Lately Facebook's problems possess got been fueled past times Wall Street Journal reporters peeking nether the sheets to come across what form of shenanigans Facebook has been upwards to. That's how nosotros learned Facebook apps possess got been inadvertently sharing user identities amongst advertisers, as well as the personal profiles culled from Facebook information past times companies similar Rapleaf tin acquire real specific -- including names, locations, politics, as well as religious beliefs.
Imagine our surprise, then, when nosotros turned to the InterWebs this morning time as well as discovered that non only were Facebook apps sharing user identities (UIDs) inadvertently, but that roughly were also doing it advertently -- which is to say deliberately, on purpose, for money. Worse, app makers were selling user information to information brokers, which is a lilliputian similar Charlie Sheen offering upwards his most intimate secrets to Perez Hilton. It won't remain inwards 1 house for long.
Once again, Facebook turned to blogger Mike Vernal to discover the news. Vernal mightiness last the most dull blogger on the planet; he's sure enough 1 of the most obtuse, which is in all probability why they gave him the job. It takes him half-dozen paragraphs to acquire to the center of the matter:
As nosotros examined the circumstances of inadvertent UID transfers, nosotros discovered roughly instances where a information broker was paying developers for UIDs. While nosotros determined that no individual user information was sold as well as confirmed that transfer of these UIDs did non give access to whatever individual data, this violation of our policy is something nosotros possess got seriously. As such, nosotros are taking activity against these developers past times instituting a 6-month amount moratorium on their access to Facebook communication channels, as well as nosotros volition request these developers to submit their information practices to an audit inwards the futurity to confirm that they are inwards compliance amongst our policies. This impacts fewer than a dozen, by as well as large small-scale developers, none of which are inwards the altitude 10 applications on Facebook Platform.
We possess got also reached an understanding amongst Rapleaf, the information broker who came forwards to piece of work amongst us on this situation. Rapleaf has agreed to delete all UIDs inwards its possession, as well as they possess got agreed non to bear whatever activities on the Facebook Platform (either straight or indirectly) going forward.
OK, a handful of app developers sold user identities to information brokers -- non good, but non the destination of the world. If information brokers actually wanted to, they could cull these same IDs manually past times trolling through Facebook as well as collecting them. (Of class it's a lot faster as well as easier to simply purchase them.)
Give Facebook points for bringing this to world attending earlier the media got to it first. Now subtract those points for giving us equally lilliputian information close this affair equally humanly possible.
Here's what I desire to know:
* Facebook has inwards the neighborhood of 550,000 apps. Has the fellowship actually checked the data-sharing habits of all of them? If not, how many apps possess got been vetted? The altitude 100? 200? 1,000? Which ones possess got been vetted, as well as how would anyone else know?
* Which apps are guilty? Telling us that "fewer than a dozen" developers were involved, without telling us which ones, only protects the guilty -- as well as does nada for the people who've installed those apps as well as possess got a correct to know. Even other app developers are calling for this information to last made public, because otherwise they're guilty past times association.
* What information brokers bought this information? To whom did they sell it? Are people getting targeted ads (or spam, junk mail, as well as telemarketing calls) equally a result?
* What does that "6-month amount moratorium on their access to Facebook communication channels" hateful exactly? That they volition disappear from the Facebook apps pages? That they volition become dark? And why half-dozen months? It's similar Facebook is sending them to bed without dinner.
* Will Rapleaf croak on to scrape information from Facebook pages as well as include it inwards its profiles? Will it croak on to portion its information amongst Facebook advertisers? How cozy were Rapleaf as well as Facebook inwards the showtime place?
* Where does this end? (See centipede, shoes above.)
Now contrast Vernal's tilt amongst 1 of the comments attached to his weblog post, which accuses an unnamed app developer of actively trying to sell Facebook users' individual information to the Washington Times:
Please banking concern jibe inwards amongst the Washington Times close the developer who was approaching inwards them [sic] inwards early on 2008 to resell Facebook user data. I ended upwards at a tabular array at a conference, equally this facebook app developer was trying to sell them a contract for data. I never got his scream or the app---but the Washington Times' web/media squad mightiness retrieve him. He was specifically selling demographic information as well as IP addresses/locations of users to media companies thus they could correlate age/sex/demographic/location for their advertisers.
This is the existent issue. Is this a mutual practice? Does Facebook fifty-fifty know close this incident?
This is why I don't utilisation Facebook apps as well as discourage others from doing so. I've seen equally good many that seem designed solely for this operate -- regardless of Facebook's written policies as well as pious statements to the contrary. I don't intend the fellowship has a clue of what's going on. For a service that claims 500 million+ members as well as wants to modify the real nature of the Web, it's good past times fourth dimension Facebook got one.
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