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Facebook Notification Spam Has Crossed the Line (wired.com)
Facebook has always nudged truant users back to its platform though emails and notifications. But recently, those prods have evolved beyond comments related to activity on your own profile. From a report: Now Facebook will nag you when an acquaintance comments on someone else's photo, or when a distant family member updates their status. The spamming has even extended to those who sign up for two-factor authentication -- which is a great way to turn people off to that extra layer of security. "The part of it that bugs me is that two-factor authentication is something [Facebook] should be encouraging people to use, but instead the way this is working here is that they're driving people away from two-factor and making people less secure," says Matt Green, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, who has done contracted security work for Facebook in the past.
"It's abusive, people's attention is deliberately tweaked by what looks like a two-factor authentication message." Green says he's received near-daily SMS messages from Facebook since January alerting him that one of his friends performed some action on the platform. Before he started receiving the messages, Green says he hadn't logged into Facebook for a long time and had actually forgotten his password. The weirdest part about the SMS notifications is what happens if you reply to them. If you respond, your message is posted to your own profile. Further reading: Facebook Really Wants You To Come Back, Facebook Is Spamming Users Via Their 2FA Phone Numbers, and Facebook Makes Moves On Instagram's Users.
"It's abusive, people's attention is deliberately tweaked by what looks like a two-factor authentication message." Green says he's received near-daily SMS messages from Facebook since January alerting him that one of his friends performed some action on the platform. Before he started receiving the messages, Green says he hadn't logged into Facebook for a long time and had actually forgotten his password. The weirdest part about the SMS notifications is what happens if you reply to them. If you respond, your message is posted to your own profile. Further reading: Facebook Really Wants You To Come Back, Facebook Is Spamming Users Via Their 2FA Phone Numbers, and Facebook Makes Moves On Instagram's Users.
Why should Facebook be "secure"? I don't get it. You are giving all your data away. The idea is to make it frictionless and make it easier to login so you will give more data away. I doubt Facebook corporations wants to make it HARDER to log in.
Lol, when will you learn that Facebook doesn't give a shit about its users.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Then turn off SMS messaging you moron. It's not Facebook's fault that you're an idiot, nor that you're an idiot looking for your fifteen minutes.
With regards to this specific "referendum", there was a landslide in favour of repeal (of the 8th Ammendment to the constitution, which blanket banned any and all abortion under all circumstances). All polling and subsequent analysis suggest that there was nothing untoward with this result.
However. This was a hugely divisive topic, as you might expect, and it attracted a huge amount of attention from oversees.
Complaints have been made on both sides of the campaign about interference by foreign actors, in particular well-funded ones buying and targeting ads.
That Facebook will publish the name of any lass who seeks the procedure is disgusting.
"Now Facebook will nag you when an acquaintance comments on someone else's photo, or when a distant family member"
They did that years ago. Both Facebook and Twitter. I assumed that it was part of their "conditioning" system to get me to check out facebook all the time.
After about 24 hours without looking at facebook, it would make those notifications on my phone. And when I turned that off, they arrived as mails. At the time, I could turn off mails, but that ment that I would not get notifications when people DID write directly to me.
So it ment that I could not use Facebook as a communication channel without getting these constant nagging messages, one way or another.
I assume that most people won't see this because they have a lot of "friends" on Facebook and so they will get constant notifications from messages and times they have been tagged in a image(there something unsettling about that "being tagged").
But I had only around 30 "friends" when I closed my account a year and a half ago and the ones I talk to often still calls and uses SMS or email(so old, I know), so it could be weeks between anyone writing to me there, to Facebook, I was still "getting started" on their platform and they needed to "train me" to use it all the time.
L'Idiot
Login and turn off all the notification settings. Your emails will be greatly reduced. I haven't logged in for about 4 years so I'm assuming these options still exist. My reminder emails aren't too often (perhaps everyone just unfriended me).
And/or block Facebook.
Facebook is a lot like a TV or radio station trying to drive people to their channel. Sure, they'll give you a secure logon then publish your data into your insecure e-mail account because that drives you back to the site, and they can show you a few more ads, which is how they're paid.
Facebook isn't doing what's right or best, they're doing what moves the ad meter. Somehow, this site isn't as intended.
On my FB business page, I keep getting notifications of likes on my posts - I don't HAVE any posts yet, just store items, and none of those have any likes on them. The notification also doesn't tell you who liked the post like it should.
FB is flat-out lying to get people to use its platform, and this should count as false advertisement.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
deleted my facebook yesterday and encourage others to as well.
2 reasons: 1.) Zuck is a Trumper
2.) Facebook has publicly stated they will not purge their forum of purposefully misleading information and fake accounts. they don't care.
Unless Facebook is very clear on about what it uses your personal information for, they are not allowed to use it for that.
Or they could have to pay up to 4% of their entire revenue of their entire consortium.
Will be fun to see what happens with facebook and GDPR in court.
I turned off notification on almost every app, most of the notifications are time wasting bulls**t, like below:
-I do not need notifcations of new stories
-I do not need notifications of new profiles
-I do not need notifications..period
Facebook Notification: someone has tagged you!
Facebook Notification: someone has commented on your post!
Facebook Notification: someone has commented on the comment on your post!
Facebook Notification: someone has commented on the comment of the comment on your post!
Facebook Notification: someone has posted a new pic!
Facebook Notification: someone has posted a comment on a new pic!
Facebook Notification: someone has posted a comment on a new pic and commented on it!
Facebook Notification: someone has updated their profile!
Facebook Notification: someone has a comment on their updated profile!
Facebook Notification: someone has a comment on on the comment of their updated profile!
and just turn notifications off. Why is this so hard?
I have FB because so many activities are planned by groups using it. With some basic E-mail filtering, stuff from there goes into a separate oubliette. For SMS messages, you can turn that "functionality" off.
As for 2FA, it doesn't hurt to turn on the Google Authenticator, or even better, some app like enPass, Strip, or even SafeInCloud to not just store your 2FA code, but have it backed up to a cloud provider, so if you lose your device, you don't lose your 2FA codes.
Facebook is like Trump: No matter what atrocities they commit, no one takes action and they are allowed to continue to make people's lives miserable.
This isn't a real issue. Fix your damn notification settings.
So you sold your soul to Facebook, and you are now unhappy because they are doing things to it that you do not approve of? Well, tough luck. That'll teach you next time.
Fun fact: Facebook won't let you have more than one "app id" (essentially, what any other website would call an API key) unless you give them either a credit card or a phone number. And my boss and boss' boss weren't willing to do that, but they wanted me to do a job, so .. guess what I did.
So before anyone yells "How the fuck did Facebook ever get this guy's phone # in the first place, so that they were able to spam him?!" I present to you, this one possible explanation.
DO NOT USE FACEBOOK. Cancel your account. Delete it all. No one needs Facebook. It is and always has been a steaming pile of s--t.
...You gotta appreciate the GTA5 trolling of facebook.
And yet, facebook never learns. I quit facebook 6 years ago. But every damn smartphone I purchase, has the app by default, and not possible to remove without 3rd party software which you have to "trust". In some cases, not even removable.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
This has been a problem since at least 2010 if not sooner.
The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
Twitter has an option to send you an email notification when "Someone emails a Tweet to you." I can't begin to fathom how this is helpful. Thank God it's not selected by default.
2 reasons: 1.) Zuck is a Trumper
I've long suspected this, based on his actions and inactions. Do you have a citation or other source for evidence this is actually true?
How about the incredibly annoying "Friend suggestion" alert/notification that you can't turn off?
Don't you love me anymore? I love you, still, more than ever! Please, please, PLEASE don't leave me! I know I've been bad, I know I've hurt you, I know I've screwed up time and time again, but really, honestly, I've changed this time, I'm a totally different social-media site than I was before, things will be different this time, just please don't walk out on me!
Sound familiar?
Face it, Zuckerbook: IT'S OVER. No one wants to continue in this destructive relationship anymore. Some are having the veil lifted from their eyes slower than others, but it's inevitable, you can't stop it, and worse, you know it's true and are flailing about in desperation, fighting a delaying action, deeply in denial that It's Over Now, and only the long, cold night is what lies before you now.
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
That's where you''re at right now, Zuckerbook: Trying, desperately, to bargain your way out of your imminent demise. So sad! It won't work.
That's okay, you're more than halfway through the process. It won't take long now.
This is how Facebook has always operated from way back in its beginnings. At first they merely spammed those emails you directly provided during sign up with a message "your friend dickhead@host.tld has signed up for facebook and wants you to join too!"
Eventually they started requesting your login/password for many different services such as hotmail/msnmessenger, icq and others. They'd then unload daily upon the addresses they'd managed to harvest.
How on earth do people think they grew so quickly?
I created a fake account just to shut up their nonstop spam.
Today they'll spam your fake account continuously with five or ten "notifications" per day with seemingly randomly generated "friend suggestions".
Reality check: Facebook is a spam network!
This is why I've never given you my number, you clingy bitch.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
People keep signing up Facebook with my email. They're able to create and use Facebook without verifying the email address. I've clicked on that "I didn't sign up for Facebook" link plenty of time.
The very purpose of FaceBook is for people who are stuck on themselves to display their wonderful self centered selves to the world. How is it that FaceBook selfishly doing the same is some how a problem. Cancel your account and get on something more private. Problem over.
Ha!
I like how somehow THIS is where someone says, 'oh no, now THAT is just too much, and Facebook has crossed a line!' Now I'll show them by being a total douche and not log in to delete my account, continue to be a complete idiot and show the world how stupid I am, and; -actually as I'm typing this nevermind, this makes complete sense, just forget I said anything and maybe one day I'll learn how to use the backspace button myself.
I'm pretty certain the "line" was so far long crossed and in the distant past, it's but a faint memory for few.
For some time now, FB may or may not notify me, if somebody posts on my wall, mentions or messages me, but they will notify me every single time any of my friends does something on their own wall. This spam of stuff I don't care about, combined with failing to notify me about the stuff I do, is why I hardly ever visit FB anymore.
I log into Facebook a couple times a month. I donâ(TM)t get any nagging emails or texts from them. Hopefully Iâ(TM)m just too boring for them to care.
I have 3 (fake) facebook accounts and receive 0 spam.
Had 4 accounts but forgot birthday and it doesn't let me in past security check.
I call BS on this SMS spam. Learn to adjust your notification settings.
Their product is leaving in droves, after learning they're being sold out, every minute of every day. Why wouldn't they leave? And why wouldn't Facebook bend over backwards to egg these users back in? With the very things that traps people in the first place, the insatiable need to know what's going on with people you know. It's a great bait and I imagine it's pretty effective, given the addictive nature of Facebook and the peddling the 'tease' doses in email. Wow.
If anyone wanted to know what a drug dealer would look like if it grew up into a big company, Facebook is your model.
How does giving my phone number to a faceless corporation increase my security?
You know who gets my phone number? Family, friends and my employers.
2FA as implemented by most sites is all about phone number harvesting, nothing more. It has nothing to do with your account security.
why i want giving Farcebook my mobile number.
I've ignored the "more secure" bullshit for years. Just have a decent, long, unique password.
I use it quite rarely and I really don't need a bloody notification that a friend has simply uploaded a new picture. I'm not tagged, I wasn't there, it's just them with their kids at the park, what?
It's getting worse.
I have a feeling that they're purposefully sending me notifications after I leave their app.
I'll sit there scrolling for 15 minutes and no notifications.. leave the app, and a few minutes later, magically get a notification.
No proof.. Just anecdotal.
A friend tried a few times to convince me to use Facebook. "You can find friends you haven't seen in a long time. It's a convenient way to communicate and share pictures."
Each time, I responded by pointing out the loss of privacy. She didn't care.
Finally I told her, "Ok, at least protect the privacy of your kids. When you talk about your kids in a Facebook message, don't write their full names. Refer to them by the first letter of their names. Your friends reading your Facebook message will know who you're referring to."
My friend adores her kids, and would do anything for them. So hopefully she'll take that last piece of advice, and do that small thing to help protect her kids' privacy. (Of course it's best not to talk about them, or post their pictures, at all.)