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Sheryl Sandberg: Users Would Have To Pay To Opt Out of Facebook Ads (fastcompany.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: In an interview with Today airing Friday morning, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg insisted that Facebook does not sell or give away user information, but made clear that Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers. If Facebook users don't like its ad-based model, the only other option would be to have users pay for the service so they could keep their data to themselves. As Sandberg told Today: "Our service depends on your data, [so] we don't have an opt-out at the highest level. That would be a paid product."

223 comments

  1. that's correct by iggymanz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Users of facebook are the product. Don't like it, do what I did 8 years ago, and leave it

    1. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Just like google

    2. Re:that's correct by Spazmania · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Seems reasonable to me. Pay with cash or pay with your privacy. Facebook is a business not a charity. No one forces you to use them.

      --
      Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion.
    3. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The new competitions to show how cool you are is to brag about how long ago you gave up facebook.

    4. Re:that's correct by iggymanz · · Score: 2

      Actually some websites do try to force it's use. And there are even employers who strongly suggest getting a linkedin or facebook account. I have one of those, but I'm not complying with their "wishes".

    5. Re:that's correct by iggymanz · · Score: 2

      that's the seventh time you've posted something like that. do you have an obsessive-compulsive disorder?

    6. Re:that's correct by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      But I'm not cool, I didn't give up linkedin until Microsoft impending acquisition was announced, and that was quite recent. I filled my profile with garbage at that time, so the system would have a few weeks to have backups of and propagate utter bullshit about myself. Hint: the Vatican was one of the possible countries in the drop-down for experience.

    7. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The beatings will continue until you improve your privacy practices.

    8. Re:that's correct by chispito · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Actually some websites do try to force it's use. And there are even employers who strongly suggest getting a linkedin or facebook account. I have one of those, but I'm not complying with their "wishes".

      Again, same logic applies. If my job requires me to have a social media account, and my job is not social media, I should find a new job. If a website requires me to log in with Facebook and provides no other method, I should find a new website.

      --
      The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
    9. Re:that's correct by KiloByte · · Score: 0

      I'd want to follow your advice but can't. I don't remember the usernames or passwords for any of facebook accounts I created, thus there's no way I can delete them. Can't ask facebook to find them by IP as all accesses not over Tor are blocked, redundantly, in browser extensions (by domain, with default policy: deny) and router (by IP block).

      The only not evil thing about facebook is them sponsoring some nice pieces of technology, but that's akin to research that made spaceflight possible or that-period advances in chemistry. And facebook needs to be treated the same way as Werner von Braun's previous employer was.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    10. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      While I agree with your approach, the problem with this approach is that it requires a mass population to follow suit. If you're the minority and you're not an absolute all star in your firld, you can be easily replaced. Most people need to adopt this philosophy or you'll find yourself in less desirable positions because many will cave to the requirement. This is why unions, although they too have their problems, work. They have the power to organize the labor force again a practice harmful to them.

    11. Re:that's correct by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      sure, sure easy for young single person living in area with plenty of job opportunities to do just that.

    12. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Facebook does not sell or give away user information [...] Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers

      Look at the double speak... in the SAME SENTANCE no less. This woman earns a 6 (or 7) digit income how?

    13. Re: that's correct by uncqual · · Score: 1, Interesting

      If your priority is your privacy and you take steps to retain that, how does that cause you to be in "a less desirable position" to someone who didn't care about their privacy as much. You are deriving benefit from being very private just as a hermit in the old days did and that benefit must be greater to you than whatever advantage you might gain by sacrificing your privacy (else, if you are rational, you would sacrifice your privacy). It's a bit like being a politician, they sacrifice their privacy so they can control other people around so they must feel the cost of sacrificing their privacy is less than the endorphin rush they get from controlling people.

      --
      Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading /.
    14. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except for shadow profiles. I have not ever had a Facepalm account, yet, because I have some ill-advised "friends" I have no doubt that there is a profile of me, out there, somewhere. That's the b**ch about this.

      And people have been telling me I wear a tinfoil hat when I tell them I don't have a Faceplant account.

      Yeah, right.

    15. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do all your browsing via tor? Probably means you take other extreme measures to protect your privacy.

      I hate to tell you but your extreme measures put a larger target on your back. Sure you may not have advertisers tracking you, but you have numerous government agencies' interests.

    16. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like you don't need to be using the Internet unsupervised if you create accounts and can't be bothered to use one of the numerous methods to secure and maintain the user account data you create.

    17. Re:that's correct by uncqual · · Score: 1

      Oh foolish you...

      It's just a matter of definition. "user information" != "user data".

      "user information" is something about you that FB doesn't know about you yet (so, it's not surprising they don't sell it or give it away - it's hard to sell a database of nulls).

      "user data", on the other hand, is something FB (thinks) they know about you (although, their image classification system probably makes FB think I'm a big nasty green scaly beast that spends a lot of time in the water and snags the occasional small child that gets too close to the bank of my pond -- and they are wrong as I'm not really very nasty).

      --
      Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading /.
    18. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Never used it.

    19. Re:that's correct by RonVNX · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Some of us have never had it to give up. And nothing of value has been lost.

    20. Re:that's correct by RonVNX · · Score: 2

      Sheryl Sandberg is a sleazeball. Do you really think Facebook would have hired her otherwise?

    21. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, good and well.. but when that software severely plays on the fundamental biological nature of our dopamine responses, it's a bit like saying to easily quit tabacco. Sorry, it's not that easy for some.. (not me, but I have seen it with others).. they knew they were exploiting a vulnerability in our consciousness..

    22. Re:that's correct by easyTree · · Score: 1

      I have one of those, but I'm not complying with their "wishes".

      Lucky for you it's not a "requirement" otherwise the situation would be... uhh, exactly the same? *confused*

    23. Re:that's correct by easyTree · · Score: 2

      GP:

      Users of facebook are the product. Don't like it, do what I did 8 years ago, and leave it

      P:

      How MANY FKCING times a day do I have to hear this stupid ** INTERNET MEME**.

      YES, we get it. STOP REPEATING THAT SHIT.

      Which part of GP's statement is the meme? That [s]he left FaceBook ?

      If not, sure, users are the product, as they are for magazines, tv, anything involving advertising revenue. Advertisers are the customer, your attention (you) is the product sold to the advertiser/NSA/etc.

    24. Re:that's correct by easyTree · · Score: 1

      Sheryl Sandberg is a sleazeball. Do you really think Facebook would have hired her otherwise?

      Nice.

      <voice style="Unreal Tournament Announcer">Double slur</voice>.

    25. Re:that's correct by KiloByte · · Score: 1

      You do all your browsing via tor?

      No, only when visiting a dodgy site, like Facebook.

      Probably means you take other extreme measures to protect your privacy.

      It's sad to hear that basic common sense is labelled "extreme" these days.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    26. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Facebook simply allows people to share words, images and videos with other people. There are innumerable other ways to achieve that without Facebook. Their only advantage is their knowledge of people's relationships to one another and their database of people. Liberate those and there is no need to find alternative funding for the Zuckerborg.

    27. Re:that's correct by Cute+Fuzzy+Bunny · · Score: 2

      I just made a facebook account with a fake name, address and no friends/likes. Works fine to view social media and for logins.

      I also save at least an hour a day not seeing what my high school girlfriends sister did today, or what my friends had for lunch.

    28. Re:that's correct by Cute+Fuzzy+Bunny · · Score: 1

      Not to mention that the government had a server in the tor network where it was able to hoover up whatever came by.

      I gave your same explanation to my elementary school age whiz kid son. You're probably just enjoying an illusion of safety, while making everyone wonder what it is you have to hide.

    29. Re:that's correct by reboot246 · · Score: 2

      They are not trustworthy. Even if you pay they could still do whatever they please with your data. If they're so devious that they would create "shadow accounts" for people who've never registered, then what makes anybody think they'll honor anything, including payments?

      I'm all for businesses making money. I'm invested in several businesses. Facebook is free to make as much as they can, but they're so dishonest that I'd never trust them as far as I could throw them. You're free to pay them if you wish, but in my opinion you'd be getting screwed twice.

    30. Re:that's correct by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Bullshit. They could simply do the ads tied to content with zero invasion of privacy. Why mine you digital identity, to manipulate your choices subconsciously, an extremely corrupt method of advertising. Everyone should not how shite Facebook are by now continue to use them and you deserve to be lied to and maniplute. Use Facebook as a company and well, for me, that's a black mark against you, liars deal with liars, use Facebook to promote products and it is a solid sign you can not be trusted. Shun companies that use Facebook and shun them publicly.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    31. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google is far worse

    32. Re: that's correct by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah hermits had a great life *rolleyes*

    33. Re: that's correct by mapkinase · · Score: 1

      What do you think we are discussing here?

      And why the the most boring banality you just said is upmodded?

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    34. Re: that's correct by Monster_user · · Score: 1

      The inference is that sustainability is of greater benefit than privacy. With privacy, nobody will know you starved or froze to death, or even just lost you're house.

      Finding another job isn't always as simple as putting in an application. Many of the highering paying jobs are quite specialized. The jobs available are few, so there are few experienced workers, and the workers with experience in those fields get paid a substantially higher pay than they would otherwise.

    35. Re: that's correct by reanjr · · Score: 1

      If an employer wants me to give them social media accounts, then I would ask for a second salary from the marketing department. I'm not going to spend my social capital selling my employer's product for free. Show me the money.

    36. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy enough to find another job. Be sure to mention social media is the reason for leaving. Or create an account without picutes and like thinks which are totally unrelated to yourself.

    37. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but but tinder only works with facebook

    38. Re:that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a "paid" tier of facebook would not work, isn't even feasible... because of all the connections between users, cross-posting, shares and reposts, tagging of pictures, likes, third-party tracking and tracking on third-party sites, messenger and mail, the games, snooping on phones and what's on them, instagram and everything it has as well, etc, etc, etc... where the fuck would you draw the line between 'protected' data and 'shared with advertisers' data. it couldn't possibly be done in a way that would satisfy facebook *and* the paying user.

      the only thing facebook could offer a paying user is an ad-free (not tracker-free) experience on its own site and pages (not facebook 'apps' or games developed by third parties), or perhaps an extended (but not privacy related) feature set

    39. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Facebook could go the way of Kodak film. Since people didn't need Kodak film to make great pictures with their cell phones
      Kodak went out of business. If a tech company like facebook has a business model with the huge flaw of multiple data breaches (some of many we probably don't even know about) some other startup will exploit facebook's huge faux pa by creating a service with built in security against data breaches as a side benefit to a completely different product that won't need to monitize users personal data in order to survive. And facebook will fold.

    40. Re: that's correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bravo been doing same everywhere since 2000.

  2. Even better by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    Just give Facebook a big middle finger. Or use it as a trash bin - it's good for that, as the ads go, by definition, straight to the trash bin.

    1. Re:Even better by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      Just give Facebook a big middle finger.

      Oh, we all know Facebook . . . if you give them a big middle finger, they will sell it.

      I'd like a Congress Critter to ask Zuckerberg during his testimony,

      "Mr. Zuckerberg, would you sell private data from your own grandmother . . . "

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:Even better by farble1670 · · Score: 2

      "Mr. Zuckerberg, would you sell private data from your own grandmother . . . "

      Whether it fits your narrative or not, they don't sell your data. This is stated by them, but it's also common sense. Your data is their pile of gold. If they sell it it lessens their ability to profit from it.

      That's one of the reason you'll see them crack down on things like Cambridge Analytica: they don't want someone other than Facebook profiting from your user data.

    3. Re:Even better by EvilSS · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just give Facebook a big middle finger.

      And now they have your fingerprint...

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    4. Re:Even better by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

      Just give Facebook a big middle finger.

      And now they have your fingerprint...

      How could they do that when the gesture involves showing the back of the middle finger?

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
    5. Re:Even better by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

      "Mr. Zuckerberg, would you sell private data from your own grandmother . . . "

      Mr. Zukerberg: My grandmother's data? No....

      ...But I'll sell you my grandmother.

    6. Re:Even better by MobyDisk · · Score: 2

      Because odds are that the guy standing behind you taking selfies is a Facebook user, and Facebook data-mined their pictures. That's the trouble: you can't escape the watchful eye of Facebook...

    7. Re:Even better by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

      Well played... (golfclap)

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
  3. This was the choice made in the last two decades by Koreantoast · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For better or worse, this was the choice that consumers made back in the 1990s and early 2000s with regards to Internet services. Services gave different models, paid subscription or free with advertising, and most consumers, perhaps in ignorance of the risk (or simply not caring), chose the latter.

  4. No, Sheryl by registrations_suck · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No Sheryl. Another alternative is to opt out of Facebook.

    IMHO, it is the best option.

    1. Re: No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yup. What is so hard for them to understand about, 'I don't want Facebook using my data, either.'? They can protect people from third parties all they want, if there's no safeguard against Facebook itself, even free is too expensive.

    2. Re:No, Sheryl by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2

      Another alternative is to opt out of Facebook

      . . .not really . . . as long as Kevin Bacon is still using Facebook, they are merely six degrees away from you.

      For folks who signed up and use Facebook, well, they gave their data away.

      But for folks who won't touch Facebook with your dick, but Facebook collects data on them anyway, because they are "real friends" with a Facebook user . . . that is quite nasty.

      If your name and telephone number is on the phone of a WhatsApp user . . . they've got you.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    3. Re:No, Sheryl by fustakrakich · · Score: 1, Troll

      opt out of Facebook

      You can't. Besides, it's not just facebook. Besides that, they're probably just following orders, you know, the secret ones...

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    4. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      opt out of Facebook

      You can't.

      How do I log into my, apparently mandatory, Facebook account? I haven't ever tried.

    5. Re:No, Sheryl by sinij · · Score: 0, Troll

      opt out of Facebook

      You can't.

      Yes you can, but you are not willing to pay social costs for doing so. Your reptilian brain won't let you stop telegraphing high status and reproductive fitness signals to your fellow monkeys. Your are addicted to endorphins released that way, so it is the same "You can't" that you would hear from a junkie.

    6. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      opt out of Facebook

      You can't.

      How do I log into my, apparently mandatory, Facebook account? I haven't ever tried.

      Easy, you set aside your self-respect and whore yourself out to project entirely fake self to a bunch of equally shallow people that don't care about you even a tiniest bit and are there just to piss into the wind.

      Any more questions?

    7. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      look at the brain on this one

      I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's talking about dark profiles and you just got Encarta Thesaurus Edition on CDROM

    8. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      You may not be able to login, but if any Facebook's cattle have your name and/or contact details stored in their address books, Facebook probably know who you are and where you live.

    9. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You can't because they collect the data anyway. Tracking cookies, contacts from friends phones, acquisitions of other companies you chose to use instead of FB owned apps, and a myriad of other ways they track you.

    10. Re:No, Sheryl by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Your rant does not apply. You personally can avoid contributing to it, but that doesn't help one bit.. When you're in, you're in. There is no out. The "no-peeing" section of the pool does not exist.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    11. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're pissing in the wind 'cause it's so pine fresh.

    12. Re:No, Sheryl by sinij · · Score: 2

      You personally can avoid contributing to it, but that doesn't help one bit..

      It is rather straight forward. If you personally don't contribute, then data on you only arrives from the secondary sources. If you limit web tracking by blocking FB and ask your friends not to tag you, then secondary data is very limited.

      Not submitting data to FB helps A GREAT DEAL.

    13. Re:No, Sheryl by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      You don't have to lift a finger. Your friends and neighbors (and everywhere you shop) will handle everything for you.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    14. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So does the phone book.

    15. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your reptilian brain won't let you stop telegraphing high status and reproductive fitness signals to your fellow monkeys.

      LOL, have you ever actually seen Facebook?

      High status and reproductive fitness? Not so much.

    16. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep.
      There are no identified pictures of me on the internet.
      I've asked friends to never tag me and actually search every year to make sure none have cropped up.

    17. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your reptilian brain won't let you stop telegraphing high status and reproductive fitness signals to your fellow monkeys.

      I thought monkeys were primates, not reptiles. I thought I knew biology :(

    18. Re:No, Sheryl by JThundley · · Score: 1

      I don't have a Facebook account, should I also pay for them to stop collecting data on me? I'm not receiving any services from them.

    19. Re:No, Sheryl by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      If you limit web tracking

      What makes you think you can really do that?

      There is no argument against such powerful faith. Secondary sources work just fine. Just search your name in Google, and BAM! And if you only have a few friends, you might buy some time, until one of their friends start tagging. And then there is the state, bank, store, etc, gonna trust them too? Try as you might, the privacy atrophies very rapidly, especially if you use a credit card and have a job. Facebook just makes it obvious. It only reveals what has already existed for a very long time. Their "crime" is that somebody got careless and blew the cover off. Their only regret is in getting caught, and regardless, nothing will come of it. And I can assure you that you would not be too difficult to find in Facebook. It is foolish to believe that a full profile can't be built from secondary sources, it just takes a little longer.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    20. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no ur lizard brain made dopamin squeezins
      so u cant escape skinner box matrix
      indubitably

    21. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " Just search your name in Google, and BAM!"

      I do that every week for the last 20 years. Still nothing. This website is full of amateurs. Hiding is easy.

    22. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why you don't share a ton of crap with your friends via phone/text/email either. Get together, be social, meet, eat and exchange stories about your lives. Its healthy (mentally) and far more satisfying than bland words on a screen.

      Also, paranoia is a way of life. Ad blockers, script blockers, and all the other tips and tricks to stay off the radars of everyone you can (such as no club/shopper cards, making critical purchases via cash). Try hard enough and yes, you can opt-out, even from the shadow profiles.

      It just takes work instead of accepting the laziness the world is offering you.

    23. Re:No, Sheryl by sinij · · Score: 1

      You don't have to hide 100% as the ultimate goal is to be resistant to manipulation, not resistant to them knowing you exist.

    24. Re:No, Sheryl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We can't all be so lucky, Mr. Gaylord.

    25. Re:No, Sheryl by sinij · · Score: 1

      Your reptilian brain won't let you stop telegraphing high status and reproductive fitness signals to your fellow monkeys.

      I thought monkeys were primates, not reptiles. I thought I knew biology :(

      Unfortunately, your lack of knowledge of physiology is apparent. Reptilian brain is a subsystem in charge of regulation of hormones and so on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    26. Re:No, Sheryl by registrations_suck · · Score: 1

      I look at porn that I am not really interested in, just so they don't know what kind of porn I REALLY like.

  5. So they don't sell or give away user information by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but share user data with advertisers. How is that not selling it or giving it away?

  6. Arrogant much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Kill it with fire.

  7. So, it's a ransom by fustakrakich · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    And their "privacy" policy is really a Miranda warning, as they all are. Everything to you do will be used against you.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  8. #DeleteFacebook by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    #DeleteFacebook

    "But, we need to do X because money."

    #DeleteFacebook

    "But we really don't do X."

    #DeleteFacebook

    1. Re:#DeleteFacebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Delete your facebook!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbS-dKD4c9I

      btw kids Mars Argo is active again if you care.

    2. Re:#DeleteFacebook by chispito · · Score: 4, Insightful

      #DeleteFacebook "But, we need to do X because money." #DeleteFacebook "But we really don't do X." #DeleteFacebook

      It's so funny to use a hashtag to advocate a social media boycott. I do not think it sends the message you think it sends.

      --
      The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
    3. Re:#DeleteFacebook by gatkinso · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yet the irony is del.icio.us.

      --
      I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
    4. Re:#DeleteFacebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ridiculous. I'm sure it sounds cool to say but it's bullshit. You ain't that sharp kid.

      This isn't a protest against social media. It's a protest against facebook's privacy policies and how they treat users.

    5. Re:#DeleteFacebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You realize he's talking about Facebook and not all social media, right? And also that hashtags not only aren't unique to Facebook, they're barely used there at all.

    6. Re:#DeleteFacebook by dlingman · · Score: 1

      Facebook treats it's customers just fine. Try getting any info out of them about how someone else's advertising campaign is going. Unfortunately, the users of the system are not those customers.

    7. Re:#DeleteFacebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you understand. Just because you delete your facebook account doesn't mean your data magically deletes from their servers. Once you sign a contract, you can't unsign it. You have given away your data to them and it's theirs forever.

      I think the funniest part is people making an attempt to "poison" their data. Did you not think they have a history on every change you make?

  9. Payment by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Payment would actually be worse, since it would allow FB accounts to be tied to a real identity via a credit card or Paypal account.

    1. Re:Payment by Daneel+Olivaw+R.+ · · Score: 0, Troll

      Payment would actually be worse, since it would allow FB accounts to be tied to a real identity via a credit card or Paypal account.

      if only there was a way to send money digitally but wallets cannot be tracked/easily hacked... oh wait, cryptocurrencies are useless and slashdot hates it

    2. Re:Payment by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Facebook would probably not accept crypto because they'd WANT to know users' identities.

    3. Re:Payment by sinij · · Score: 2

      You could get a prepaid credit card in your dog's name, but then FB would know you are a dog.

    4. Re:Payment by darkain · · Score: 1

      The problem with this argument is if you take the entirety of Facebook as a whole as a single entity, and not broken down into their different divisions. Remember that Facebook also operates as a Tor hidden service. Their engineering units are all for using the latest and greatest of technologies, it is simply the business figureheads that put limitations on things.

    5. Re:Payment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Their is a way, buy anonymous visa or mastercards. you can purchase them with Cash over the counter in most countries. I use them to pay for my VPN service and any other service I don't want them to have any details about me.

  10. Email STILL works with friends by BoRegardless · · Score: 2

    Unless you need to pretend you are more than your real self.

    1. Re:Email STILL works with friends by SeaFox · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Facebook doesn't do anything a blog couldn't before. The difference is the mental barrier of entry for usage. Subscribing to an RSS feed is too hard for many people compared with just Liking someone, or doing whatever people do to start getting spammed with the other's updates.

    2. Re:Email STILL works with friends by Hankenstein · · Score: 1

      Do you pay for your email? Gmail seems headed towards the same situation. Yahoo and hotmail already serve up unwanted ads to their free email service.

    3. Re:Email STILL works with friends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do pay about $40/year (after almost 15 years of incremental inflation) for a hosted email solution on my own domain. I use their website once a year to authorized a renewal charge on my credit card, and otherwise just connect with TLS-protected IMAP and SMTP. They have a webmail interface but I don't use it, nor do I retain email on their server. I configured my IMAP client to immediately retrieve and delete messages as they arrive, so my local inbox is my working archive and the hosted email is just a queue.

      I don't think my provider has a google or facebook-like agenda to somehow monetize me beyond the fact that they should have at least a 50% margin if not 75% on this service fee. But, I assume they may not be the most secure platform either, so I don't pretend that it is truly private and secure. It is just my hedge to help keep the possibility of decentralized email alive in the ecosystem.

      I also have a gmail account that I use as a backup contact and with Android, but which sees very little traffic. And I have work-issued email that I try to only use for work purposes, even though I work for a university and have historically seen a very liberal interpretation of email policy in effect here.

      I also avoid the mass market social media services. Many years ago, I did try facebook for a short while and then concluded that I should try their account deletion flow. I think I got the exhibitionism out of my system in the early to mid 90s via usenet and other precursors and now see these systems for the liabilities they represent.

      As an anonymous coward, I am not looking to stroke any reputation here with my tired hipster claims. To be honest, I had already gotten tired of usenet trolls by the time slashdot was popular, so I never found a desire to get an account here either. I prefer to let my comments each live on their own and not be tied to any identity or reputation. If I do feel the urge to contribute a comment on sites that don't allow anonymous comments, I usually just bite my tongue. In a few cases, I have created accounts with randomized account names to approximate my own anonymous coward mode, but that only happens if I have bit my tongue enough times to start to notice a sore spot...

    4. Re:Email STILL works with friends by antdude · · Score: 1

      But many people hate e-mails, IMs, etc. these days. :(

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    5. Re:Email STILL works with friends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because they're stupid. Do you want to associate with stupid people?

  11. Why is this surprising? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the benefit of anyone who finds this surprising, allow me to offer a summary.

    1. Facebook gives you a lot of stuff for free.
    2. They need something to pay the bills.
    3. That something is ads.
    4. They can charge advertisers lots of money in exchange for being able to target their ads well.
    5. Targeting well is very hard to do without knowing things about their users.
    6. Users may not want Facebook to know things about them.
    7. If Facebook obliges, then they no longer have a product to sell to advertisers.
    8. So users pay to compensate for lost revenue.

    1. Re:Why is this surprising? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you, your paycheck is in the mail.

      - Mark Z.

      captcha: friendly

    2. Re:Why is this surprising? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. Facebook gives you a lot of stuff for free.

      That's nice. I don't want any of it.

      2. They need something to pay the bills.

      So do I, that's why I have a day job. Maybe Zuck can get a job as an Uber driver, he'll fit right in there.

      3. That something is ads.

      Whew, I was starting to worry that thee weren't enough ads in the world. If there isn't an ad in view at all times, what's the point of living?

      4. They can charge advertisers lots of money in exchange for being able to target their ads well.

      I can save them all a lot of time and money - send them straight to the trash. Any money spent "targeting" ads to me is wasted. They're all lies.

      5. Targeting well is very hard to do without knowing things about their users.

      Good.

      6. Users may not want Facebook to know things about them.

      Same goes for non-users. Who, again, are costing Facebook nothing in services but are still being monetized.

      7. If Facebook obliges, then they no longer have a product to sell to advertisers.

      Tough shit.

      8. So users pay to compensate for lost revenue.

      You don't pay for "lost revenue." Nobody is entitled to maintain a revenue stream. If they need money for operating costs, they can charge for operating costs. Just as long as they stop shaking down people who want nothing to do with their "services" and did not consent to being sold as their product.

  12. Give people the option to opt out please.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .... and then we can decide whether we want our data to be in the wild (free), we want to keep our data (paid), or to leave FB altogether.

  13. Nice privacy you got here by sinij · · Score: 1

    Nice privacy you got here, shame if something happened to it.

    What she doesn't say that you will have to continue paying for privacy in perpetuity for anything you share with FB.

  14. You are the product at Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you're not paying for the service then you're the product.

    1. Re:You are the product at Facebook by gatkinso · · Score: 1

      Really?

      --
      I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
  15. And we're to believe they'd honor that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry, Sheryl, trust in Facebook has been beaten, shot, drawn, quartered, fed through the wood chipper and used as fertilizer. Even if they were to offer a paid "trust us, we won't share your data" option, there is zero reason to believe that would happen. The data is in the system and Facebook has proven that they're fully prepared to share data without letting people know, so there's no reason to believe that they would honor a "this is a paying customer, exclude this data" flag on an account.

  16. Add free still wouldn't solve the problem. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Facebook still messes with the feeds of things that you are following. The extent of their social engineering experiments is underappreciated.

  17. Pop-corn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    making some pop-corn and reading "you will never have to pay for facebook" result from Google.

  18. It's not "selling" only "sharing" by Logger · · Score: 2

    They don't "sell or give away" your information, they merely "share it [sic]" ( with companies that pay them ) . See, that's clearly different. /s

    1. Re:It's not "selling" only "sharing" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They must be selling a subscription to access their servers.... which contain all your information...

    2. Re:It's not "selling" only "sharing" by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      They don't "sell or give away" your information, they merely "share it [sic]" ( with companies that pay them ) . See, that's clearly different. /s

      Who do you think you are quoting? Hint: it's not Sandberg. Here's what she actually said (I had to click through one more link):

      Sandberg said Facebook doesn't sell or give away its users' information to advertisers, even though "our service depends on your data." She said some businesses want to do "targeted ads" and have them shown to certain users, so Facebook does allow that — but she insisted no individual information is passed onto advertisers.

    3. Re:It's not "selling" only "sharing" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course they don't sell it or give it away. Giving it away would be doing something for free. Selling it would imply they no longer had it afterwards.

      What they do is sell copies of your information.

  19. You **ARE** the product. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't like it, don't use it.

  20. Oh yeah? by stevegee58 · · Score: 0

    Well then fuck Facebook!

  21. you are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if you aren't paying for the service then you are the product. dont complain if youre not paying for it

  22. You ARE the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you're not paying to access Facebook, then guess what?

    YOU are the product.

  23. Not quite ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Facebook users don't like its ad-based model, the only other option would be to have users pay for the service so they could keep their data to themselves. As Sandberg told Today: "Our service depends on your data, [so] we don't have an opt-out at the highest level. That would be a paid product."

    Hey, Facebook cunt ... want to know the other option?

    Delete Facebook!!!

  24. Just be clear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have no problem with Facebook collecting and selling some data provided:

    1. They state that clearly.
    2. They are clear what data they are collecting.
    3. They use the data to sell ads, but do not sell the data to third parties without my explicit consent.
    4. Some data should never be sold, such as data related to the health of a person.

    I could be missing some, but this is a start.

  25. This not that. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

    ... Facebook does not sell or give away user information, but made clear that Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers.

    And by "data" they mean "information" and by "share" they mean "sell" -- if that wasn't actually clear. So, that settles that. Thanks Sheryl.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:This not that. by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      And by "data" they mean "information" and by "share" they mean "sell" -- if that wasn't actually clear. So, that settles that. Thanks Sheryl.

      And you are quoting the article that's summarizing the interview (rather poorly), not anything from the interview itself. Here's the quote where that came from:

      Sandberg said Facebook doesn't sell or give away its users' information to advertisers, even though "our service depends on your data." She said some businesses want to do "targeted ads" and have them shown to certain users, so Facebook does allow that — but she insisted no individual information is passed onto advertisers.

  26. She must think we are all just "dumb fucks" too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    She must think we are all just "dumb fucks" too

    Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg insisted that Facebook does not sell or give away user information

    but made clear that Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers

    Sooooooooo giving away... likely followed by advertisers sharing "money" in return.

    I hope Facebook gets shot up next.

  27. Facebook has 1.2 billion monthly active users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    cite:
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenchaykowski/2017/06/27/facebook-officially-hits-2-billion-users/

    revenue in 2017 topped 40 billion

    where do I send my 20$ for keeping my privacy?

  28. Recommend uBlock and Brave to everyone by DeplorableCodeMonkey · · Score: 1

    I recommend Brave to everyone I know because it's as great blockers baked in. Works great on Facebook. I can't remember the last time I saw sidebar ads on Facebook.

  29. Weaponized Web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even if the option existed, facebook would still collect all the data they could, would still track you across the interwebs, will still house your data/relationships for an unspecified amount of time and... will still SHARE that data "to improve services", general law enforcement queries, politics, power-play or whatever works to their advantage.

    The same would be true for any company (all of whom are unaccountable to anyone) that collect/share and surveille as part of their "business" model.

    Welcome to the weaponized web where users are NOT the product but the TARGET.

  30. Re: This was the choice made in the last two decad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most businesses realize personal account details/information they have on you are considered valuable by many companies, especially those in advertising. Although you may not see ads, your information would inevitable be sold. Plenty of businesses would (and do) tuck this into their terms of service agreements. No matter what you would have been sold out for a profit so it's best to not pretend and work on approaches to mitigate what companies can use.

  31. Only people being scammed are advertisers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have never clicked on a Facebook ad or any ad for that matter and don't understand who does or how advertisers make their money back. I think the whole advertising thing is elaborate flame, but whatever floats your boat....

    1. Re:Only people being scammed are advertisers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A lot of advertising is actually a long con. Most people won't click on the ad, but if they see it, it still gets in their head. Once an association is made between a product and a company, the company is remembered when the person thinks of the product.

      Let's say Company X is advertising Food Y. You don't care because you don't eat Food Y. Some time later, you see Study Z indicate the health benefits of Food Y. Now you're more likely to buy from Company X because that's all you previously knew about Food Y. And you will adamantly refuse that ads have any effect on you while happily chowing down on Company X's Food Y.

    2. Re:Only people being scammed are advertisers by dlingman · · Score: 1

      And you never click on magazine ads, or tv ads either, yet they must be considered valuable by someone, or they wouldn't spend their $$ there.

      Would you like to know more? Click here...

  32. block facebook completely by FudRucker · · Score: 1

    dont even allow their domain to connect to your PC or laptop or mobile device, #DeleteFacebook

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
    1. Re:block facebook completely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dont even allow their domain to connect to your PC or laptop or mobile device, #DeleteFacebook

      blocking packets? you must be hiding something. grounds for a search warrant.

  33. Nah by Berkyjay · · Score: 1

    I just have to install the uBlock and Facebook purity extensions.....for free.....and the ads go poof!

  34. Re:This was the choice made in the last two decade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For better or worse, this was the choice that consumers made back in the 1990s and early 2000s with regards to Internet services. Services gave different models, paid subscription or free with advertising, and most consumers, perhaps in ignorance of the risk (or simply not caring), chose the latter.

    This is one of the core problems with the US right now. We have this weird belief that because something was done in the past it can never be changed. Times change and so should we. Back in the 90s it was exponentially more difficult to harvest information. Today it's exponentially more difficult to maintain privacy. When something fundamental changes in the world you don't just say "well, we decided xyz 30 years ago so that's just the way it is".

    Facebook can offer an paid service that doesn't sell your info and maintain their free service if they want too. It won't even really cost them more. They can't easily stop people from scraping what you post publicly but that isn't on FB, that's on us. We CAN reverse the privacy situation we just need to stop suggesting otherwise and do it.

  35. Put your money where your mouth is, FaceBook by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    Seriously, Sheryl - give people the option to pay for Facebook membership and guarantee that, with a paid subscription, a user's data will not be shared with anyone and excluded from Facebook's data mining.

    Feel free to price it to cover the lost per-user revenue - which I doubt is more than a few cents. Heck, charge them a buck a month and turn a profit!

    If Facebook did that, I would recommend that option to everyone I know who is unwilling to quit Facebook. I won't rejoin, but people like me aren't the norm anyway.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Put your money where your mouth is, FaceBook by q4Fry · · Score: 1

      Facebook "guaranteed" it would never share my birthdate after they "needed" it to make sure I was 13+. Then, a few years later, they started showing it without any change in my settings.

      Best case scenario: It turns into an extortion racket where they promise to continue not-selling your data as long as you keep paying the ever-increasing fees.
      Likeliest scenario: You pay them, and their solicitors decide that "a user's data" is different than "a user's (metadata|$anything_with_resale_value)," and sell you out anyway. Plus fees.
      Worst case scenario: Zuckerberg is revealed to be Robot Nixon.

      They can take their "guarantees," and put them into the bonfire of promises from politicians and companies that are too big to fail.

  36. How much would it cost me? by abelenky17 · · Score: 1

    Realistically, how much money does FB make off of showing me, personally, ads?

    How much would it cost me to submit an ad-buy, targeted specifically at me, and me only, that shows nothing but blank whitespace?

    1. Re:How much would it cost me? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

      ...Realistically, how much money does FB make off of showing me, personally, ads?...

      $0.75 – about how much Cambridge Analytica paid per voter in bid to micro-target their minds, internal docs reveal. https://www.theregister.co.uk/...

    2. Re:How much would it cost me? by Megol · · Score: 1

      What makes you think they are the only one paying?

    3. Re:How much would it cost me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It might be possible for an "ad" service that detected when one of its paying customers was about to be served an ad, and bid high to get that placement. Then the ad service would deliver a nice clean whitespace (or maybe a tiny logo so you know they're doing their job), no annoying audio, no annoying video, no drain on your data plan. The ad-cancelling service, hooked into all the big advertising networks, would offer you x blocked ads for $y. It might not get all the ads you're faced with daily, but it could make things a lot less unpleasant.

      Unfortunately, until such a thing happens, you can't buy an ad targeted just at yourself. You can try to buy one aimed at your demographic but you'd end up buying it for everyone that shares your demographic and it'll probably be a lot more than you'd want to pay.

    4. Re:How much would it cost me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It'll never happen because the entire concept is so outrageously horrid: you expect me to pay you to stop invading my personal environment with advertising. Fuck. Right. Off.

      http://www.artsjournal.com/riley/2013/05/banksy-coke-bottle/

  37. DHT peer to peer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can a DHT peer to peer social network exist with ~10 billion users? Or would it be too slow.. THat would be the way to go if the network could handle it.. Each user keeps their own data hosted by themselves and trusted 'friends', each friend could classify how many levels deep of friends they may wish to mirror the content, and or how much.... maybe only online status and relay messages or direct IPs when users are online. or that and text only or text+image, text+images+xtype-data...

    multiple devices owned by one user could relay/host their content(and that of their friends)...

    anfnioe-cetdoapr.niratyt

  38. Honestly... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

    I've never used Facebook, but that's a deal that just might get me to join if I thought I could trust Facebook to honor it. Unfortunately for Facebook, I don't have that trust.

    1. Re:Honestly... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

      ...if I thought I could trust Facebook to honor it....

      That's the problem. Who can trust Facebook anymore?

  39. Social media needs to be decentralized by Virtex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    One major problem with Facebook (and other social media sites) is that they are built to be centralized. If you want to connect with someone on Facebook then you also need to be on Facebook. What we need is a decentralized social media platform built on open protocol specifications that can be implemented and reimplemented by different companies. That's how the web works. If the web had been built the way Facebook was built, you would need Facebook's special browser to view Facebook, Google's special browser to view Google sites, Amazon's special browser to view Amazon, etc. But because the web is built on open standards, I can run whatever browser I want to view their sites, whether it be Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, or any other browser that implements the standard base of HTML, CSS, and Javascript functionality. And if I decide I don't like my browser I can switch to another and still access the web. Email also works this way. Don't like your email provider? Find another one and you will still be able to communicate with your friends. Sure you'll need a new email address, but it will still work. Or if you're technically inclined, run your own email server. That's what I do and I love it. But I could never run my own Facebook server because there are no options for me to be able to do that, nor would Facebook ever allow such a thing to exist because their entire business model is based on having complete control over your data.

    Having a common standard for social media would also go a long way toward eliminating the fragmentation in social media. Obligatory xkcd.

    --
    For every post, there is an equal and opposite re-post.
    1. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check out "SocialEngine". You can run your own, but it is just about as locked down as fb is.

    2. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What we need is a decentralized social media platform built on open protocol specifications that can be implemented and reimplemented by different companies

      Sorry, but I don't need a social media platform, and neither does anyone else, except for advertisers.

    3. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should take a look at blockstack.org or perhaps Matrix.org

    4. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by novakyu · · Score: 1

      I found this completely decentralized social media system recently. As far as I can tell, everyone is on it (although you can't always easily search for them), and no one single entity controls it. It's called RealLife (TM).

    5. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What we need is a decentralized social media platform built on open protocol specifications that can be implemented and reimplemented by different companies.

      It's called Diaspora. Nobody uses it...

      https://diasporafoundation.org/

    6. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's called email and NNTP.

    7. Re:Social media needs to be decentralized by hansg · · Score: 1

      A new standard? Obligatory xkcd

      --
      I don't have one
  40. Not the first time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People pay for cable television and still get commercials. Why not the same on Facebook?

  41. "Free, and always will be" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hmm, in the facebook.com web page, in order to create an account, it says:

    "It’s free and always will be."

    for some definition of free.

    aka, it's free to play fast and loose with your data.

    it's free to disregard your preferences.

    your data is "free".

  42. So, how much will it cost? by llamalad · · Score: 1

    And when will it be availble?

    1. Re:So, how much will it cost? by PPH · · Score: 1

      How much to opt out of Facebook altogether?

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    2. Re:So, how much will it cost? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And when will it be available?

      Just as importantly, what options will be available? How much control will one have?

      The current Facebook advertising model - like many others - is an illegal model. It violates a fundamental right, namely the right to have all advertising be opt-in. The audience must be able to control the subject areas and even the companies or organizations from which they receive advertising. The rights of the audience are just as important as the rights of the producer. Otherwise, we end up with something very similar to kidnapping - third parties are stealing a portion of somebody else's for their own gain, a situation that no rational society can tolerate.

  43. Re:This was the choice made in the last two decade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The general populace chose the advertising model. Advertisers decided to torture us with poorly thought out reactive advertising and actively hostile ad-selection scripts.

    A small few sites are still civilized and host their advertisements server-side. With most such implementations, the ad is completely missed by adblock unless you have the image source completely blacklisted. It has access to every single "visitor distinction" metric that the web page has, and it shows content related to the subject of the site, rather than things the visitor purchased last week.

  44. Huh? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

    ...Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg insisted that Facebook does not sell or give away user information, but made clear that Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers...

    Let me see if i understand her... Facebook does not sell or give away user information, but Fabcebook's entire business model is based upon Facebook sharing user data with advertisers. So what, exactly does Facebook get for sharing the user data from advertisers? Free pizza?

    1. Re:Huh? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

      for sharing the user data with advertisers? ... So what, exactly does Facebook get for sharing the user data with advertisers? Free pizza?

    2. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Facebook builds profiles on its users. (and the entire damned internet)
      Advertisers pay to target demographic subsets of those users.
      Facebook does so without handing individual data to the Advertiser, because the ads are shown on the FB ad network to users who fit the demographic(s) chosen by the Advertiser.

      That's how.

      Deeper, Advertisers are constantly helping to create new demographics, which are merely classes of potential customers. This means FB profits from advertisers additionally by getting more targeting information classes to build from existing profiles, to then offer back to Advertisers as additional demographics they might be interested in by saying "We see your product is popular with inner-city youths aged 14-18 who love basketball and Mom's spaghetti. We can offer you targeting of those and show your ad to 28,381 people who fit this demographic in (REGION)." That's all the advertiser needs to see, and that is all FB shows them (yes, I have run ads on Facebook for clients).

      No one is Facebook's customer. Both sides are products being sold to someone.

  45. Could we even trust them to do that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's say that FB offered an option to opt out of their data collection and sale in exchange for a monthly or yearly subscription. Does anyone trust them to stop collecting data on you and selling it to the highest bidder (because they can), once they have your subscription fees? Or will it be like cable/satellite TV service? You pay for the service itself, but you still get 18 minutes of ads for every 30 minutes of air time. Sounds like a raw deal to me.

  46. Re: This was the choice made in the last two decad by jenningsthecat · · Score: 2

    No matter what you would have been sold out for a profit so it's best to not pretend and work on approaches to mitigate what companies can use.

    Came to say pretty much this. I don't trust ANY corporation, whether I'm paying them or not, to even apply good security practices to my data. I certainly don't trust them to not SELL my data - especially since they can sell it over and over again. And I really, really, really don't trust social media to not sell it, (especially Facebook), because selling other people's personal, private data is their business model.

    I also suspect that, in the aggregate, corporations pay WAY more to buy data, than people will pay to buy back their privacy. And if people do start paying in large numbers, then there will be a tipping point where corporations will consider the remaining available data to be worth less money. And if people who were paying to keep their data private stop paying for some reason, (or even miss a payment or two), then all their data is suddenly up for grabs again. So I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell we'll see paid social media subscriptions. And if we do see them, we can be absolutely certain that the 'members' aren't getting what they're paying for.

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  47. Re:This was the choice made in the last two decade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'm sure FB will stop info scraping if you pay them... just as I'm sure that Congress is 100% for the people and never would pass laws because someone donated to their campaign.

    Long term, I would probably say that we are far better off with interconnected social networks. That way, someone's wall over at one social network can be seen by someone at another, but information exchange other than requests is limited.

  48. If Facebook users don't like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Facebook users don't like its ad-based model, the only other option would be to have users pay for the service so they could keep their data to themselves. ... or shit just stop using the product entirely... I mean they've lied to us numerous times.. what makes you think they're not going to again? What's that old adage.. Something about Break my leg once shame on me... break my legs 2x....

  49. Why not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why don't they offer the option? I would seriously consider it, depending on the price of course.

  50. What a delight! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Once again, more news this week that people are portraying as bad, that I see as nothing but good. (The earlier news being that so many chat services now admit they read peoples' conversations looking for prohibited sex talk.) So, why is this story such a delight?

    It's a delight because if you hear this story and also use Facebook, it must be awefully hard to avoid asking yourself this question: "How much is Facebook worth to me?" What a nice, innocent, harmless question. :-) :-) :-) I'm sure many people will see Facebook's value.

  51. I don't believe them by charles05663 · · Score: 1

    Disclaimer: I don't use Facebook as I don't trust them and I like to maintain some sort of semblance of privacy.

    I am convinced that even if they charged users to keep their information private they would still sell it . Money trumps all in their business.

    They have no ethics and either does Google, LinkedIn, etc. Remember Googles original motto of Do No Evil? That went quickly by the wayside.

  52. No value by thunderclees · · Score: 1

    Sheryl is fantasizing because if users had to pay for access Facebook would soon find out its actual value and dry up and blow away.

  53. black mirror by bigdavex · · Score: 1

    I better start cycling to get those credits.

    --
    -Dave
  54. So in other words.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    FACEBOOK: "We have collected a lot of private & personal data on you, PAY US or we will share it with others!"

  55. Who needs facebook anyway? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I opted out of Facebook the day it was created, The privacy implications were obvious to me already back then and hence I never ever will be on The Book .Also because of where they got much of their initial funding (look it up, it's suspect by definition). If someone or some company wants to force me to use Facebook, I will simply opt out of their service as well. It it's a US government agency that wants to force me ("no Facebook account? You must have something to hide, Mr. Terrorist."), then I opt put of visiting the US and will spent my money elsewhere in the world. It's that simple.

    For the same reason, I do not have membership/discount/loyalty cards at any retail chains. It's none of their business what I buy when and what that combined info might say about my profile or habits.

    I do have a LinkedIn account - containing only public info about my CV. I don't comment, don't "like", and don't message except to turn down recruiter inquiries (an I anyway delete all messages once they served their purpose). They don't even have my phone number, even though they tried to make that mandatory "for password recovery" (as they call it). They think they have and verified it, but they have been wrong since the very moment I gave them that piece of non-info. Anyway, I find that LinkedIn is trying very hard to become Facebook Bis. If they continue on that path, I might opt out of them as well. I already dumped a lesser known competitor of theirs for the same reason a few years ago.

  56. So in other words.... by TheStickBoy · · Score: 1

    FACEBOOK: "We have collected a lot of private & personal data on you, PAY US or we will share it with others!"

  57. Not Selling? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "In an interview with Today airing Friday morning, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg insisted that Facebook does not sell or give away user information, but made clear that Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers."

    How can she state "does not sell" followed up by "entire model is based on being able to share... with advertisers" in same sentence. Sharing your data for money sure sounds like selling.

  58. Re: This was the choice made in the last two decad by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

    It boils down to exactly that: Companies will pay more for the data than individuals will pay to keep the data from being distributed.

    What needs to be done is to decentralize social networks, with usable connections between others. I have a bunch of people in a local area with one interest. Someone on my social network wants to keep track of what someone else is doing on a social network in another town. This wouldn't be difficult to implement, especially with age-old protocols like NNTP, and authentication protocols like OpenID.

    The Diaspora Project looks interesting, possibly.

    In any case, decentralization is key.

  59. Too late for that... and how could they do it? by wardrich86 · · Score: 1

    the only other option would be to have users pay for the service so they could keep their data to themselves

    1. Facebook has already given a massive amount of data over to advertisers already. Even if I start paying now, it's already too late.

    2. Facebook keeps shadow profiles on non-users, so how exactly would a non-user pay Facebook to protect their data? They'd have to sign up for FB...

  60. Why can't the poor by rsilvergun · · Score: 2

    just buy more money? You realize that's what you sound like, right? Getting a new job isn't easy in most places. Especially if you're one of the millions without a college degree or if you've every had anything go wrong in your life (major illness by you or family, arrest and conviction, House burning down, etc, etc).

    Telling people to just go find new work is all very bootstrappy and such, but let's not forget that the phrase "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps" describes an act that is literally impossible.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Why can't the poor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pull yourself by your bootstraps makes perfect sense if you're hanging inverted.

    2. Re:Why can't the poor by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

      You mean like this.

      --
      Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  61. Like doing nerd stuff with other people by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    it sounds dirty when I write it like that, but hey, if you're into Warhammer, D&D, etc you _will_ have a Facebook because that's where the meet ups are coordinated. Same with meet ups for computer clubs, the 3D Printer crowds, etc. Facebook took over what used to be done on usenet & bulletin board systems.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  62. (((Sheryl Sandberg))) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there an echo in here?

  63. Re: This was the choice made in the last two decad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like you want to go all the way back to bbs times.

  64. We wont leave facebook beacuse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We wont leave facebook (and others like it) because we (collectively) do not know the value of our personal data. If you knew your 14 year old's personal data was worth $750,000 (a number I pulled out of my a$$) over their lifetime, would you let them give it away just so they could talk to their friends on snapchat?

    I have no idea how much my data is worth, but it is likely a significant number, and it belonged to me when I was born, but I've given it away for free.

  65. shock! horror! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    commercial website needs to make money in order to pay bills and give returns to investors!

    where on earth did people think the money was coming from to run the website?

  66. A paid model is the sensible solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For one Facebook puts things in correct terms and makes a reasonable statement. Sandberg is spot on here: Facebook is a business and users need to pay up.

    The PROBLEM is that Facebook doesn't give users this choice. If Facebook rolled out a legitimate, contractually-bound option for users to pay a set fee and in exchange undergo ABSOLUTELY NO data mining, that would be both fair and ethical.

    But users are not given that choice, and until hey are, users should #DeleteFacebook

    1. Re:A paid model is the sensible solution by Keith+Henson · · Score: 1

      Facebook has never had a paid version. But Slashdot used to have one, and I used to pay for it. They dropped this option some years ago.

      I wonder what Facebook would have to charge if they offered a no ads, no fake news option?

      --
      End MGM. Get prospective parents of boys to Google: Men do complain
  67. Re:So they don't sell or give away user informatio by dlingman · · Score: 1

    Because the advertisers don't see the individual data - just the aggregate data.

    I want to advertise to left handed male Italian plumbers in Chicago and New York who have spent $500 or more a year on tools. They can tell me approximately how many people meet those demographics. That's the sharing part. From that, I get told how much my ad will cost, and I can place my ad, which will be seen by those people.

    The data about the users seeing the ads has not been given or sold to the users. Just access to the web page in front of that particular sub set of users that have managed to self identify (possibly via facial recognition, group membership, the about areas etc etc) as being in that group. This gets correlated with purchaing info etc to help nail down the people you want to spam.

  68. oh, sheeyl, sheryl, sheryl by mapkinase · · Score: 1

    Haven't you heard about ADP?

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  69. Adblockers and FB by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there any value for FB to track a person who consistently uses adblocker? If they can't show any advertisement, tracking seems to be a waste of energy/space/money.

  70. Translation by byteherder · · Score: 1

    Let me translate all the corporate speak for you.

    FB:
    We're an ASS, Ad Supported Site.
    Our business model is collect as much data as we can about you and sell it to the advertisers.
    We don't care about you, just your data.
    You don't get to opt out because then we would make less money and that would hurt my quarterly bonus.
    Once you give up your privacy, you lose it forever. Kind of like a Sexual Predator Registry site for the masses.

  71. Re:This was the choice made in the last two decade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Partly..

    I'm not on facebook. Never was. Posting anon, too. I never gave consent to facebook to do anything.

    Why should I have to pay for them to not gather data about me? Why should I have to contact them to have this data erased?

    This whole free service in exchange for their making money off the data they gathered about you thing is a smokescreen to hide the fact that they're peddling data they have no business having.

  72. Doubt it by meerling · · Score: 1

    Even if you paid them, I doubt they'd actually do it.
    Think about how often they change your settings without notifying you.
    Sometimes they change my feed from my choice of Newest First, to Most Popular First over a half dozen times a day.
    To be fair, sometimes they'll leave it alone for a bit over a week.
    Either way, they should stay the F out of my settings!

  73. no we don't by ooloorie · · Score: 1

    We can opt out of Facebook Ads for free... by opting out of Facebook.

  74. still have a Facebook app on your phone? by JustNiz · · Score: 1

    Anybody that knows this and still has a Facebook app on their phone deserves everything they get.

  75. It's not your information by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just information about you.

  76. huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't owe facebook anything.

  77. Poison the DB by Archfeld · · Score: 1

    Note : I've never had a Facebook or Twitter account, and never had any online social account in my real name.
    If they want me to pay to opt out, will they pay me to NOT open up accounts on variations of my name with false information. Will I get reimbursed for not tagging photos with false names ? Like the stainless steel rat said If you can't beat surveillance then overwhelm it. I wish I could make a mask of myself, and then have 2 dozen people where it around in areas with facial recognition software. It would be really cool to be at 3 airports, 2 courthouses, a public protest and several other places all simultaneously.

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
  78. I'd buy that for a dollar! by VTMarik · · Score: 1

    Never have the words "Shut up and take my money" been more appropriate.

  79. Yet they don't offer it. by Stan92057 · · Score: 1

    Yet they don't offer that Ad free no data sell subscriptions service. nothing has stopped them or anyone yet its not an option or offer. and second HAHAHAHHA as if they could be trusted ....Our idea of no ads and their idea of no ads wont be the same. The weather channel program advertised no ads and off course they had plenty of ads and partner links. Advertiser pay for eyes they WILL find a loophole or just make one.

    --
    Jack of all trades,master of none
  80. What do I do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... users pay for the service so they could keep their data ...

    What if I pay for privacy and Facebook 'shares' my data anyway; what do I do then? As the US government gleefully admits, once I give data to a third-party, I have no rights over it. Social media is a screw-the-user situation, it's way too late for pretending it can return to the umbrella of commercial law and purchased trustworthiness. That will only happen if Facebook pays a $100m bond to a foreign, offshore insurance company for acts of breached privacy.

  81. This is so much bullsh*t - fb doesnt get consent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    FB sops up every bit of info they can get on people with or without there consent.

    When people upload your photo without your knowledge, they tag it and start recognizing your face - and you aren't even on the service.

    When friends mention you and add you to reunions etc, you get put in as implicit part of their social network.

    When someone sends you a message through their ap - they still have your conversation even though you aren't on the service.

    It is virtually impossible to visit a site without fb third party trackers. no consent.

    No consent was sought for trying to illegally get medical records, targeting people for politics - itself HUGE fec campaign violations if Obama's staff spoke true, psychologically manipulating people for experiments without their consent - that's a war crime, and people can commit suicide over sh-t like that.

    Etc etc etc. I could I'm sure list many more news story examples.

    Just listening to the puke's messages when he founded the company, he intended to ignore all laws, and started out that way.

  82. She is not asking anyone to pay by zomberi · · Score: 0

    Their business model is free services in exchange for your data. The paid alternative which does not exist yet is an alternative nobody would want. Users who do not like Facebook can leave or stop providing it data. Facebook or anyone else collecting private data of non-users is a crime and legislators or courts should outlaw it.

  83. facebook = by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0



    V in V `YES `V in V `MOTTOES . WHICH .
    V . V in V . V . V . V oy vey V goy V `
    V `V goy V . V `V in V oy vey V oy vey
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    V `V goy V . V `V in V oy vey ; `^ `V `
    V . V in V . V . V . V oy vey V goy V `
    V in V `YES `V in V `MOTTOES . WHICH .

  84. Re: This was the choice made in the last two decad by sydbarrett74 · · Score: 1

    And what would be wrong with that? FIDO, and federated networks like it, was ingeniously specced and implemented. The only bane of its existence, long-distance charges, is now a thing of the past. As far as GUI vs text-only, there were already GUI implementations of BBSing such as Worldgroup (from Galacticomm, the creators of Major BBS), and the RIP protocol. Suitably updated, BBSes could lead to a renaissance.

    --
    'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman
  85. "Free" Internet was a big mistake by iamacat · · Score: 1

    Along with free/$0.99 apps. At the time Internet went mainstream, people were already accustomed to getting phone and TV bills with extra charges for things like long distance calls and premium services. We could charge a penny per article, $1.99/month for a social network and so on. $4.99 minimum apps could have provided an incentive to develop an app for a one time purchase without ads / in app purchases / cryptocurrency mining etc. Ad supported discount/free services could have still been available for low income customers, just like Amazon Kindles with special offers. Instead we have devalued digital contest which is increasingly valuable in favor of ads for physical trinkets which are increasingly commodity. It's more important for a consumer to watch Youtube videos that match his/her interests than decide between Diet Pepsi and Coke Zero while being held captive to sensibility of these advertisers.

  86. Facebook should pay its users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The users create ALL of the content.

  87. Re: This was the choice made in the last two decad by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    It should be pointed out that recently a lot of people are doing well with Patron. So there is at least one other model that works

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  88. Opt-out warranty / insurance? by misnohmer · · Score: 1

    While I never had a Facebook account and do not plan on having one, I can see the paid opt-out as a valid option since they do have to make money to survive. HOWEVER, that would only make sense if it comes with some hefty guarantees, or insurance if you will. The warranty cannot be just "money back for last x months of opt-out" since that simply turns it back to "we refunded your opt-in, therefore we own your data" model. Let Facebook state what the chances of mistakenly releasing the data are, and then sell insurance premiums against it. If it's a million to one, $2 should buy people a $1M payout (and leave room for FB to profit) in an event of their information being sold, shared, given away, lost, of disseminated in other ways, whether directly or as part of statistical "anonymized" data.

  89. So allow the option. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it's an option, then provide it

  90. Just give the option by temcat · · Score: 1

    I have no problem with this. If I find a social network useful, I'll be willing to pay some amount to compensate for the lost ad revenue. OTOH, just removing ads is not nearly enough. Please give me a static, time-linear friend feed containing everything I'm subscribed to unless I've explicitly told not to show it, with the ability to easily return to a specific place in the feed. Maybe even paging. Then we're talking. Depends on the price, of course.

  91. Tim Cook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Was right?

  92. You got that backwards by reanjr · · Score: 1

    Facebook seems to think their product has more value to me than I have value to Facebook. That's incorrect. People like me who abandon social platforms early are the ones that start chipping away at the network effects that give Facebook their entire value.

    Facebook will have to remove ads and pay me to stay in order to maintain their network value.

    Facebook's on its way to becoming MySpace or Google+.

    Good fucking riddance.

  93. WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... Facebook does not sell or give away user information, but made clear that Facebook's entire model is based on being able to share user data with advertisers.

    They don't sell or give away info, they just share it? My, that's a very interesting look into the mind of a sociopath.

  94. no stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just install an adblocker

  95. I see the Trumpism you did there by kfsone · · Score: 2

    What advertisers pay Facebook for/get from Facebook is an ad-matching service, NOT your data.

    "Show my ad to 20-29 year olds in Boston who are members of the Red Sox Fan Club group. Here's the text and images".

    And finally, Facebook hosts the text and ads.

    Data given to advertisers: 0.

    [Full Disclosure: Facebook Production Engineer 2014-2016]

    --
    -- A change is as good as a reboot.
  96. Cash for privacy by bentcd · · Score: 1

    If I could pay FB a subscription fee in return for owning my own information then I might actually start using them. Their main hurdle would be to build up the trust they would need for me to actually believe their offer was genuine.

    --
    sigs are hazardous to your health
  97. We don't sell it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but we do give it to people who give us money.