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Facebook's mobile app is promoting a VPN service from a company that it acquired in 2013. The hard-to-find privacy policy and non-disclosure of Facebook's ownership are setting off alarm bells:
Facebook is now offering some mobile app users a wireless-networking app without first disclosing that it's owned by Facebook, or that it collects information for the social networking company.
The app, Onavo Protect, provides users with a virtual private network, or VPN. Typically, a VPN cloaks the user's identity and adds other security features, making it a more secure way to get online, particularly when using public Wi-Fi networks.
Yet the Onavo app also tracks data that it shares with Facebook and others, "including the applications installed on your device, your use of those applications, the websites you visit and the amount of data you use," according to its own privacy policies.
Also at TechCrunch and Gizmodo.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 13 2018, @05:43PM (8 children)
We do business with Communist China, learn to tolerate their ways, and then normalize this behavior for ourselves (the USA).
I don't blame the Chinese. I blame us.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Tuesday February 13 2018, @07:24PM (1 child)
Decades ago when I was in college, an older person told me that one day Russia would take over our country without firing a single shot.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by canopic jug on Wednesday February 14 2018, @08:49AM
I've heard similar from several sources. One was told to me by someone who had a major argument in the 1950s during college with an avowed Communist and fan of the Soviet Union. The Communist bragged that by playing the long game, they'd be able to grind away at the right end of the political spectrum in the US until it was suitable for their goals. The idea was to eventually run a far right candidate that would in reality tick all their check boxes. I suppose that Russia, despite no longer being even remotely communist any more has continued with such a programs if it was a real thing.
Even in the 1980s and 1990s there were secretive Communist operatives hanging around some areas and fishing around in certain groups looking for people to recruit. Nothing like the Finnish Taistolaistet movement in scope and power, but no less pernicious. Secretive as fsck though. I expect they're still around and still doing what they can to cause harm and destruction for the sake of causing harm and destruction. But those are an anachronism as what's left of the Soviet empire has mostly collapsed and the remnants have come to espouse neo-liberal capitalism, which is a different disease, if there is enough structure remaining to do that.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday February 13 2018, @07:35PM (5 children)
> We do business with Communist China, learn to tolerate their ways
Right. It's totally the Chinese who have taught Americans to create profit-making enterprises at the expense of their fellow citizens' privacy, safety, or health.
What time should I pencil in for your bridge tour? Don't wait too long, investment opportunity of a lifetime!
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Tuesday February 13 2018, @09:25PM
In China, they have far less online privacy, so they've learned to create profit-making enterprises at the expense of their fellow citizen's health. The US has some catching up to do. The oil drilling and opiate sales enterprises have some skills, but most others need to try harder.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 13 2018, @10:36PM (3 children)
I know it sounds that way, but I didn't mean to say we LEARNED IT from the Chinese, but rather that once you accept as OK doing business with the Chinese commie party and helping them implement their oppressive spying regime, it desensitizes you to the fact that it is WRONG. It's just a small time delay to then implementing it AT HOME. Everybody does it, WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 13 2018, @11:44PM (2 children)
Altered - makes as much sense.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @02:53PM (1 child)
Whatever man.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:23PM
well, at least they had their opiate wars over a 100 years ago for us to learn the mistakes from.