Despite the tough situation for Facebook, I suspect they are somewhat pleased that the focus right now is on an older data breach instead of on the toolset and functionality they provide currently that people aren't talking about.
Although the media is currently focusing on Cambridge Analytica and the simple targeting they offer to ad buyers using likes/interests, the reality is that advanced buyers can buy/collect data elsewhere, chop and segment it as they please, upload names and email addresses, and have Facebook automatically match the data that they have with fairly high accuracy to users on Facebook.
This removes any of Facebook's "liability" in terms of targeting using likes and interests in their system, but still allows anyone with the data and know how to do as they please and still reach all the users they want using Facebook's tools.
Sure, Facebook will take a hit with this, but ultimately Facebook can and will get away with the current narrative that this was something that only happened years ago and they are better now.
To me, the current toolsets and targeting using your own uploaded data is what is even scarier. Facebook will just shirk all responsibility this way but still allow for the same thing to happen in the future.
Man, Bloomberg is all over Zuck. I guess they've got an axe to grind after what he did to them with the newsfeed changes. It's interesting in that Zuck and Bloomgerg (really news media in general) are both much more powerful than each other in different ways. Zuck can change an algorithm and completely disrupt the flow of clicks. But he can't effectively attack someone's image the way Bloomberg is attacking his right now.
Bloomberg makes all of their money from terminal and data services. In terms of the business model, the consumer news service is basically a vanity project, so I don't think they are that concerned with what newsfeed changes have done to them.
On the other hand, Bloomberg can't block a single user from reading its articles, like Zuck blocked the whistleblower from the platform for no good reason other than revenge.
This is one area where we definitely need some regulation. And I think people who have complained about Google account bans in the past would agree. These companies are getting too powerful and connected to too many things and services to simply be allowed to remove someone's access on a whim, without a strong justification for it and without also being able to appeal the move to authorities, if needed.
Ideally, this wouldn't be needed if the internet was more decentralized and these companies didn't try to be everywhere and own everything. But since they love that monopoly power so much, then the regulation is required.
Yes, but while we all love the first amendment when it's something like this, people will go to great lengths to point out corps are not subject to it when it would protect an undesirable element with unpopular opinions.
> I guess they've got an axe to grind after what he did to them with the newsfeed changes.
This. This whole scandal is basically a fake story invented by the media as revenge.
FB has clearly done some things to get where they are that many would find challenging, but in the end if Facebook has an achilles heel then it can only be Facebook itself.
It's not fake scandal. The real scandal is that Facebook and Google collect more data on free citizens than KGB has ever dreamed possible. Blatant invasion of privacy and data collection by Google and FB is a national security issue, as recent events have shown. Orwellian!
The knives are coming out tonight. How many anti-FB articles on the front page today? Had it been a coordinated attack, it would not have been more prominent.
Not defending FB, but this is something else. I'm pretty certain they'll survive this, albeit wounded. But it almost answers the question, what will turn FB into the next MySpace? Maybe a big exaggerated scandal.
One has to remember that these news orgs are in competition with Facebook and their coverage should be considered with that in mind.
The eurocrats must be loving this, instead of scrutinizing their discriminatory tax proposal targeting our tech sector our press and politicians are attacking our companies for them.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16641550
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16642985
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16644915