[From Reddit] I'm becoming scared of Facebook.

Mr.J

Mr.J

Skilled
Has anyone else noticed, in the last few months especially, a huge uptick in Facebook's ability to know everything about you?

Facebook is sending me reminders about people I've snapchatted but not spoken to on Facebook yet.

Facebook is advertising products to me based on conversations I've had in bars or over my microphone while using Curse at home. Things I've never mentioned or even searched for on my phone, Facebook knows about.

Every aspect of my life that I have kept disconnected from the internet and social media, Facebook knows about. I don't want to say that Facebook is recording our phone microphones at all time, but how else could they know about things that I have kept very personal and never even mentioned online?

Even for those things I do search online - Facebook knows. I can do a google search for a service using Chrome, open Facebook, and the advertisement for that service is there. It's like they are reading all input and output from my phone.

I guess I agreed to it by accepting their TOS, but isn't this a bit ridiculous? They shouldn't be profiling their users to the extent they are.

There's no way to keep anything private anymore. Facebook can "hear" conversations that it was never meant to. I don't want to delete it because I do use it fairly frequently to check in on people, but it's becoming less and less worth the threat to my privacy.

EDIT: Although it's anecdotal, I feel it's worth mentioning that my friends have been making the same complaints lately, but in regard to the text messages they are sending. I know the subjects of my texts have been appearing in Facebook ads and notifications as well. It's just not right.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/5k4dn8/im_becoming_scared_of_facebook/

I thought this deserves its own thread.
 
Well facebook always shows Amazon recommendations for the products I have searched in Amazon store.
Funny part : The android version does not ask for a single permission during install.
So no way they get direct access to information unless Amazon provided it.
I read a good thought somewhere on Internet : If the product is free, then you are the product.
 
Amazon is the same. I was looking for cards in the Amazon app two days back during that app contest. I was looking at all the USB cards, pen drives, mobile phones etc. Then I log on to Reddit and see ads from Amazon for the same stuff. Every day, i see ads on pc for stuff i searched for 2-3 days back on my mobile phone. Probably all the top companies have some sort of tracking system on server side to generate such ads. Even the ads I see on TechEnclave are from Amazon now for mobiles I saw in a glance.
 
Its called retargeting ads. Its nothing malicious. most companies use to make people complete the sale. clear cookies and its back to 'normal'.
On the aspect of Facebook, with their purchase of mostly commonly used apps and sites like whatsapp, its easier for them to keep you within their loop as a user/customer. There is no getting away unless you live a smart internet life where things are not connected to one another through one email or phone or login using one site or app for another. The more you connect yourself to sites and apps through common details, the more you will feel "watched".

I dont know if there is any harm with these companies following you around virtually or knowing you and your habits, do we need to be so paranoid ?
 
^ Depends. I would be paranoid about Facebook following me, since everything on me that they can get, is important for them, as they make money on me sharing my stuff with the world. With Google, not so much since G+ was a flop.

Additionally, I too feel that the facebook app is constantly recording or sorta something, my office collegue has removed it from iOS as well.
 
puns said:
Its called retargeting ads. Its nothing malicious. most companies use to make people complete the sale. clear cookies and its back to 'normal'.
On the aspect of Facebook, with their purchase of mostly commonly used apps and sites like whatsapp, its easier for them to keep you within their loop as a user/customer. There is no getting away unless you live a smart internet life where things are not connected to one another through one email or phone or login using one site or app for another. The more you connect yourself to sites and apps through common details, the more you will feel "watched".

I dont know if there is any harm with these companies following you around virtually or knowing you and your habits, do we need to be so paranoid ?
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No dude, its not normal.

First of all, Facebook is snooping in on your text and whatsapp messages AND your calls as well that alone is far beyond normal.
Second, unlike most other sites, Facebook can and does store data about you on their servers, clearing cookies won't solve that. The data is there forever.

Even if you choose not to share anything with them, or not have a Facebook account at all, they have the algorithm to piece a picture together from posts made by your friends and relatives.
 
I know very well how these companies work lol. I had written an article on TE of how not to be tracked by these companies :p
What Im wanting to know, how does it affect you in the real world ? Has your online surfing or usage of apps done anything bad or negative for you in the non online world.
I would be paranoid or worried if it affects me in my day to day life. Im not asking government level monitoring. Just sites like facebook, twitter etc ?[DOUBLEPOST=1482662106][/DOUBLEPOST]I know very well how these companies work lol. I had written an article on TE of how not to be tracked by these companies :p
What Im wanting to know, how does it affect you in the real world ? Has your online surfing or usage of apps done anything bad or negative for you in the non online world.
I would be paranoid or worried if it affects me in my day to day life. Im not asking government level monitoring. Just sites like facebook, twitter etc ?
 
puns said:
What Im wanting to know, how does it affect you in the real world ? Has your online surfing or usage of apps done anything bad or negative for you in the non online world.
I would be paranoid or worried if it affects me in my day to day life. Im not asking government level monitoring. Just sites like facebook, twitter etc ?
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They will never do anything that affects your daily life. That would be a easy give away. These companies are playing a far bigger game. They are tools for powerful people to shape public opinion (and in the long run, society itself) and produce a subservient population. A population which will slave all its life, accept any political decision, including their own destruction.

As as example, when europe was being invaded by arab/north african migrants who were openly hostile to the local population, Mark Zuckerberg promised Merkel that he will delete comments critical of invaders. Facebook (and other media outlets) worked very hard to make these jihadi rapists and criminals looks like innocent refugees.

These companies are the new tools of war (psyops have always been integral part of warfare). If you think these companies are harmless, you are on the losing side.
 
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Facebook makes me bitter, jealous and depressed to the extent of panic attacks.

I am more scared of people than some California company.

I love to live clutter free life, I hate nostalgia. Facebook is stressful.
 
What dpandey said, minus the vitriol towards refugees. (No need to start debate over that now. It's a far complex topic with nuances and facets beyond our understanding)
 
ssslayer said:
Imagine me surfing porn earlier, and facebook suggesting me stuff based on my preferences!
All in the view of my parents!
:p
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Mother to Father: look, our son is looking at naughty things.
Father: yes, we should start looking at getting him married soon. Baccha bada hua ab. `\(°~°)/`
 
The simplest answer is - It depends. I remember when I was first trying to learn about "Data Science" and how companies are trying to make things "smarter" to help you. One of the articles I read was about how Walmart was doing retargeting ads for its customers. The article had many examples of Walmart sending out flyers of coupons of stuff they thought their customers will buy in the foreseeable future. And within that there was an example of a teenager being sent a flyer for pregnancy and child birth related stuff. Father of this teenager stormed into Walmart and demanded an apology from the manager, only to later learn his daughter was actually pregnant. The giveaway in this case was - she was buying non scented creams from Walmart which was a pattern they noticed in their expecting mothers. While this was great for Walmart, for me it resounded on a different level as creepy.

The 2nd aspect of this is data security. FB is fine but I see a lot of checkout lanes in India asking for people's number to try and collect data of "unique numbers" attached to purchases. While this is mostly for harmless advertising but given the level of security, this could turn bad.
 
6pack said:
Mother to Father: look, our son is looking at naughty things.
Father: yes, we should start looking at getting him married soon. Baccha bada hua ab. `\(°~°)/`
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I swear this is what exactly happened to my friend. Friend introduced parents to fb, parents see few pics with friends of opposite sex, they suddenly have a epiphany that their son is not small anymore and got him married at age 23. Indian parents man..
 
adventureguy said:
I swear this is what exactly happened to my friend. Friend introduced parents to fb, parents see few pics with friends of opposite sex, they suddenly have a epiphany that their son is not small anymore and got him married at age 23. Indian parents man..
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That escalated quickly :D
 
Guys, This not new. Indian Internet lines are being monitored way before even facebook came out. Privacy is dead now. If you don't want someone to know your personal information, Don't join social networking websites or don't post any personal information on any website.
 
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