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#DeleteFacebook Trending in Response to Cambridge Analytica Accusations

posted by martyb on Wednesday March 21 2018, @01:03AM   
from the And-nothing-of-value-was-lost dept.

takyon writes:

#DeleteFacebook trends in response to Cambridge Analytica

We all moved on from MySpace. We can move on from Facebook too." This was a typical message found on Twitter in the wake of accusations over Cambridge Analytica using personal data from 50 million Facebook users to influence the US presidential election in 2016. After reports of Cambridge Analytica using Facebook's user information came to light, people began to urge others to either #DeleteFacebook or #BoycottFacebook in response.

[...] A spokeswoman for Privacy International warned that privacy concerns extend beyond Facebook as "your data is being exploited all the time". A person on the technology subsection of Reddit agreed, saying removing Facebook "doesn't solve the long term problem [because] consent to data use is very weakly protected online right now". And one Twitter user seeking regulation of Facebook said having the ability to delete an account is "a privilege".

This is a campaign we can all get behind, regardless of your position on election interference and influences.

Previously: The Cambridge Analytica Files

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Original Submission

• Re:I told you so Re:I told you so (Score: 3, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Wednesday March 21 2018, @02:42AM (2 children)

  by Grishnakh (2831) on Wednesday March 21 2018, @02:42AM (#655836)

  You can't treat it like Ma Bell and break it up. That's politically impossible. The trend right now, in many industries, is consolidation, and anti-trust enforcement in the US is completely non-existent, with zero interest in reviving it from either major party. Honestly, it's amazing that we still have 4 major cellular carriers instead of 2 or 3.

  For federation, what you're describing is essentially Diaspora.

  For other nations, none of them except China have shown any willingness to take such measures.

  For your other examples, sure, breaking up MS and Apple and Google sounds great, but again, good luck with that pipe dream. It's about as realistic and likely to happen as my pipe dream of redrawing the state borders to be more sensible. Governments (esp. the US one) just haven't shown any willingness to do any such thing. The most we see is some complaining by the EU followed by some fines.

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• Re:I told you so Re:I told you so (Score: 4, Insightful) by vux984 on Wednesday March 21 2018, @02:49AM (1 child)

  by vux984 (5045) on Wednesday March 21 2018, @02:49AM (#655841)

  Politically impossible right now, but the tide is slowly turning. Eventually it could get there. If facebook is that entrenched, but simultaneously becomes sufficienlty distrusted and unpopular, a break up might become possible. But yeah, we're not even close yet.

  Yeah, the diaspora 'model' is good. But it needs critical mass that it doesn't have. And likely can't get.

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  • Re:I told you so (Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday March 21 2018, @04:04AM

    by NotSanguine (285) <{NotSanguine} {at} {SoylentNews.Org}> on Wednesday March 21 2018, @04:04AM (#655893) Homepage Journal

    Yeah, the diaspora 'model' is good. But it needs critical mass that it doesn't have. And likely can't get.

    Especially with little or no help from the fucking devs.

    Had they focused on ease of installation/administration back in 2012, they could have completely kicked Facebook's ass.

    I joined up even before that, but it was a fucking ghost town except for twelve Germans and a few Japanese. None of whom I knew. I invited a bunch of people, some of whom actually signed up, but...crickets...

    Too damn bad.

    --
    No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr

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