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Facebook Survey Suggests Continuing US Loyalty After Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal (bbc.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the business-as-usual dept.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey found that Facebook users in the U.S. remain loyal to the site, despite the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal that exposed the data of 87 million users. The survey "found no clear loss or gain in use since then," reports the BBC. From the report: Conducted online, the Reuters/Ipsos survey questioned 2,194 American adults between April 26 and April 30. The poll has a margin of error of three percentage points. Some 64% percent said they used Facebook at least once a day, down slightly from the 68% recorded in a similar poll in late March, soon after the Cambridge Analytica story broke. Asked if they were aware of their current privacy settings, 74% of Facebook users said they were, and 78% said they knew how to change them. Among Twitter users, this was 55% and 58%, while for Instagram users, it was 60% and 65%.

103 comments

  1. "The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...they will forget within a week"

        -- Connie Nielsen, Gladiator (2000)

    1. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      At this time there is no real suitable replacement.

    2. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At this time there is no real suitable replacement.

      What about actually talking to people you care to keep in touch with?

    3. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because you don't replace cancer.

    4. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At this time there is no real suitable replacement.

      What about actually talking to people you care to keep in touch with?

      The question answers itself, so why do you ask?

    5. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 0

      What about actually talking to people you care to keep in touch with?

      Because phone calls and face-to-face conversations are interruptions. Textual communications can be handled in batch mode, and I can type much faster than I can talk. Also, on the phone or in person, it is hard to break off the conversation, especially with the people who have the least to say.

    6. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      "I can type faster than I can talk"... Hmmm, you realize not everybody is handicapped, you know? Only because you're a Joey Deacon-grade spazz doesn't mean the rest of the world has speech impairments that severe or brain underdevelopment.

    7. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Not quite. There ultimately was no mob at all. A bunch of hastags on twitter, a bit of bashing about in the media, and .... no one cared.

    8. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THE MOB IS ROME.

    9. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by gnick · · Score: 1

      Conversing better with text than phone is a handicap? OK. So, since so many of us are handicapped, why not let us use a tool that addresses that handicap? Even with close family members I use text much more than phone calls. Speaking on the phone, I sometimes forget a detail that's already been communicated or lose the original point when we get on a tangent. That's not an issue when I can see the whole conversation. Or I'll get bored with a 10 minute story about getting doughnuts. Not an issue when I can read the story in 30 seconds and type a 5-word reply that's 100% as insightful as the response I would have given on the phone. This post isn't exactly gold-plated, but it's better than a response I would have spoken as a reply to what you just "said."

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    10. Re:"The mob is fickle, brother... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Stupid Fucks"

      --- Mark Zuckerberg

  2. What else do you expect? by techno-vampire · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't use Facebook, but from what I can see, most people who do act as though it's an addiction. Would you expect heroin addicts to quit just because there was a report of heroin cut with rat poison in their area?

    --
    Good, inexpensive web hosting
    1. Re:What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      100% this. That and they don’t understand what privacy and their data is to begin with. Also stupidity. Lots and lots of it.

    2. Re:What else do you expect? by fafalone · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It doesn't take being addicted to not care that everything you put in a semi-public profile is available to various 3rd parties. They couldn't access private message contents, which is the only thing anyone should think wouldn't be public. I don't care that some company might have scraped my public profile info through one of my friends installing an app; even though I only add in-person friends I'd still never presume anything visible to dozens of people wasn't publicly accessible to apps on the platform.
      While I have a well thought out reason why it won't keep me off Facebook, I suspect an even larger contingent has that vague 'it's not really a secret anyway' attitude combined with the even bigger lack of direct consequences: What impact has this had on them that they can see? None. And not because they think just others were effected like your drug cut, but because even if their data was collected; so what?

    3. Re: What else do you expect? by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      Itâ(TM)s more like expecting a heroine user to quit after finding out his money is used by the drug cartel to buy guns. People already assume that facebook is selling their data. They likely assume that it is worse than it really is. They donâ(TM)t care. Given the option to pay $5/month for private data, very few would sign up. They might pay for less ads but privacy isnâ(TM)t something people care about. This was only a scandal for the media. Everyone else assumed it was already happening.

    4. Re:What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or simply people have weighted the arguments for themselves and decided the benefits of being in Facebook outweigh the disadvantages. It's not illegal to disagree with you, you know.

    5. Re:What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There ya go, stupidity to think it is not illegal to think stupidly.

    6. Re:What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they don’t understand what privacy and their data is to begin with

      But they can certainly see through the bullshit of suggesting it is akin to injecting heroin cut with rat poison. You do a great disservice to everybody in pretending like you actually believe that is an apt analogy.

    7. Re:What else do you expect? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      That and they don’t understand what privacy and their data is to begin with.

      Or they do understand, and just don't care. Seriously, what "Bad Thing" will happen to me if Facebook knows my shopping and browsing history? The only consequence that I can see is advertising more attuned to my interests, which is hardy "bad". Maybe I will also get better recommendations for movies and books. The way I see it, the more they know about me, the better.

      Also stupidity. Lots and lots of it.

      But you're one of the smart ones, right?

    8. Re:What else do you expect? by Gollent · · Score: 1

      Many doesn't really care. Most people who tried facebook are using it as part of daily life.

    9. Re:What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Weighed. Learn a language. Cowed people who justify their abusers are called battered spouses. Look yourself in the eye and tell yourself Facebook is necessary. Justify your addiction, rationalize it. Soon you will suck dicks for coke.

    10. Re:What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, what "Bad Thing" will happen to me if Facebook knows my shopping and browsing history?

      From the hyperbole being spouted here I'm of the impression you'll die of a horrific disease!

    11. Re:What else do you expect? by Joce640k · · Score: 0

      Seriously, what "Bad Thing" will happen to me if Facebook knows my shopping and browsing history?

      It has to be all about YOU, right?

      It couldn't be about other people, people who don't want their community to find out they're gay (or atheist).

      etc.

      You're not the spokesperson for the internet. Go and rethink your position.

      --
      No sig today...
    12. Re:What else do you expect? by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      I don't care that some company might have scraped my public profile info through one of my friends installing an app

      It's not about YOU, is it?

      There are plenty of people who do have good reason to care if that data went public - they might be (eg.) a gay atheist or something. Being publicly outed because one of their contacts downloaded a dumb app that starts spewing that information everywhere could have serious consequences for many people.

      You're not the spokesperson for the Internet. Grow up and learn there's other people in the world.

      --
      No sig today...
    13. Re:What else do you expect? by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      I don't use Facebook, but from what I can see, most people who do act as though it's an addiction. Would you expect heroin addicts to quit

      So you're not in a very good place to comment on people's behaviours. Your analogy of the heroin addict is way off the mark. Here's a better comparison sans analogy:

      Would someone who shared something on a platform knowing full well it gets shared with advertisers for marketing purposes quit that platform because the media discovered that the marketing purpose was politicial?

      There's no adiction involved. As I said from the onset the only people at all who think this is even remotely an issue are the media. The users who ultimately are happy with uploading things to the internet ultimatley don't give a shit if someone reads the things uploaded to the internet.

      That said there is some evidence of Facebook adicition, but that is hardly normal across the entire population.

    14. Re:What else do you expect? by dontbgay · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's not abour YOU neither. Facebook is inescapable as far as personal information and browsing habits go. The Like buttons and the Share buttons on damn near every website follow you around the internet. Even if you haven't made a personal profile, all those page clicks are logged. And even if you don't see a button on the page, there are pixels you can add to your site to track users. It's marketing. Plain and simple. They've hooked the entire internet (mostly) on seeing who is doing what, and doubly so if you're a host or online shop. The angle you're playing is trite and insignificant when you consider what you're up against. The only way to win, is to not play. And since you're here, you've made your choice.

      --
      Sig not found.
    15. Re: What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's popular to be gay or athiest right now, at least in the US. It's straight white Christian males that need to hide from the hysterical secular mobs.

    16. Re:What else do you expect? by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

      I once held this attitude, but recently I have changed my opinion. The results are not limited to ads 'more attuned to my interests'. If Facebook knows I read science fiction, and shows me ads for science fiction, that's fine. But what about when they use the data to infer things I haven't shared? The "Target knew the girl was pregnant" story is a well known example. It is easy for them to infer a lot about us without our understanding that we are sharing it. If you are comfortable with that, so be it. For now, it isn't the end of the world even with the research about manipulating voters through ads. If they put a woman in a beer ad, I see what they did. How about the research that shows I am more likely to pay attention to a purple ad than a green one, or other manipulations I don't know about, all targeted at me specifically? Another problem is, we've seen how easy it is to de-anonymize "anonymized" browsing history. What if criminals had access to this data and used it to stalk me, or rob me? It's not that far off. Researcher have demonstrated how easy it is to get access to huge chunks of 'anonymous' browsing data. It's not that anonymous.

      --
      This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
    17. Re: What else do you expect? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      good, about time someone turned their privilege into the bullshit they've been spewing to everyone else for the last thousand years

    18. Re:What else do you expect? by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Also stupidity.

      Definition of stupid (and lazy): going about your life dismissing everyone else as "stupid".

    19. Re:What else do you expect? by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Being publicly outed because one of their contacts downloaded a dumb app that starts spewing that information everywhere could have serious consequences for many people.

      Oooh! Oooh! I know the answer. Don't put that info on your public Facebook profile?

    20. Re:What else do you expect? by exomondo · · Score: 1

      It couldn't be about other people, people who don't want their community to find out they're gay (or atheist).

      We have been trying to explain this to the RIAA/MPAA for well over a decade now: If you put information out there you cannot control it, you can threaten lawsuits or try implementing various forms of DRM but ultimately you do not control it. If you don't want it out there publicly then don't put it out there publicly. That's the nature of the internet.

  3. Surgeon General finds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Studies show continued cigarette loyalty after Surgeon General's warning.

    1. Re:Surgeon General finds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And a lot of people supported OJ Simpson too.

    2. Re:Surgeon General finds... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Studies show continued cigarette loyalty after Surgeon General's warning.

      Or more likely: people who share ${thing_on_internet} aren't disuaded when you point out to them that some read ${thing_on_internet}.

      The first Surgeon General warning pointed out that cigarettes are bad for you. The CA "scandal" pointed out Facebook shares user data, something that every little Facebook app has warned that it does since back before Farmville was a thing.

  4. Not surprising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The fake outrage since the election doesn't actually play with the population at large.

    1. Re:Not surprising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. 1) FB users don't really care since anything they post becomes by default...public knowledge. 2) Most people don't change their vote just because they see an ad from a Russian Troll, a political party, or some advocacy group (i.e. the media). 3) Most people refuse to get outraged over something the other party got praised for doing just a few years ago.

    2. Re:Not surprising by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      2) Most people don't change their vote just because they see an ad from a Russian Troll

      Then why are you here?

    3. Re:Not surprising by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm here to laugh at the idiots who think that privacy is a thing. Franklin said a couple of centuries ago that three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead. If you life a lifestyle (gay, straight, religious, politically active) your lifestyle is public. If it ain't just happening between your ears and somebody else knows about it then it's public, or will one day become public.
      The internet is the global village. in a village everyone knows everything about everyone, eventually. "Privacy" is a concept that has only existed since people started collectivizing in cities too big for everyone to know everyone else. It was a temporary condition and its gone now.

    4. Re:Not surprising by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      I'm here to laugh at the idiots who think that privacy is a thing.

      I meant "Most people don't change their vote just because they see an ad from a Russian Troll", and since you are obviously a troll, why are you contradicting yourself by posting. Hard to believe that got post one of the internet's great thinkers. If you walk around life thinking everyone else is an idiot, you might do well to turn your reflections inward. Great visionaries and thinkers usually don't go around "laughing at idiots" then bragging about it anonymously.

      But anyway, You're right about our ability to "hide" personal information from others. That boat has failed. That however doesn't mean we can't pass laws about how that data can be used.

      Happy trolling, comrade.

  5. Facebook is an addiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    People are addicted to the voyeurism that is facebook. They have to know what other people are up to,
    Like all addictions I suggest going cold turkey!
    Add the following to your hosts file
    127.0.0.1 facebook.com
    127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

    1. Re:Facebook is an addiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People are addicted to the voyeurism that is facebook. They have to know what other people are up to,
      Like all addictions I suggest going cold turkey!
      Add the following to your hosts file
      127.0.0.1 facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

      No. You add THIS:

      # Block Facebook IPv4
      127.0.0.1 api.ak.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 api.connect.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 api.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 app.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 apps.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 ar-ar.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 badge.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 blog.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 connect.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 connect.facebook.net
      127.0.0.1 de-de.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 developers.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 es-la.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 external.ak.fbcdn.net
      127.0.0.1 facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 facebook.de
      127.0.0.1 facebook.fr
      127.0.0.1 fb.me
      127.0.0.1 fbcdn.net
      127.0.0.1 fr-fr.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 hi-in.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 it-it.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 ja-jp.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 login.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 profile.ak.fbcdn.net
      127.0.0.1 pt-br.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 ssl.connect.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 static.ak.connect.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 static.ak.fbcdn.net
      127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com
      127.0.0.1 www.facebook.de
      127.0.0.1 www.facebook.fr
      127.0.0.1 zh-cn.facebook.com
      # Block Facebook IPv6
      fe80::1%lo0 facebook.com
      fe80::1%lo0 login.facebook.com
      fe80::1%lo0 www.login.facebook.com
      fe80::1%lo0 fbcdn.net
      fe80::1%lo0 www.fbcdn.net
      fe80::1%lo0 fbcdn.com
      fe80::1%lo0 www.fbcdn.com
      fe80::1%lo0 static.ak.fbcdn.net
      fe80::1%lo0 static.ak.connect.facebook.com
      fe80::1%lo0 connect.facebook.net
      fe80::1%lo0 www.connect.facebook.net
      fe80::1%lo0 apps.facebook.com ::1 www.facebook.com ::1 facebook.com ::1 login.facebook.com ::1 www.login.facebook.com ::1 fbcdn.net ::1 www.fbcdn.net ::1 fbcdn.com ::1 www.fbcdn.com ::1 static.ak.fbcdn.net ::1 static.ak.connect.facebook.com ::1 connect.facebook.net ::1 www.connect.facebook.net ::1 apps.facebook.com
      # block IPs above

    2. Re:Facebook is an addiction by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      someone give this a +1 informative

  6. The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a month. by SlashGodet · · Score: 2

    No "suitable" replacement is possible. A replacement as enticing and persuasive-by-design will feature the same faults. Because the faults are ... ***features***

  7. Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course those who stayed with Facebook after that incident don't show disloyalty. Those who felt betrayed were the ones who deleted their accounts.

  8. Dumb people continue to be dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Never underestimate the stupidity of the general populace.

  9. americans are dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    film at 11.

  10. No. One. Fucking. Cares. by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Look technorati of Slashdot, 99.9999999999% of the human population gives zero fucks about online privacy - well actually that's not true, because 99.999999999% of the human population of Earth will actively seek to *undermine* their own privacy if given any opportunity, and be happy doing so.

    Do you get it? No? Well then, carry on in ignorance and fear. Just live with the pleasure of knowing you are "right" to be afraid, whatever that means.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by antdude · · Score: 1

      But NBA, Comcast, Toyota, CBS, Obama, health, customer, etc., care too!

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    2. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Technorati? Hardly.

      I'd be willing to bet the majority of dumb fucks going on about privacy here on Slashdot use one or more of the following: Gmail, Chome, or an Android phone.

      Privacy died long ago, and the actual technorati are the ones who held the blade.

    3. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      And when something truly drastic goes down, the people all cry in unison, "Why didn't THEY do more to protect us?!"

    4. Re: No. One. Fucking. Cares. by greenfruitsalad · · Score: 2

      99.9999999999% of population leaves less than a finger of a person in the other group. It makes you sound like my wife when she compares who does how much around the house.

    5. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      99.9999999999% of the human population...

      So, less than 0.01 persons can count. Just to be on the safe side, I've assumed that the human population is 9.99 billion.

    6. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SuperKendall You fucking prat... we get, we just think it's a stupid and indefensible position to not care about one's own privacy. You think you are so clever and get something that no one else does. THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL FOR OBSERVING THE OBVIOUS. I can't believe this stupid fucking comment has a score of 5, fucking ridiculous.

    7. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by mlw4428 · · Score: 2

      And they wouldn't be wrong. Look at what the EU is doing. Entire companies are having to halt operations in the EU, because they cannot meet or are unwilling to meet the new regulations the EU is putting in place. There's no reason the US couldn't do the exact same thing, except for HURR MUH MONEYYIIIEESS that some capitalist pig feels he's entitled to over my right to NOT be spammed by his shit brick company.

    8. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      New California Ballot Measure Demands Groundbreaking Privacy Rights

      https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/05/05/0153212/new-california-ballot-measure-demands-groundbreaking-privacy-rights

      And I quote "Supporters gathered 625,000 signatures to put the 'California Consumer Privacy Act' on the ballot in November -- far exceeding the 365,880 signatures needed to qualify".

      You are so right.... no one cares! Sage assessment!

    9. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by sinij · · Score: 1

      Look technorati of Slashdot, 99.9999999999% of the human population gives zero fucks about online privacy

      This is true, but also has to be qualified.

      Most people don't care about privacy until they need it. Ask anyone who was dragged by an online mob, 100% would ask for privacy, as much as they could get.

    10. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      What you're saying is that 99.9999999999999999999% of the world is either as dumb as a box of rocks, or has been tricked/indoctrinated to believe that 'privacy' is BAD and WRONG and only BAD and WRONG people want it. Then to reinforce that activity they are given treats and positive reinforcement of the unnatural (and believe you me, everyone, the need for privacy is inherent, not learned) behavior of 'sharing everything with everyone all the time'. Doesn't make it right, doesn't mean Facebook is right, does likely mean Facebook is making this shit up to try to stop the bleeding (oh look, a puppy!) I for one don't believe them, Facebook is evil, social media in general is evil and pointless and stupid, and it all needs to go away.

    11. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Look technorati of Slashdot, 99.9999999999% of the human population gives zero fucks about online privacy

      Wrong. According to wikipedia, Europe comprises about 12% of the world's population.

    12. Re:No. One. Fucking. Cares. by Gollent · · Score: 1

      And the 0.000000001% are keeping the people's info, thought they are more than that.

  11. People be stupid.... by SeaFox · · Score: 1

    Film at 11.

  12. So, the games still on bae by plumwhite23091 · · Score: 0

    What else can stop Facebook now when it is developing some tech of AI?

    --
    WilliamReview.com
  13. Wouldn't Help by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not like they will actually delete our data or stop tracking us if we ask them to, so what's the point?

  14. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The """faults""" are by design, but the only fault - getting caught and provoking media attention - will be fixed either by Facebook or by the next iteration that arises after Facebook crashes and burns.

    Incidentally, since the true catalyst for the media outrage this time around was the tangential association with Trump and the idea that Facebook's actions were indirectly helping Trump's campaign, the lesson for next time will be to discriminate even more aggressively against any candidate that the media has unanimously aligned itself against.

    Captcha: fascism

  15. Fake News! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is Fake News spread by Facebook!

    1. Re: Fake News! by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

      Yup, most likely.

  16. AI is 50+ years away by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am an architect for one of the major so-called AI technology companies in Silicon Valley. (Our main product is hardware for accelerating very large convolution networks)

    What we and everyone else are calling AI is total bullshit. Nobody has AI. It doesn't exist. And there are no plans within the industry to develop it. All we have is practical application of papers on neural network from the 1970's and 1980's. But plenty of people were building small NNs back then too, there is nothing too special there. And lots of papers have been written on the subject of those NNs and what they can and cannot do.

    Now this is key. There is no supportable theory that postulates that if you make a large enough artificial neutral network, using current designs, that it will turn into something recognizably intelligent. Our AI "industry" is partly the fault that measuring and defining intelligence is process fraught with peril. But mostly it is that weakness in definition that has been exploited by marketingoids to steal money from venture capitalists and investors.

    If your stock portfolio includes leading AI companies. There will be a day of reckoning and once regulation and consumer awareness hits these companies are going to crumble to dust.

  17. BBC Editors by mentil · · Score: 1

    Some sixty-four 64% percent out of a hundred said they used Facebook at least once a day

    FTFY

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  18. Zuck was right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...when he referred to Facebook users as "dumb fucks".

  19. Survey by dohzer · · Score: 2

    Take this quick survey* to find out your Offical Facebook Loyalty Level.

      *Run by the company that replaced Cambridge Analytica

  20. Newsflash! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stupid people too stupid to know they're stupid.... continue to be stupid!

  21. Re: Kendall. So. Woke. Cant. Type. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You so woke bro! Good thing youre here to set all these nerds straight! Where would we be without your vast wisdom??

  22. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yup. It's like saying "nine out of ten heroin users would continue to use it even when warned about the dangers of contaminated needles".

  23. 2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by VirginMary · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Rule #1: People are stupid.

    Rule #2: If some human behaviour seems incomprehensible to you, see rule #1.

    --
    When 1person suffers from a delusion,it is called insanity.When many people suffer from a delusion,it is called religion
    1. Re:2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People can decide what's best for them without the input from socially inept autistic losers. :)

    2. Re:2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      Define in this context. Who are stupid?

      The people who don't abandon a service which the media discovered did something it said it was doing from the begining?
      The media for blowing up this in incredible surprise?
      The people who thought that anyone on Facebook gave a shit when their data which was collected for marketing purposes was sold for marketing purposes?
      Or the people who thought that just because the magic word "election" was used, something would change?

    3. Re:2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by sinij · · Score: 1

      People can decide what's best for them without the input from socially inept autistic losers. :)

      Actually, people in general, are absolutely inept at deciding what is best for them. Look at widespread cases of people eating themselves to death, drinking themselves to death, and dying from preventable diseases when medical care is accessible.

    4. Re:2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      Ooh ooh, I know this one! The answer is "none of the above."

      The really stupid people here are the ones who are still trying to argue that the breach of privacy is no big deal if you don't care about your own personal privacy. These people still think the overarching conversation is just about personal embarrassment. They don't realize that this big of a breach of global privacy creates threats to things far more important than just your individual dignities.

    5. Re:2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The really stupid people here are the ones who are still trying to argue that the breach of privacy is no big deal if you don't care about your own personal privacy.

      Only if you have an over inflated view of privacy. Protip: Everything you do on Facebook says "this will be shared with ${insert_shitty_third_party_here}.

      The only ones claiming any kind of "breach" are the ones who have no idea how Facebook has been worked from day 1.

    6. Re:2 Rules to explain most human behaviour by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Rule #1: People are stupid.

      Actually, dismissing things you don't like or don't understand as "stupid" is both stupid and lazy.

  24. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No it's not like saying that at all. So people's data was used to help target an election campaign...from the perspective of facebook users that's not really a big deal. Equating that to the dangers of injecting with used needles is obviously ridiculous and that is part of the reason people don't take your hyperbolic nonsense seriously. It's not that the masses are stupid it's that so many of the people who understand the issue are drama queens like yourself who feel the need to greatly exaggerate the real truth.

    So while many don't understand the real threat it's pretty obvious that what you're peddling is far from the truth. Feel free to try again.

  25. Loyalty? by aglider · · Score: 1

    Or no care for their own privacy?

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
    1. Re:Loyalty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever since Wikileaks and Snowden everybody understands privacy is dead. Facebook et al at least give you some perks for your loss of privacy. People - who are way smarter than you basement-dwelling neckbeards think - know this. We love social occasions and we love to socialize and social network enable us to do just that in an incredibly convenient way. You're either in the party or outside. I understand socializing is anathema to fugly nerds, but you see, nobody cares about you. :)

  26. They think they have nothing to hide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so why should I car about my data. What they don`t see is that their data is used to manipulate them more efficiently They exploit their users
    likes and dislikes and increase or decrease them by picking the advertisements in such a way that they get the results they want.

  27. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yup. It's like saying "nine out of ten heroin users would continue to use it even when warned about the dangers of contaminated needles".

    No it's not like saying that at all. So people's data was used to help target an election campaign...

    The election tomfoolery is just the tip of the iceberg. What about stalking? Identity theft? Burglars knowing when you're out of state on vacation? Getting passed over for a job because some busybody in HR discovers that you've smoked weed a nonzero number of times? Expressing an opinion that's protected by law in your home country, but when you happen to travel to a different country, you get arrested or maybe even just disappeared, merely for having said it?

    So, yes, it is like saying that.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  28. What!? by DaMattster · · Score: 1

    I know this doesn't really mean shit but quite a few people I know got rid of Facebook. I've been free from Facebook for 6 months now!

  29. "Loyalty"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's like saying crackheads are loyal to crack. It's called addiction.

  30. I carry on using Facebook by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    It's my garbage bin. It allows me to log into sites for comments without having to register. All the concomitant trash just goes to my Facebook account. I don't know what is in it, and I don't care. I opened the account with false credentials throughout, and I use Facebook only on my desktop.

    1. Re:I carry on using Facebook by Gollent · · Score: 1

      Well, Facebook is still the most effective social media site today.

  31. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by JackieBrown · · Score: 2

    How would you fix that? Limit what people are allowed to say or share?

    People choose to allow their lives to be public. It's not necessarily a smart choice, but it is their choice.

    I have a facebook account that is essentially an online photo album for my friends and family to see. My wife has one that she uses to share everything under the sun. Short of making her wait until we return to town from a vacation to post vacation pics, it's her life and her choice.

    We both are aware of the risks. She gets allot more out of her facebook experience than I do but I have a safer online presence than she does.

    Heck, my Slashdot profile would get me in much more trouble than my facebook one.

  32. AOL Survey suggests Usenet Loyalty by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

    A recent survey of AOL users suggests that they are still loyal to Usenet.

    Tragedy of the commons, nod and move on.

  33. because it's the norm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    every 3 weeks there's a data breach. the CamAnal fiasco didn't leak our credit cards or social security numbers or passwords... so yeah, who cares? what idiot thought "public" meant any semblance of privacy?
    seriously.

  34. the scandal is based on a wrong assumption by superwiz · · Score: 1

    The scandal is based on the assumption that people trust their data to be private. But anyone who is privacy-conscious is already staying away from Facebook. And for this self-filtered population the scandal is not much of a scandal.

    --
    Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
  35. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No it's not like saying that at all. So people's data was used to help target an election campaign...from the perspective of facebook users that's not really a big deal. Equating that to the dangers of injecting with used needles is obviously ridiculous and that is part of the reason people don't take your hyperbolic nonsense seriously. It's not that the masses are stupid it's that so many of the people who understand the issue are drama queens like yourself who feel the need to greatly exaggerate the real truth.

    So while many don't understand the real threat it's pretty obvious that what you're peddling is far from the truth. Feel free to try again.

    FUCK, could you be any more wrong? Identity theft can tend to ruin your life, not unlike an addiction problem, and the real truth is ignorant people like you are the reason we have such a problem with privacy and insecurity in the world. The first thing that came to my mind what exactly what the parent pointed out. Get the fuck out of here with this "loyalty" label bullshit and fucking call this survey what it is; asking addicts about the product they're addicted to.

    As far as dismissing the potential damage under the guise of elections, the reality is we have no fucking idea what people's data has been used for. Don't be ignorant and assume Cambridge Analytica doesn't participate in the re-selling of datasets. Security issues are not usually subject to exaggeration; it's usually quite the opposite that allows them to perpetuate so easily across the masses, because people don't realize the dangers well enough.

  36. the obvious, re-confirmed by epine · · Score: 1

    Facebook's user base is already self-selected for prioritizing short-term convenience over long-term autonomy.

    Libertarians, despair: none of these people are awake to the ideological lure of personal autonomy juice.

  37. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Rhacman · · Score: 1

    I don't think anyone in this thread chain is saying it can be fixed. The analogy was contaminated heroin needles. The analogous "solution" would be use clean needles or abstain. Since abstention seems out of the question for many the alternative is tightly controlling what you share thus limiting the potential impact on yourself and the people who's information you are sharing.

    "It's her life and her choice."

    I don't use Facebook, but friends and family do. I try to make my feelings clear about the matter but I don't have any control over what they post about me. Not claiming I know a fix for that either. I'm only thankful that I'm old enough that my entire childhood wasn't documented online.

    --
    Account -> Discussions -> Disable Sigs
  38. According to a recent survey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cigarette companies extol the virtues of tobacco according to its users.

  39. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by farble1670 · · Score: 0

    Captcha: fascism

    Hello Comrade. That's a big word. Are you sure you know what it means?

    a form of radical authoritarian nationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and control of industry and commerce

    Does that remind you of anywhere else?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    We have problems, but the fact that you are posting here, and I'm responding, and neither of us is dead, is a clear indication facism isn't one of our problems. At least we have the tools for change, where your population has been completely neutered of this possibility.

  40. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by farble1670 · · Score: 2

    How would you fix that? Limit what people are allowed to say or share?

    Pass laws limiting the use of harvested data, and / or require express consent from the owner to do so.

  41. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The election tomfoolery is just the tip of the iceberg. What about stalking? Identity theft? Burglars knowing when you're out of state on vacation? Getting passed over for a job because some busybody in HR discovers that you've smoked weed a nonzero number of times?

    What about it? You're free to publish whatever information you want about yourself publicly but if you don't want that information publicly available then stop making it publicly available.

  42. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let them resell my data. If it doesn't put them to sleep I'd be surprised. As for the litany of ills.
    Stalking is already illegal. Identity theft is already illegal. Don't post your vacation pictured until you get back. personally I just have my brother in law house sit with his .357.
    If your job requires that you don't break drug laws, either don't break them or get another job. As for visiting third world pest holes and political dictatorships, why the hell do you want to do that?
    Either don't espouse politically divisive opinions or own them. If you stand in the public square on your soapbox expect people to pay attention to you. That is why your in the public square on a soapbox, right?

  43. Re:The mob is fickle, brother...forgotten in a mon by datavirtue · · Score: 1

    "Heck, my Slashdot profile would get me in much more trouble than my facebook one."

    Same here.

    --
    I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock