Facebook admits 18% of Research spyware users were teens, not <5%

[danieltien]

https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/28/facebook-research-teens/

 

When Apple shut down Facebook's "research program", it claimed to the press that less than 5% of the users were minors. Under questioning from the US Senate, however, they admit that it was a little closer to 18%

 

From the Techcrunch article:

• Quote

   

  • TechCrunch reports on January 29th that Facebook is paying teens and adults up to $20 in gift cards per month to install a Research VPN with Root network access to spy on all their mobile app activity, web browsing, and even encrypted communications.
  • TechCrunch informs Facebook and Apple that Facebook’s Research app violates Apple’s Enterprise Certificate rules.
  • That night, Facebook claims it shut down the Research app on iOS but didn’t violate Apple’s policy, and tells reporters only 5 percent of Research users were teens and they all had signed parental consent forms.
  • The next morning, Apple tells TechCrunch that it forcibly shut down Facebook Research on iOS for violating the Enterprise Certificate rules, and invalidates Facebook’s Certificate thereby breaking its internal iOS apps for 30 hours, including its Workplace chat and task management apps as well as its shuttle schedule and lunch menu
  • TechCrunch reports Google’s Screenwise Meter market research app was also breaking Apple’s Enterprise Certificate rules, but it quickly apologies and shuts down the app on iOS though it still has its internal iOS apps invalidated for 6 hours.
  • Senator Warner issues a letter demanding answers about Facebook Research from Mark Zuckerberg, while Senators Blumenthal and Markey also issue sternly worded reprimands of Facebook.
  • Facebook’s VP of production engineering and security Pedro Canahuati publishes an internal memo disputing our reporting by saying the program was never secret, but its points are swiftly dismantled by TechCrunch after we reveal that legal action was threatened if a Research user spoke publicly about the app.
  • TechCrunch reports that Apple failed to block dozens of hardcore pornography and real-money gambling apps abusing Enterprise Certificate program to sidestep the App Store’s rules, and Apple shuts them down.
  • Facebook tells TechCrunch on February 21st that it’s ceased recruiting users for its Research program on Android where it was still running, and  that it will shut down its similar Onavo market research spyware VPN on Android after Apple banned it last year.
  • That same day, Facebook issues this response to Senator Warner that shows its initial response to reporters wasn’t accurate.

   

   

[Guest]

FB will all end in tears one day. 

[XR6]

Needless to say, I'm not surprised. 

Why? Well, Facebook is Facebook. Zuckerberg and right hand men will always lie, cheat and spy. 

First with the VPN that would monitor all of your communications and internet traffic, now they're lying about the data they recorded too. 

Sometimes I question why Facebook hasn't been shut down yet, either forcibly by Interpol and the US government or voluntarily by Facebook themselves.

[Taf the Ghost]

1 hour ago, 1kv said:

Needless to say, I'm not surprised. 

Why? Well, Facebook is Facebook. Zuckerberg and right hand men will always lie, cheat and spy. 

First with the VPN that would monitor all of your communications and internet traffic, now they're lying about the data they recorded too. 

Sometimes I question why Facebook hasn't been shut down yet, either forcibly by Interpol and the US government or voluntarily by Facebook themselves.

Because Facebook, like Google, is a non-governmental Spy Agency. That's why the EU doesn't like either: they don't get access to all of the data. Zuck has taken a public beating from the Establishment because he's failed to be useful to them. There's a reason they keep dragging him to DC to look stupid. 

 

So, Facebook will be allowed to survive because it's useful for reasons other than what it claims to be its purpose. Note that pretty much every innovative company that Facebook acquires has its leadership bail as fast as possible. Everyone that isn't a lifer there can clearly issue the massive problems.

[BetterThanLife]

FB is just an echo chamber designed to program you.

Escape the bubble and it no longer exists.

Fresh air, own wants and goals, live to be yourself not others.

[Fnige]

2 hours ago, danieltien said:

Under questioning from the US Senate, however, they admit that it was a little closer to 18%

Wait... they admitted to something... oh WOW

[abazigal]

Facebook caught lying through their teeth? Inconceivable! 

 

/s

[mr moose]

Who cares?  It wasn't a covert operation or disguised process.  It doesn't matter what the percentage was, they all knew what they were signing up for and they had parental/career permission.

 

EDIT: also OP, it wasn't spyware. 

[Trik'Stari]

Facebook is building a Datacenter in the home state of Senator Warner.

 

I wouldn't expect much to come out of this.

[Doobeedoo]

It's like it's an social experiment with social engineering in works or something... 

[RejZoR]

4 minutes ago, Doobeedoo said:

It's like it's an social experiment with social engineering in works or something... 

It's an experiment on how naive users are. Partially, by people simply not understanding tech. If someone explained it to them that usage of such VPN shows Fecesbook EVERYTHING they do with their phone, I don't think teenagers would just agree with it. Unless they really so blindly go after the money offered for it. This one was paid so they can basically fine tune the sensors to hoard data and then they'd just roll it out as some feature that all users would jump on and the data hoarding continues.

[Doobeedoo]

11 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

It's an experiment on how naive users are. Partially, by people simply not understanding tech. If someone explained it to them that usage of such VPN shows Fecesbook EVERYTHING they do with their phone, I don't think teenagers would just agree with it. Unless they really so blindly go after the money offered for it. This one was paid so they can basically fine tune the sensors to hoard data and then they'd just roll it out as some feature that all users would jump on and the data hoarding continues.

Yeah true sadly. Some people don't even care though. Regardless stil should not support that. 

[mr moose]

8 hours ago, RejZoR said:

It's an experiment on how naive users are. Partially, by people simply not understanding tech. If someone explained it to them that usage of such VPN shows Fecesbook EVERYTHING they do with their phone, I don't think teenagers would just agree with it. Unless they really so blindly go after the money offered for it. This one was paid so they can basically fine tune the sensors to hoard data and then they'd just roll it out as some feature that all users would jump on and the data hoarding continues.

It was explained to them, that was part of the contract.  Sometimes you have to accept there are people out there willing to sell their privacy, just like there are those willing to be paid to test drugs, test new planes etc and so on.

8 hours ago, Doobeedoo said:

Yeah true sadly. Some people don't even care though. Regardless stil should not support that. 

This is true, see my response to RejZoR.

[RejZoR]

Or they just idn't understand what that actually means. I don't think they know such service literally gives them access to EVERYTHING, even encrypted stuff, passwords, communication data NO ONE should have access to, let alone Fecesbook.

[mr moose]

17 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Or they just idn't understand what that actually means. I don't think they know such service literally gives them access to EVERYTHING, even encrypted stuff, passwords, communication data NO ONE should have access to, let alone Fecesbook.

Why make assumptions about this?  You can't blame a company because the consumer might not have understood the conditions they signed on to. Nor can you assume the consumer didn't understand it.  By that logic all contracts should be null and void because its possible a party didn't fully understand what they read.