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Facebook Will Reveal Who Uploaded Your Contact Info For Ad Targeting (techcrunch.com)

In March, TechCrunch discovered Facebook planned to require advertisers pledge that they had permission to upload someone's phone number or email address for ad targeting. That tool debuted in June, though there was no verification process and Facebook just took businesses at their word despite the financial incentive to lie. In November, Facebook launched a way for ad agencies and marketing tech developers to specify who they were buying promotions "on behalf of." Soon that information will finally be revealed to users. From the report: Starting February 28th, Facebook's "Why am I seeing this?" button in the drop-down menu of feed posts will reveal more than the brand who paid for the ad, some biographical details they targeted, and if they'd uploaded your contact info. Facebook will start to show when your contact info was uploaded, if it was by the brand or one of their agency/developer partners, and when access was shared between partners. A Facebook spokesperson tells me the goal to keep giving people a better understanding of how advertisers use their information.

This new level of transparency could help users pinpoint what caused a brand to get ahold of their contact info. That might help them to change their behavior to stay more private. The system could also help Facebook zero in on agencies or partners who are constantly uploading contact info and might not have attained it legitimately. Apparently seeking not to dredge up old privacy problems, Facebook didn't publish a blog post about the change but simply announced it in a Facebook post to the Facebook Advertiser Hub Page.

35 comments

  1. Zuckerfag and Sandvag lied to Congress by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Start there.

  2. Useless by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You will see every listing of this be from a mysterious entity named
    Benevolent offshore Cut-out corporation

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re: Useless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, there will be plenty of real entities listed - ones that don't play nice with Chucklefuck's agenda.

    2. Re: Useless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh well I never heard of such a corporation and I do not want their contact info

    3. Re: Useless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trigger warning: code of conduct. Better: quantifiable methods in ethics

    4. Re:Useless by alvinrod · · Score: 1

      Worse than that, it will be political ads designed to annoy you but appear to be from some other candidate so that you hate them in turn.

  3. Simple solution ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Guess what, I don't have those problems because
    I don't use FB and you shouldn't too. ... The more you know, the less "they" know ...

    CAP === 'capitals'

    1. Re:Simple solution ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They already have your info in a shadow account. So, you have the problem and no control over it.

    2. Re:Simple solution ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      They already have your info in a shadow account. So, you have the problem and no control over it.

      This defeatist attitude is for níggers and APK (but then I repeat myself).

    3. Re:Simple solution ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering how you stalk APK by hiding behind unidentifiable anonymous posts plus you impersonate APK? APK defeated you.

    4. Re:Simple solution ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      impersonate APK?

      Yeah that's a real bummer. If only there were some way for him to authenticate his posts that would be easy for him to do but really hard for any impersonator to fake. Why, we could call this arrangement an "account name and password" or something! You know, the staff should get to work ASAP to add this option to the site!

      Oh but wait!! Then things like posting limits and karma would apply no matter how many proxies/vpns/IPs he appears to be coming from. Yeah that wouldn't work out for APK at all. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he's afraid of that. Better to keep crying about impersonators instead. Bonus: the fake APKs can do that too!

  4. Some day soon, collusion is exposed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/donald-trump-investigation-adam-schiff-jerry-nadler/index.html

    If anyone doesn't already know this as a fact, Trey Gowdy sucks Putin's cock every night in his best dreams. So does Nunez. Those traitors will burn one day, and I will be there. With marshmallows.

    1. Re: Some day soon, collusion is exposed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CNN is not news and has been lying to you. Get help kid.

    2. Re: Some day soon, collusion is exposed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let me guess, Fox News is the bastion of freedom and reliable news?

  5. Individual 1 remains for now. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/paul-erickson-indicted-russia-maria-butina/index.html -- Another traitor down. Individual 1 remaining.

  6. Re: Simple solution ... GAYpk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    I will HOST dicks in my ass. Big dicks, little dicks, black dicks, white dicks, I will HOST them all... GAYpk

  7. Translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "Lets look as though we are doing something meaningful for privacy before privacy gets imposed on us by government"

    With the idea that in 6 months time "The idea, while good was not popular so development of this has stopped and the service will be removed in the near future"

    1. Re: Translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More like 6 days.

      "Move faster, break shit; Facebook don't give a fuuck."

  8. Alkyl Nitrite Preparation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    To preface this: I always end up with a very unstable alkyl nitrite that fizzes like crazy and goes flat while being dried with molecular sieves or NaHCO3. Any takers?

    Also, I got my hands on some epoxidized soybean oil, but what I am really after is epoxidized linseed oil.

    ---

    Alkyl Nitrite preparation This will be a more detailed explanation of the procedure

    .

    I will be using the 500ml beaker as the reaction vessel. The only modification I make is to tape three small pieces of aquarium pump tubing to the bottom of the beaker; this lets the beaker sit just slightly above the Ice bath container, but not too far away as to interfere with the magnetic stir bar.

    Setup the apparatus: Place the magnetic stirrer on the ring stand; the 2 qt pyrex measuring bowl sits atop the stirrer. Hang a clamp on the ring stand, and attach the dropping funnel and extension tube to the clamp. Swing the dropping funnel and down tube to the side while moving the ice bath and reaction vessels.

    Add 65 ml distilled H2O to the reaction vessel. add 41.4g (0.60 mol) of NaNO2; let the stir bar mix and dissolve the NaNO2 (a slow stir rate is advised, so that no vortex is formed).

    Add 46.2 ml (0.50 mol) of Isobutyl Alcohol or Add 54.4 ml (0.50 mol) of n-Amyl alcohol or Add 45.8 ml (0.50 mol of Butyl alcohol

    (note: If preparing a blend of alcohols, make sure the total alcohol content is 0.5 mol (e.g. an even mix of all three alcohols would be 0.17 mol of each)).

    Add 20 ml of distilled H2O to a 125 ml erlynmeyer flask
    Add 49.6 ml (0.6 mol) of 37% HCL.
    stopper the flask.
    Pre-chill both the beaker and the flask, in your freezer, for about 2 hours.

    After two hours:

    Crush some ice in a blender (I use a fruit ninja, and it can turn ice into snow (very helpful and will provide lower temperatures than block ice). You will need enough to fill the area around the reaction vessel twice.

    Place the reaction vessel (with cold NaNo2, H2O and alcohol(s) into the 2 qt pyrex measuring bowl. Fill the space around the reaction vessel with alternating layers of snow and 260g of table salt (placing a 'shower cap' or saran wrap around the reaction vessel will help prevent ice/salt from entering the reaction vessel).

    While the reaction vessel cools:

    Charge the dropping funnel with (ensuring the stopcock is closed) HALF of the 49.6 ml of 37% acid and 20ml H2O solution from the stoppered Erlenmeyer flask.

    Using an infrared thermometer, the salt/ice bath should be cooling the reaction vessel liquid to about -12C.

    Swing the dropping funnel into place, and lower the down tube into the reaction vessel liquid ( just the tip of the tube into the liquid; remember this placement for later (when you will be placing it again, but there will be a yield layer next time; you don't want to drop 'just' under this new surface (or you'll be dropping acid into the yield), you want to always drop at the same level (which is just under the original liquid line)

    SLOWLY open the dropping funnel stopcock, allowing a drip rate of (preferably) 1 drop every 4 or 5 seconds (at first there will be no heat generated, so you can get away with about one drop every three seconds; after the first few minutes (as the bottom layer starts to turn and stay blue) reduce the drip rate to 1 every 4 or 5 sec.). If NO2 gas is being liberated, check your drip rate and temperature.

    leave the area (I check on the drip rate and ice level every 10 minutes or so, as they are changing. If your sodium nitrite is not 100% pure, a white paste will start to form at the bottom of the dropping tube; periodically wipe this paste off and continue the reaction.

    1. Re:Alkyl Nitrite Preparation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      fag

  9. FUD. Meaningless information by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This "information" will be a company you never heard of which is a partner with another company or another 100 companies that will use and abuse your information.
    Personally, I quit F-Book two years ago and don't miss it. People are just foolish and haven't a clue of what information that they have given away and how it will bite them in the ass for the rest of their lives.

    Think of it this way. Who would have thought High School yearbooks could bring down a politician?? The same thing will happen in the future with you and your information regarding credit, housing, government acceptance - IF the U.S. falls to Socialism and becomes just another Euro-Trash country.

    1. Re:FUD. Meaningless information by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We don't have trash in Europe - we shipped it all to the Colonies in America, haven't had enough time for it to spawn again yet.

  10. Who audits the information? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's to stop me saying "This ad paid for by $PARTY_I_HATE?"

  11. Hahahaha they are funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They sell the information to make $$$, then when someone's else use the bought info they pretend be the noce guy around? Incredible.
    Does anyone know to whom they are selling it? NO. So it's better leave the platform and never look back

  12. Oh FFS, really? by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 2

    "... there was no verification process and Facebook just took businesses at their word despite the financial incentive to lie. "

    This is sleazy, even for Facebook, which is a pile of sleaze built on a foundation of sleaze by sleazy scumbags whose every waking moment is dedicated to finding even more sleazy ways to fuck you over.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  13. Upload or download? by Typing_Ptarmigan · · Score: 1

    TFA says "uploaded" multiple times. Doesn't it seem like advertisers would download (not upload) your info from Facebook?

    1. Re:Upload or download? by PixetaledPikachu · · Score: 1

      TFA says "uploaded" multiple times. Doesn't it seem like advertisers would download (not upload) your info from Facebook?

      AFAIK, one of the advertising method available on facebook is that advertisers can upload a list of contact info (phone numbers, email addresses) to facebook, and facebook will match these info to their corresponding accounts, and voila, ads are served to you. I remember this when I review what facebook has on me, and they showed me which advertisers has my email address and upload them to facebook

    2. Re:Upload or download? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      doesn't it seem unlikely that a tech writer would fail to understand the difference between upload and download?

  14. Why did that do that? by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    They shouldn't have allowed that in the first place.

  15. Your mom.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    doesn't have to be fat for this to work.

  16. link blocked... by alabamatoy · · Score: 1

    The "Facebook advertisers hub page" linked in the post appears blocked - it says "Sorry, this content isn't available right now The link you followed may have expired, or the page may only be visible to an audience you're not in.". Can someone who has access to it post it somehow?

    --
    Freedom carries sacrifice
  17. Deflection ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 0

    The translated version:

    Those sumbitches are getting data and not paying us for it. We'll get them and their little doggie, too.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  18. Horse, barn door, wrong problem by ripvlan · · Score: 1

    The "Why am I seeing this?" What will I see "A friend uploaded your contact info to us" ? How da'fck do I stop other people from leaking my info?!?!?

    I clicked the button "Dear FB - don't share my info" (actually - "You can't have my info") --- but apparently if a friend is willing to share my data, well that's okay. FB didn't get it from me.

    The horse has left the barn. The Ad companies already have the data. Closing the door now doesn't solve the problem.

    I actually have a different email address for FB which exists solely for signing into things like this. My friends don't have it. FB knows were friends but can't link my email address in their contact list to know that its me. Same with my phone number - I have a virtual number that my friends don't have, but FB thinks they do.

    And I'm sure they already have figured that out and don't care - my data is stitched together anyhow.

  19. Technically they're hashed (at least w/Google...) by WoTG · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure if it was Facebook or Google or both, you don't technically match on email address. They technically match on hashes of email addresses to protect your "privacy". Look out for that doublespeak when it comes to advertisers online...

  20. Re:Technically they're hashed (at least w/Google.. by PixetaledPikachu · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure if it was Facebook or Google or both, you don't technically match on email address. They technically match on hashes of email addresses to protect your "privacy". Look out for that doublespeak when it comes to advertisers online...

    The point being discussed was whether advertisers download or upload. I'm simply pointing out that advertisers can upload as well