FaceBook is a "Man in the middle" attack on our data -- Eban Moglen

[GreyGeek]

http://www.itworld.com/it-management...ttack-our-data

"I presented [that information] there as a rapid illustration of the underlying principle that Facebook causes people to do *ecological* harm by collaboratively destroying one another's privacy. The point is that by sharing with our actual friends through a web intermediary who can store and mine everything, we *harm* people by destroying their privacy *for* them. It's not the sharing that's bad, it's the technological design of giving it all to someone in the middle. That is at once outstandingly stupid and overwhelmingly dangerous." -- Moglen
...
Moglen likens Facebook to a hacker who launches a “man in the middle” (MITM) attack -- intercepting an apparently private communication between two parties and using that information for his own nefarious purposes.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Like I've said before, I deleted my FB account after finding out how GROSSLY they share their users' data--and in ways most people never even think about. I wrote this blog post last year about some of their covert sharing. If the millions of people who've blindly jumped on the FB bandwagon only realized how their personal data are being used without their knowledge, I think many would leave. Like I did.

[GreyGeek]

In addition to the Man-In-The-Middle attack, which one could argue isn't really that, there is this problem with FaceBook tagging.

...
The above scenario is a friendly one. Imagine what someone who didn’t like you could do to your reputation using tags, if you weren’t paying close attention.
I thought, this seems like so obvious a flaw that even Facebook would notice. Surely I must be missing something. Somewhere in that Gordian Knot of Facebook privacy controls there must be some way to tell Facebook taggers to piss off.


I contacted Facebook to find out what the real story is about tags and what users can do to opt out. It was less helpful than I’d hoped.
I reached a global communications and public policy manager at Facebook who will remain unnamed. She proceeded to give me inaccurate information about how to opt out of photo tagging, claimed that you can only tag friends and “things or people that you are associated with” (also not true), and said I still fail to “fundamentally understand how tagging or for that matter Facebook works.”


That last one could be true. But she doesn’t seem to be doing much better.
Facebook’s own Help Center FAQs say it’s not possible to keep your friends from tagging pictures of you (short of asking them nicely, I suppose).

[woodsmoke]

Precisely why I have never put an image in any kind of iteration of a social thing.

woodsmoke

[Snowhog]

The only 'online' social network I'm involved in is right here on FKN. I've no FB or Twitter account, or any other social network account of any kind.

[SteveRiley]

Because their stupid little "Like" buttons are all over the Internet, I've configured my browsers to block all cookies from facebook.com and fb.com.

[PhilT]

How does one do that Steve? I use Firefox.

[PhilT]

Don't worry Steve!! Sorted in Firefox preferences.
Thanks for the tip though, I've been getting annoyed with all those "like" buttons, especially since I deleted my FB account ages ago.

[ScottyK]

With all the news of Facebook lately, and with them about to go public, I'm pondering deleting my account. I figure once they go public, they'll be paying attention to the shareholders, not the users.

[DoYouKubuntu]

One of the links in my aforementioned blog post, regarding FB's like button, leads to this article on Social Science Research Network, from which I quote its abstract:

Facebook Tracks and Traces Everyone: Like This!

Arnold Roosendaal

TILT, Tilburg University


November 30, 2010

Tilburg Law School Research Paper No. 03/2011

Abstract:
Numerous websites have implemented the Facebook Like button to let Facebook members share their interests, therewith promoting websites or news items. It is, thus, an important business tool for content providers. However, this article shows that the tool is also used to place cookies on the user’s computer, regardless whether a user actually uses the button when visiting a website. As an alternative business model this allows Facebook to track and trace users and to process their data. It appears that non-Facebook members can also be traced via the Like button. This means that Facebook’s tentacles reach far beyond their own platform and members. Due to the extensive web coverage with Like buttons, Facebook has a potential connection with all web users. Web activity can be linked to individual accounts or a separate data set can be created for individuals who are not (yet) a Facebook member. The hidden collection of data on browsing behavior and the creation of individual data sets has implications for the privacy of individuals. This article discusses privacy issues arising from third party cookie use and connectivity of web activity and devices, using the technical process behind the Facebook Like button as an example.

Just thinking of average computer users, how on earth would they know not only that they're being tracked in such an insidious manner, but how to stop it?

[SteveRiley]

once they go public, they'll be paying attention to the shareholders, not the users.

Just remember this about Facebook and all those other social media sites: who do you think the customer is? Answer: not you, the user. They really don't care about you at all. The true customers of these sites are the advertisers. It's the advertisers, after all, who are spending the money.

Just thinking of average computer users, how on earth would they know not only that they're being tracked in such an insidious manner, but how to stop it?

The pernicious little secret here is that J. Average User in fact doesn't know, and is largely unable to figure out that s/he is being purposefully kept in the dark.

[GreyGeek]

There is an add-on called "Ghost".

[SteveRiley]

There is an add-on called "Ghost".

Are you thinking of Ghostery? That is a pretty neat little thing.

[ScottyK]

Ghostery looks interesting, although I do find it amusing that you can "friend us on facebook!"