part "others" is not clearly defined, now is it? Here, go read the rest... it's good shit!

      https://www.facebook.com/terms...

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
    4. Re:Personal information is for friends, not sales by iamhassi · · Score: 1

      How else would FB be able to keep your FB account "free"?

      Simple: they don't need to make billions in profit. Let people opt out, I'm sure there's still a few people that want to see targeted ads, and advertisers will still pay for those few, just a lot less money.

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
  13. Facebook launches a counter petition.... by Kenja · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... asking Mozilla to stop making web browsers. More or less the same thing.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re:Facebook launches a counter petition.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. Facebook launching a counter-petition asking Mozilla to take privacy seriously and not milk their user base would be the same thing.

      Mozilla has lots of its own privacy-related issues that it should be looking into rather than pointing fingers at others.

  14. Facebook Responds: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NO!

  15. Wake the Fuck up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Geez people, maybe you should all just wake the fuck up.

    Privacy is YOUR responsibility, not some other private company's. You gave FB private information. Willingly. Now you're screwed.

    It was never FB's responsibility to be your mom and watch out for you. You have to take responsibility for your privacy. When FB asks you for your age, where you go to school, etc, etc it is YOUR responsibility to just say no. If FB keeps asking, it's still YOUR responsibility. If the constant nagging by FB bothers you then delete the account and walk away.

    Corporations abuse your privacy because you willingly give it to them. Stop blaming the world for the mess YOU made and take ownership. Wake the fuck up or shut the fuck up.

    1. Re:Wake the Fuck up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sorry, its un'murkin to be responsible for yourself.

  16. Mozilla petitions Facebook to Commit Suicide? by ohnonononono · · Score: 1

    What is going on here? In reality it's simple.
    The masses realize that they have been victimized and they want to blame it on anyone but themselves (because what is or was popular among them theirselves can never be wrong according to their peculiar morality).
    Various institutions (government and corporate business) want to capitalize on this denial of guilt by supporting the delusion.
    That's what Mozilla is doing. That's Mozilla's entire business model, just as Facebook's is as an input device to the mass surveillance machine.

    The ugly thing behind this all is the extremely lacking free will of the masses. Sanctimonious tech workers who essentially live in ivory towers preach self responsibility, but they fail to see that even in the sheltered bays in which they were born and raised the free will of the people is extremely lacking.
    People simply do not stand up for their own interests and are easily bought off by Consumerism.
    Society is failing completely. Plutotechnocrats are having everything their own way it seems. I wonder what it would take for you people to begin to have an idea of what is going on.

    1. Re:Mozilla petitions Facebook to Commit Suicide? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder what it would take for you people to begin to have an idea of what is going on.

      Nothing short of the fall of western civilization. Ask the Romans, and the Ottomans.

  17. FoxBook for Chickens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The delicious chickens launched a petition asking the foxes to not eat chickens.

    The foxes responded to the petition by telling the chickens that they will, as soon as the chickens stop being so delicious.

  18. Mozilla solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mozilla solution :: remove useful stuff.

  19. Mozilla? by reboot246 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You mean the makers of a browser I don't use anymore because they don't care about privacy at all? That Mozilla?
    That's rich, really rich.

    1. Re:Mozilla? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is all Mozilla is good for anymore: social and political comments, statements, and campaigns. They are not product-focused anymore. They are social and political.

  20. You're asking the wrong people. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mozilla should be talking to the users, not Facebook. If users insist on stuffing data down Facebook's throat, that's not Facebook's fault.

    Hey, everybody, just get a fucking website and you decide who else to link to. Oldschool "social networking" worked the best, and distributed the power, too. People, if you haven't tried out this "web" thing, you really oughta.

  21. Counter petition by quonset · · Score: 1

    A petition to force Mozilla developers to produce a browser and not some eye candy laden, bloated, steaming pile which hides operations from the user and breaks nearly all add-ons unless they spy on you.

    1. Re:Counter petition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WHERE DO I SIGN

      Quantum was the last straw. I've switched to palemoon, but I have concerns. I have more or less completely replaced my nonworking extensions and I'm pretty satisfied with my experience. My issue is that the guy running shit for that project really comes off as a world class twat. I feel like he's alienating way too many people, and he seems to be actively picking fights with anyone he can find. It's a shame.

  22. How many users shared their data with consent? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So 50 million user data was shared without consent. How many users were shared with consent? I feel it is an oxymoron putting together privacy and making money off user data. How can they stay in business if all the user information is private?

  23. Counter-Counter petition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A petition for all the people lazily whining like this to just found an organization to make the browser they think they want, rather than just complaining about it online all the time.

  24. In other news... by ChatHuant · · Score: 1

    Mozilla is also pondering a petition enjoining the pimps of the USA to put even more focus on preserving the chastity of their girls...

  25. Hey, while we're at it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's launch a petition asking the military to kill less people.

  26. Pot. Kettle. Black. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See recent discussions about Mozilla's data collection practices.

  27. Mozilla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gee, wow.

    What's their browser market share these days, 2%? Nobody gives a fuck what these incompetent fools have to say, they are so irrelevant

  28. Is it the case in EU ? by aepervius · · Score: 1

    I mean due to the right of knowing what sort of data is saved and a right of rectification/removal we have, I do wonder if indeed FB is saving data of people it does not have - beyond what they need for people they do have (e.g. they may add my name as "brother" top my other sibling, but may not have a separate profile about me which they would sell, because in that case that would make them responsible for a right of rectification).

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
  29. Why isn't Mozilla doing more for user privacy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Every change Mozilla has made to cookie management in Firefox has been in the exact opposite direction of providing better user privacy.

    Maybe Mozilla should ask itself first, what can it do to make the regular Firefox experience (without incognito tabs) provide more privacy for users and provide users with better control over which websites track the user behaviour.

    Or if they want to get really serious, make an incognito-only version of Firefox where every tab or window is in "incognito mode" and there is no option for anything else.

  30. NOT JUST FACEBOOK! Windows 10, Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All the other O/S's and platforms that steal your data.

    How about outlawing a freaking Advertising ID in your O/S? Yes, In the O/S? How evil is that?

    How about requiring consent EVERYTIME a Device Unique ID is read / used?

    Let's start giving consumers some choice against this evilness that companies are starting to do.