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Facebook Accidentally Shipped 'Tens of Thousands' of VR Controllers With Hidden Messages Like 'Big Brother is Watching' and 'The Masons Were Here' (businessinsider.com)

Posted by msmash on from the wow dept.

Facebook accidentally shipped "tens of thousands" of virtual reality (VR) controllers with bizarre hidden messages, including "Big Brother is Watching" and "The Masons Were Here," reports BusinessInsider. From the report: Nate Mitchell, the cofounder of Facebook-owned VR organisation Oculus, wrote on Twitter on Friday that the company inadvertently printed some unusual messages inside its Touch controllers, handheld devices for playing games and navigating inside VR. These messages were intended only for prototypes, he said -- but a mistake meant they were included in regular production devices. "Unfortunately, some 'easter egg' labels meant for prototypes accidentally made it onto the internal hardware for tens of thousands of Touch controllers," the tech executive wrote.

41 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 4, Funny

    ..or was it? YOU decide.
    Meanwhile the members of The Resistance who were responsible for this have been rounded up and 're-educated' in Facebooks' private re-education (blacksite) facility, no doubt. Or perhaps straight into unmarked graves.

    1. Re: IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Someone doesn't have a sense of humor! Can you guess who it is, AC?

    2. Re:IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Mr. Schumann, please report to room 101 for a brief chat.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. Help im trapped in this factory by kushks · · Score: 5, Funny

    It reads like one of those fortune cookies with a fortune that reads as an SOS help me message The engineers are trying to tell us somthing

    1. Re:Help im trapped in this factory by Immerman · · Score: 1

      It doesn't count unless you admit your intentions to the proles...

      --
      --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
  3. Nothing accidental in anything FB does by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It was something they did for somebody.

  4. treat all systems as if they are production by unity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "These messages were intended only for prototypes, he said"

    This is why you always treat data in test and devel systems as if it was a production or a demo system.

    It is not good when you are demoing to a customer and they login with a test account and are greeted with the message, "Welcome back, Big Asshole."

    1. Re:treat all systems as if they are production by Junta · · Score: 1

      I'm of the opinion this is a gimmick. 'oh we've made a terrible mistake resulting in a few thousand units being out there that will happen to become limited edition collector's editions'.

      The messages are so incredibly tame that the over the top apology alongside 'yes these will be for sale, gee sorry' is just awkward.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    2. Re:treat all systems as if they are production by michiganbob · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It is not good when you are demoing to a customer and they login with a test account and are greeted with the message, "Welcome back, Big Asshole."

      Ah yes, like the time a previous developer decided to have the database connection error display "Fuck! Can't connect to database!". Of course the database didn't fail until well after he left. Fun times when the client called about that one...

    3. Re:treat all systems as if they are production by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 2

      This is why you always treat data in test and devel systems as if it was a production or a demo system.

      While not untrue, the issue here is that Facebook is a government data collection organization masquerading as a publicly traded company. These messages are indicative of internal corporate culture because people are people - the shady government snoops are just benevolent, they have to make people buy their bullshit well enough to get it implemented. That means they have to make it fun/quirky/acceptable - THAT is what this shows.

    4. Re:treat all systems as if they are production by ljw1004 · · Score: 1

      Ah yes, like the time a previous developer decided to have the database connection error display "Fuck! Can't connect to database!". Of course the database didn't fail until well after he left. Fun times when the client called about that one...

      Here's one I noticed from H&R Block: https://idp.hrblock.com/

      It returns just "<html><body><h1>It works!</h1></body></html>" (plus a load of javascript that I assume is tracking).

    5. Re:treat all systems as if they are production by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      There is one exception to this rule: If you're a pentester team. You should NOT run a test that potentially cripples a database beyond repair on a critical production system.

      Not that we ever did that. Oh, by the way, the outage yesterday was due to sunspot activity...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re: treat all systems as if they are production by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

      Couldn't agree more on that point - we really need to be reintroducing inefficiencies in the form of distributed manufacturing and market share. The system isn't stable enough to have a megacorp in charge of anything, let alone multiple things.

  5. Lesson to learn by enriquevagu · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Easter eggs may be funny, but they should never be against the public image of your company. "Big Brother is watching"

    1. Re:Lesson to learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Really says a lot about how privacy concerns are viewed within facebook. They think it's all a big joke.

    2. Re: Lesson to learn by illiac_1962 · · Score: 1

      This IS before your mom learned to appreciate anal.

    3. Re:Lesson to learn by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      How is this against the public image of the company? It is the public image of the company. They don't even try to hide it anymore, well, how could they?

      If you can't hide anymore that you're abusing your users, why not just flaunt it? Worked for other drug dealers, too.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. IT WAS VIRAL MARKETING! by tomhath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Run out and buy one quick - they'll be more collectable than Beanie Babies. And the marketing drones who thought this up will get nice bonuses.

    1. Re:IT WAS VIRAL MARKETING! by v1s10nary · · Score: 2

      Run out and buy one quick - they'll be more collectable than Beanie Babies. And the marketing drones who thought this up will get nice bonuses.

      Indeed.... FaceBook is the master of social manipulation.

      --
      "The cause of fear is ignorance."
  7. Truth in advertising by sinij · · Score: 1

    "Big Brother is Watching"

    Coming from FB, I think this is 100% accurate.

  8. No worries, it was just an accident by BringsApples · · Score: 1

    I mean, they simply tested "Big Brother is Watching" and "The Masons were here". Don't ask why they were testing some shit like that, just know that it was a test.

    --
    Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
    1. Re:No worries, it was just an accident by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Or it's a distraction from something else. It's like in the old joke:

      Spin doctor: "We go to Iraq and kill a million Iraqis and two dentists."
      Press: "Why the two dentists?"
      Spin doctor (to politician): "See? Told you nobody would ask about the Iraqis".

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. who needs to worry about Russia/China? by WindBourne · · Score: 2

    It seems like lots of BS comes from our own companies, who are always working for China or Russia as well.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  10. That's Hilarious! by Murdoch5 · · Score: 1

    100% awesome, I'd be proud to ship those bad boys :)

  11. Title is missleading by HannethCom · · Score: 4, Informative

    To be clear, most of these have not shipped yet. This is the batch to go with the Quest and Rift S kits.
    If you currently have touch controllers, the insides of them do not have these sayings.

    The exception is the dev kits for these have shipped and they have the sayings, "Big Brother is Watching" and "Hi iFixit! We See You!"

    The consumer touch controllers that are about to ship say, "This Space For Rent" & "The Masons Were Here."
    Facebook does not plan to recall any of these. You have to unscrew your controller and open it up to see these messages.

    --
    Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.
  12. And let's not forget the email passwords by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

    What a freakshow it must be over there. Their corporate culture permits this kind of crap to make it to production:

    https://arstechnica.com/inform...

    Who is still working at Facebook? The backroom guys who keep those servers running must be mortified to be associated with these bozos.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    1. Re:And let's not forget the email passwords by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Is it any different anywhere else? We're working our asses off in the server rooms, development groups and security groups and then we get to see what marketing and C-Levels do.

      Since I saw this, I don't think Crack is the worst. Obviously it gets worse if you leave out the baking soda.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re: And let's not forget the email passwords by astrofurter · · Score: 1

      Of the Faceboot employees I've personally encountered, 20% were incompetent Bay Area Progressive assholes, and 80% were incompetent H1B scabs. I met the Bay Area Progressive assholes quite a few years ago. By now they may also have been replaced by H1B scabs.

  13. Re: BB IS watching ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    No, not some non-users. Fonts, frameworks, analytics, share and like buttons, you aren't escaping Scroogle and Facebook. No, your hosts file - admirable though it is - is not blocking all their domains.

  14. So, I guess ... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    These messages were intended only for prototypes, he said -- but a mistake meant they were included in regular production devices. "Unfortunately, some 'easter egg' labels meant for prototypes accidentally made it onto the internal hardware for tens of thousands of Touch controllers," the tech executive wrote.

    ... Big Brother *wasn't* watching -- the production line anyway.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  15. "Accidentally".... by sconeu · · Score: 1

    "Unfortunately, some 'easter egg' labels meant for prototypes accidentally made it onto the internal hardware for tens of thousands of Touch controllers,"

    Sure. That's just what THEY want you to think...

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  16. Nobody cares by DogDude · · Score: 1

    Who the hell uses "VR"? It's a stupid gimmick that companies have been dumping money into for years. Who the hell wants this, and what's the point? And, even if there was some use for "VR", who in their right mind would buy hardware from Facebook? This is an awful, useless article.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:Nobody cares by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      There are some actually pretty fun games on it, now the hardware is up to the task.

      There are lots of rubbish games too, of course, but that's true of games in general.

    2. Re:Nobody cares by jetkust · · Score: 1

      The US military uses it for training. This is just one example. The only real reason to buy the hardware from Microsoft and Facebook is because they likely would have the most developers and cost the least money. VR and AR isn't a problem of "who want's to use it." It's just when will they come out with hardware the masses will want to use.

  17. Re:IT WAS A REELECTION! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    If there was ever a cautionary tale of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future, it'd be one where Trump gets another 4 years to continue destroying the United States and torturing human beings.

  18. Fucking hell by Colourspace · · Score: 1, Insightful

    When they eventually come to name the current epoch, they may well settle on "Youcouldntmakethisshitupstocene".

  19. Re:IT WAS A REELECTION! by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    If there was ever a cautionary tale of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future, it'd be one where Trump gets another 4 years to continue destroying the United States and torturing human beings.

    According to a theory of physics there is a universe out there where Trump is doing exactly that. It is a good thing we don't live in that universe. I imagine in that universe Trump wouldn't be getting another 4 years, but currently in our universe Trump has 2020 in the bag.

    --
    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
  20. Facebook by beep54 · · Score: 1

    It seems that the ONLY thing it cares about is slurping up data from foolish people and selling it. Does not give one flying eff about anything else.

  21. Not as much BS as WindBourne. Who u work for again by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1
    Most of your posts are BS WindBourne. Who do you work for?

    Starting next year, the new tesla trucks will actually drop our CO2 by 2-5% EACH YEAR.
    Yes, 5000 new Tesla trucks EACH YEAR will reduce CO2 FURTHER than 500,000 new model 3s EACH YEAR.

    Complete BS nonsense WindBourne.

    Coal plants

    BOTH America and Europe are at .25 TW running ~90-95% load. Note that this means that Europe and America can NOT increase their emissions from coal without building new plants.

    Complete bullshit WindBourne. They don't run at that load and they can easily increase.

    This is no different than those that blame America for China's gov choosing to build new coals plants and continue using more than 85%coal for electricity.

    Complete lie backed up by nothing.

    Why did china's coal production, consumption, and CO2 increase over 5% in 2017,

    Easy, you lied WindBourne, it didn't.

    I have said that China is building 700 coal plants. 350 of them are in china and 300 outside.

    Where did the other 50 go? Plus it's BS anyway.

    The only way to stop the CO2 is to have ALL NATIONS STOP ADDING COAL and back off rather quickly.

    Clearly BS as American coal went down but the CO2 went up anyway.

    Did you even bother to read how it was calculated?
    If you had, you would know that they simply took the total energy used and divided by households and capita.

    No surprise that this is a lie also. The linked article told us how they calculated it. WindBourne lied about reading it and then lied about what it said, as usual.

    This is no different than when China had to reverse their 50 year lie about coal

    What 50 year lie WindBourne? More BS from you.

    Finally, you speak of GDP growth. Here is America Here is China Here is EU Out of all 3, America is doing the best.

    His links showed America was actually the worst.
    Not sure which is funnier. That he didn't look at his own links, or that he actually believed America was growing faster than China.

    China consumes over 1/2 of the consumed coal on this PLANET EACH YEAR for the last 10 years.

    More lies and BS. Your own link showed it hasn't been doing it for 10 years.

    First off, new ICE cars will probably stop selling in about 2 more years.

    LOL

    nothing fair or intelligent about per capita. That is one of the WORST measures/normalization going.

    Usual BS to absolve America of all wrongs, due to China being a larger country.

    And WindBourne's biggest BS of all.
    Calling me a liar constantly but never once showin

  22. Hoooooo boy by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    The conspiracy nuts will go bonkers about this!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  23. Re:Fagmasons by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Dude... I don't know how to say it but could it be that you were the target of an elaborate prank?

    I mean, let's be honest, if I was asked what the initiation ceremony of some secret society was, and if I was into that kind of sausage suckling ... well ...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.