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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday February 15 2018, @02:48AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-could-possibly-go-wrong? dept.

We've got great news this week for nation-state employees tasked with using social media to spark a class war in previously stable democracies! Facebook is patenting technology to decide if its users are upper, middle or working class -- without even using the usual marker for social class: an individual's income (the patent considers this a benefit).

Facebook's patent plan for "Socioeconomic Group Classification Based on User Features" uses different data sources and qualifiers to determine whether a user is "working class," "middle class," or "upper class." It uses things like a user's home ownership status, education, number of gadgets owned, and how much they use the internet, among other factors. If you have one gadget and don't use the internet much, in Facebook's eyes you're probably a poor person.

Facebook's application says the algorithm is intended for use by "third parties to increase awareness about products or services to online system users." Examples given include corporations and charities.

Engadget


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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Thursday February 15 2018, @06:08AM (3 children)

    by anubi (2828) on Thursday February 15 2018, @06:08AM (#638102) Journal

    I use an android as well... I did not pay all that much for it, and it meets my needs - or at least as good as the much higher priced stuff I see some of my acquaintances with. ( Kinda hard to call 'em "friends"... I don't really have that many of those. )

    What I was looking for was something I could write my own code for... as I have already seen the Android phones in a car radio form factor, quite capable of doing anything, as well as cellphone connectivity.... and I am going to write some code to let me remote control my van should the need arise - by linking the van's arduino to the phone via the USB port - and writing my own "app" so I can message my phone and have it do things like shut the fuel pump down, and deliberately inject air into the injectors, so someone is gonna have to spend a good half-hour purging the air out of the hydraulics before it will run again.

    Will the "upper class" meet people like us on facebook? People who actually do this kind of stuff? Not likely. From what I see here, most of us hate that site.

    Incidentally, anyone have more info on the mesh networking ( like the Serval project ) for Androids?

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    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:40AM (2 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:40AM (#638129) Journal

    Will the "upper class" meet people like us on facebook? People who actually do this kind of stuff? Not likely. From what I see here, most of us hate that site.

    Will the upper class care about the invisibles? I bet they won't. Not until is too late for them.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday February 16 2018, @03:43AM (1 child)

      by anubi (2828) on Friday February 16 2018, @03:43AM (#638640) Journal

      The problem is mutual... they won't find me because I am not there. Nor will I find them, because they are not here.

      All that blather and my distrust of social networks keeps me off of them. I find them boring as hell.

      While the monied can buy anything they want.... they don't need to pay attention to boring detail work.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday February 17 2018, @12:23AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 17 2018, @12:23AM (#639134) Journal

        Two groups of people leaving in the same country can't go on ignoring each other for long, especially when one of the groups prey on the other.
        Sooner or later, the preying group is bound to let the Facebook harvesting ground aside.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford