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Mark Zuckerberg and the 2012 Facebook Moscow Hack

Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: As Facebook's privacy debacle rages on, it's interesting to look back at Mark Zuckerberg's 2012 visit to the Facebook Moscow Hack (photos, video), at which Facebook provided training in how to access the data of app users' friends and awarded prizes for apps that did so.

In a 2012 video, Facebook's Simon Cross shows the Moscow crowd how they can "get a ton of other information" on Facebook users and their friends. "We now have an access token, so now let's make the same request again and see what happens," Cross explains (YouTube). "We've got a little bit more data, but now we can start doing really interesting stuff. We can get my friends. We can get some more information about one of my friends. Here's Connor, who you'll meet later. Say 'hello,' Connor. He's waving. And we can also get a ton of other information as well."

Cross, ironically, was the spokesperson Facebook later tapped in 2015 to explain to the press why giving friends' data to apps was a horrible idea that had to be curtailed lest Facebook lose its users' trust. Cross told reporters that Mark Zuckerberg said one of Facebook's new slogans was 'People First', because "if people don't feel comfortable using Facebook and specifically logging in Facebook and using Facebook in apps, we don't have a platform, we don't have developers."

6 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. Faux outrage by 110010001000 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This "outrage" is completely fake. You GAVE Facebook that information on yourself. I am more concerned about data gathering by organizations where I didn't willingly give consent. There are companies out there that have a complete profile of you, your finances, everything, married from different sources. Facebook has just junk information collected to sell your ads. That should be the least of your worries.

    1. Re:Faux outrage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You GAVE Facebook that information on yourself.

      For people who signed up for FB, yes, I agree. And they are fucking idiots, the lot. However, the problem is those idiots give FB information on their friends who never signed up for FB, so you can't totally stay out of their clutches.

    2. Re:Faux outrage by CaptainDork · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I am more concerned about data gathering by organizations where I didn't willingly give consent.

      Guess who does that? Facebook.

      Data miners dig into your Facebook shit, via API, and you're screwed.

      By Facebook.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    3. Re:Faux outrage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Plenty of people did not give FB a wealth of information about themselves, their #MAGA friends did it for them.

    4. Re:Faux outrage by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You GAVE Facebook that information on yourself

      They weren't supposed to share that data. If my doctor goes around telling people that I have herpes I'm going to get mad at my doctor.

      If my doctor says you GAVE me that information, I'm still going to be mad at him.

      And if he tells me one of my dumb friends consented to sharing his information and that included my information, I'm still going to be mad at him, and I'm also going to be mad at my dumb friend.

  2. Re: so ive been online since about 1988 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The majority of users donâ(TM)t give a crap about their privacy, all they want is more likes under their selfies.