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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."
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."
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.
So if I don't use the app and my friend has me as a contact but does and my phone number is scraped did I give that information to facebook?
Just do it already.
Yes, people gave FB their info. No, they did not willingly give that to Russia to fuck with out system and install a traitor.
Next time someone says, "I don't care about my privacy," give them a cookie.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
The people who need to buy the product have to pay for the lists they want. They are the customers.
The users are the product.
The NSA has the keys.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
That's why Apple keeps changing the lock.
-- Cheers!
The majority of users donâ(TM)t give a crap about their privacy, all they want is more likes under their selfies.
Everyone should stop using Facebook and the govt should make their business model illegal.
If we really need such a service, then we need to decentralize it and some entity (internaltional?) can control the bits that must be centralized for it to function. And do it in a non-profit way.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but it needs to be pointed out...
/dev/null on the way to be counted. This may make you mad, of course, if you use Facebook, but let's face it. Wouldn't you rather be on Facebook right now? Wouldn't you rather be clicking on links and watching your "friends" videos and reading their stupid meems or meams or memes or whatever, on Facebook right now? Why not click on the address bar, and type "facebook" right now, and go hang out there, where you won't be exposed to ideas you disagree with? Facebook facebook facebook, friend facebook friend facebook book face. Face?
If how you vote can be swayed by some bullshit you see on Facebook... you probably shouldn't be allowed to vote anyway. Now this begs the question, "who decides who is allowed to vote?" and that is, of course, the $64,000 question, isn't it? How does one verify if someone HAS a Facebook account? Seems simple. Announce anyone with a Facebook page will be allowed to cast their votes for local, state, and federal offices, right there ON Facebook. Then those people are saved the trouble of having to come OUT on election day, wait in line, and cast votes, and have their votes actually COUNT. It would be a great way to get people incapable of thinking to self-select their voices and their votes to be routed to
Are they gone? Good. Now...
The fact that people HAVE in the past tried to prevent people voting based on their race, their religion, their opinions, etc., has made it difficult for a democracy to exist, and have a legitimate claim to BEING a democracy, and yet a lot of people are NOT allowed to vote anyway, in the United States. Like convicted criminals. Somehow, some morons decided to disenfranchise people for being convicted of certain crimes and sent to jail, and the court system let that stand, (which they should NOT have,) since it is sadly true that not everyone convicted of any crime actually COMMITTED that crime, and sure as fuck it is NOT the case that ALL people who commit crimes are expeditiously caught, convicted, and locked up. MANY walk free, and shockingly, or perhaps sadly, it is often the greatest and most heinous crimes that go unpunished. Corruption is the cancer killing our civilization. Courts are too busy worrying about nonviolent and victimless "crimes" to be concerned about real ones, with real, actual victims.
If modern America is anything, it's an indictment of the very idea of democracy itself. You give people power without responsibility, and... well, this is what you get. Sickening as this idea is, I'm wondering if Bre-entry is a possibility at this point. If enough Americans start drinking tea, ditch the coffee, apologize for the revolution, agree to start misspelling things again, like litre and metre, and colour, and ask with a properly stuffy and British accent, do you think they'd take us back?
Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
"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."
Hmmm...so if people just stopped using facecrook, en masse, this would send a message. Gosh, that's a novel concept!
Sadly, we live in the land where perception outweighs fact...and where want is automatically conflated with absolute NEEEEED. Hence companies doing whatever they wish and people believe themselves utterly powerless to stop it. Maybe we should stop being childish with our spending?
Your mind is like a parachute. It works best when it's been opened.
Enough said.