Link Harvest: How Your Friends Make Your Facebook Info Vulnerable

[osewalrus]

Even if you have stringent privacy settings, your friends can still access info -- and others can access info through them.
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2018/4/18/17251234/facebook-privacy-cambridge-analytica-third-party-apps-friends-regulation-pixel ;

Comments

[gingicat]

I’m guessing you aren’t deleting your account any more than I am, though.

[osewalrus]

Quite right. Cost of exclusion is way too high. It does limit what I will do an say, but I literally cannot do my job effectively without my FB account.

Additionally, there is a fairly substantial social cost to exclusion.

Which is why the idea that this is voluntary is at best misleading and at worst illusory. It is exactly the sort of thing we used to solve with strong consumer protection laws. Now, of course, we know regulation would offend the gods of the marketplace.

[gingicat]

Agreed on all counts.

I appreciate your work more than words can properly express.