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Facebook Delays Home-Speaker Unveil Amid Data Crisis (bloomberg.com)
Bloomberg reports: Facebook has decided not to unveil new home products at its major developer conference in May, in part because the public is currently so outraged about the social network's data-privacy practices, according to people familiar with the matter. The company's new hardware products, connected speakers with digital-assistant and video-chat capabilities, are undergoing a deeper review to ensure that they make the right trade-offs regarding user data, the people said.
While the hardware wasn't expected to be available until the fall, the company had hoped to preview the devices at the largest annual gathering of Facebook developers, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal plans. The devices are part of Facebook's plan to become more intimately involved with users' everyday social lives, using artificial intelligence -- following a path forged by Amazon.com and its Echo in-home smart speakers. As concerns escalate about Facebook's collection and use of personal data, now may be the wrong time to ask consumers to trust it with even more information by placing a connected device in their homes.
While the hardware wasn't expected to be available until the fall, the company had hoped to preview the devices at the largest annual gathering of Facebook developers, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal plans. The devices are part of Facebook's plan to become more intimately involved with users' everyday social lives, using artificial intelligence -- following a path forged by Amazon.com and its Echo in-home smart speakers. As concerns escalate about Facebook's collection and use of personal data, now may be the wrong time to ask consumers to trust it with even more information by placing a connected device in their homes.
After the failed Facebook-Phone I can't imagine Facebook-Alexa would be anymore successful. I can't see anyone wanting facebook having a microphone in their home. If they were willing to have an ear they would have an Alexa or a Google Home by now.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Who on earth would want to have a Facebook enabled "anything" in their home?
All the tech companies that have one of these hot mics have a business model that can support it... except Facebook. I suspect that Facebook would be the company that would result in the dystopian outcome that we all fear could come about from these "home speakers" because their business model is simply to gather information and sell it.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
That would be a great poll idea, wouldn't it?
Which smart speaker would you trust the most?
Apple HomePod
Amazon Echo
Google Home
Facebook what's-its-name
#DeleteFacebook
to ensure that they make the right trade-offs regarding user data
There are things you just shouldn't have any authority to decide on trade-offs for, and especially trade-offs on the behalf of others.
I think this highlights why the US needs data protection regulations like the EU and other European countries have, where personal data is owned by the user, and not the company that collects it, and where companies who create databases of user data beyond what's needed for a transaction have to provide a justification and obtain a permit.
Giving them a carte blanche and letting them decide for themselves what "trade-offs" they want to play is stupid.
That would be a great poll idea, wouldn't it?
You're missing the last option.
In this case, I'd actually trust Cowboyneal listening in my living room more than any of the above.
...Alexa powered fleshlight...
I'd go with Alexa, but I'd be thinking of Siri.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
Let's face it: Anyone trusting them on ANYTHING anymore cannot be helped. If you still can't understand how you're nothing but a commodity to that company, well, there's no amount of evidence, argument or convincing going to be of any use.
And if you really believe them when they say that they will "improve", there isn't anything left to be said either. Their whole business model is to sell your privacy to whoever is willing to hand them money. That is their business model. In case you don't believe it, just tell me what else this company could possible sell to make money.
And if that doesn't work for you, how about greed and miserliness. Ponder how much Facebook is "worth". Ponder what you got for being sold by them. Now tell me you don't feel like you've been getting a raw deal. They sell you for thousands of dollars and you get ... umm... a place to put pictures of your lunch.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
The real answer is "None of the Above" but put a gun to my head and the answer is clearly Apple. Why? I trust their profit motive the most. Apple just wants to sell me more Apple products and actually has a not completely terrible record with regard to privacy. All the others want to sell data about me to third parties of unknown reliability. Amazon would be the next option, again because of their profit motive which is to sell me physical and digital stuff. Google and Facebook I don't trust at all. They are advertising companies start to finish and I have no interest in cooperating with that.
I'd take any Chinese company over Apple. The reason is that you can be fairly certain that they eavesdrop, but that it's the Chinese government that controls it. And they have no interest in private individuals who don't know anything that might benefit them, and certainly won't hand data over to bad apples in US law enforcement or US political factions.
With Apple or any US based company, that's not a given.
Oh come on now. You're just Putin us on.
Have gnu, will travel.
The problem, as I see it, is that you are misconstruing what Facebook is. Facebook's business model depends on getting the users of its social media system to willingly (and also, as it appears, unwittingly) reveal personal and private information about themselves so that information can be sold to other business to use for their marketing. As such, you are not a customer of Facebook; you are its product. The companies Facebook sells your information (and access to, by serving as a platform to feed you targeted ads) to are its customers. As such, your desire not to have targeted ads presented to you is irrelevant to Facebook, except insofar as the lack of ability to opt out of targeted advertising causes a mass exodus of Facebook participants, which would negatively impact its bottom line.