privacy Facebook wants to secretly watch you through your smartphone camera

[captain_to_fire]

Sources: International Business Times & Free Patents Online

 

Quote

Facebook wants to get up close and personal with its users after a patent was revealed detailing a desire to secretly watch users through their webcam or smartphone camera, spying on your mood in order to sell you tailored content or advertisements.

 

The purpose behind the invasive idea is to analyse people through the camera in real time while they browse online and if it recognises you looking happy, bored or sad, it would deliver an advert fitting your emotion. If you were forlorn, for example, it would be able to serve an ad to perk you up, or know what products you had previously looked at online and put them under your nose at just the right time.

 

Facebook explains in the patent application that a user who looked away during certain content (in their fictional case it was a kitten video) algorithms for the social network would know to not show more of that type of content. In another example it describes how the technology could tell if a user's expression changed while looking at posts or pictures from a certain person and would show more or less of these in the future.

The social network has filed several patents over the years on emotion-based technology but this, based on 'passive imaging data' is perhaps the most unnerving, considering it would take control of cameras that weren't even switched on by the user.

 

As described by CB Insights: "This patent proposes capturing images of the user through smartphone or laptop cameras, even when the user is not actively using the camera. By visually tracking a user's facial expression, Facebook aims to monitor the user's emotional reactions to different types of content."

 

For what Facebook? Facebook responded:

Quote

A Facebook spokesperson provided IBTimesUK with the following statement: "We often seek patents for technology we never implement, and patents should not be taken as an indication of future plans." (emphasis is mine)

All I can say if Facebook even attempted to implement this, I can see the backlash of different countries and human rights organizations including the UN Commission on Human Rights, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and privacy activists.

[Taf the Ghost]

NSAbook living up to their name.

[Nicnac]

that is f**ked up

[GirlFromYonder]

OOH FUCK THIS. I USE FB FOR UNIVERSTIY FB GROUP. THAT BLOODY APP ANTI EVER GONNA TOUCH MY PHONE NOW. EVER

 

[captain_to_fire]

Just now, DeezNoNos said:

-snip-

Just uninstall the app. On the rare occasions I use Facebook, I use the web browser.

[GirlFromYonder]

Just now, hey_yo_ said:

Just uninstall the app. On the rare occasions I use Facebook, I use the web browser.

well same. I dont have the app because it takes to much space.

[rn8686]

Because they dont have enough of your information...

(Please also fix for night theme users)

[RollinLower]

well, the spokesperson said they probably won;t implement this. if they did and made it public i bet the backlash would be massive.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

I don't use Facebook, but good luck to the first one that tries to implement this kind of nonsense

 

FB would probably show me ads for lightbulbs because it's always so dark where I am

 

That's my work phone, for the record.  I wouldn't want a smartphone for personal use.

 

 

 

 

[Prysin]

54 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Sources: International Business Times & Free Patents Online

 

For what Facebook? Facebook responded:

All I can say if Facebook even attempted to implement this, I can see the backlash of different countries and human rights organizations including the UN Commission on Human Rights, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and privacy activists.

apparently facebook also wants to hide all the text in your quotes from Dark Theme users.

[You_are_a_cunt]

Meh. Only reason I haven't shut down my account is because I very rarely log in to catch up to old friends. Most of them I can contact on skype though.

Time to start scrubbing my account I suppose

[SpaceGhostC2C]

38 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Just uninstall the app. On the rare occasions I use Facebook, I use the web browser.

Same. Facebook is bad enough on a browser, makes no sense in my phone.

But then again, I'm not uploading meal pictures to FB  

[JediFragger]

10 minutes ago, Prysin said:

apparently facebook also wants to hide all the text in your quotes from Dark Theme users.

THOSE EVIL BASTARDS!!!!!

 

[SCHISCHKA]

Welcome to American abuse of the patent system. Patents are suppose to be protecting research investment. instead they are prohibiting anyone else creating this technology without fucking lawyers fees.

[captain_to_fire]

@Prysin @rn8686 fixed it

 

 

If I had a dollar whenever I see someone complaining about fixing a post for night theme users, I'd have enough money to buy a new graphics card and an i7-7700K or a 256 GB iPhone 7+.

[Jito463]

You forgot one option in the poll, "I'd never use FakeBook".

[captain_to_fire]

1 minute ago, Jito463 said:

You forgot one option in the poll, "I'd never use FakeBook".

Updated 

[mynameisjuan]

Or just disable camera permissions in android. But this is still too far.

[Loot]

hahaha jokes on them i have a blackberry !

[Jito463]

3 hours ago, Captain Chaos said:

I don't use Facebook, but good luck to the first one that tries to implement this kind of nonsense

 

 

FB would probably show me ads for lightbulbs because it's always so dark where I am

 

That's my work phone, for the record.  I wouldn't want a smartphone for personal use.

Heh, I did the same thing on my phone.  Likewise, I'd still never install or use FacePuke.

[JoseGuya]

17 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

Or just disable camera permissions in android. But this is still too far.

Millions of FB's users won't because they activate it to upload pics and vids, they won't even suspect when this goes live. 

[mynameisjuan]

3 minutes ago, JoseGuya said:

Millions of FB's users won't because they activate it to upload pics and vids, they won't even suspect when this goes live. 

To upload pics it just needs access to storage. You dont need camera permissions for that, and when its live, android will ask as soon as you open FB that it needs access to your camera which by default many people dont have because most dont take pictures through the FB app. But if you go live a lot then yeah you will never know.

[JoseGuya]

Just now, mynameisjuan said:

To upload pics it just needs access to storage. You dont need camera permissions for that, and when its live, android will ask as soon as you open FB that it needs access to your camera which by default many people dont have because most dont take pictures through the FB app.

I'm not talking about uploading media from the camera roll/gallery, but right from the camera. 

[mynameisjuan]

Just now, JoseGuya said:

I'm not talking about uploading media from the camera roll/gallery, but right from the camera. 

I know, thats why I said not a lot of people do use the camera in the app. Most people upload photos after rather than through the app.

[Sauron]

I had a fecebook account that I never used. I never installed the app.

 

I wonder what they would make of my expression of irritated anger whenever ANY ad shows up.

4 hours ago, RollinLower said:

well, the spokesperson said they probably won;t implement this. if they did and made it public i bet the backlash would be massive.

They couldn't patent this without making it public. Even if they don't use it themselves filing a patent means they probably want to offer some sort of api that allows third parties to do this - perhaps cross referencing their data with facebook.