Project Veritas undercover video: Twitter collects, keeps, reviews, shares all your DMs, private pictures, etc, with advertisers

[2FA]

20 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

"Typical" is a word, and words have meanings,

Yes, that is what a semantic is. There also exists atypical and/or untypical, you know not the usual. I was mainly referencing the Ars article I posted which is showing the atypical; nothing solid about the claimed revelations. My mistake if that wasn't clear, I thought the chain of replies was enough.

 

20 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

There is much raw, unedited footage available from the CNN, NYT, DNC undercover efforts. And also from this Twitter undercover effort, as shown in the OP video. Full conversations, where the premise, the context, and the response are all included, are unedited content.

I watched it, I think we have different ideas on what raw footage is (I'm being literal here on the raw footage). There were obvious points where the full conversation from start to finish were not shown.

 

I also didn't see where an employee said DM content (ie data) was sold to advertisers, only that they create a profile (ie metadata) based off the DMs and public posts which IS sold to advertisers.

[captain_to_fire]

1 hour ago, Delicieuxz said:

Twitter employees reveal in Veritas' undercover videos that Twitter uses both algorithm-based data detection and sorting, and also uses teams of people to sift through Twitter users' personal DMs, view their private sexual pictures, etc, to create a unique personal virtual profile of each Twitter user, that Twitter then sells to advertisers.

Most of my Twitter DMs are mostly "private"* correspondence with my ISP, wireless carrier and tech companies when their products and services get wonky. Yikes! I guess those Twitter employees can now share my address and telephone number to advertisers. 

1 hour ago, Delicieuxz said:

I figure that it must be a risk for any major company to use software by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, etc.

Now those companies are notorious for their privacy invading practices, I think privacy agreements with tech companies is actually a matter of faith; belief in your tech company that they protect your privacy regardless whether it's true or not.

1 hour ago, Delicieuxz said:

Just as the Dutch DPA investigation reported, all of the data that Microsoft collects through Windows 10 is personal, and none of it is anonymous, with all of it having multiple IDs to tie the data to the system, user, applications, device usage, location, Windows version, etc, that form a unique fingerprint for the person that the data came from. And that information is likewise used to create a virtual profile of each Windows 10 user, which is sold to advertisers, researchers, shared with government and law enforcement, etc

Does this mean that Windows 10 FCU is not GDPR compliant despite Microsoft's claim that they are GDPR compliant? 

Quote

With more than 500 million devices running Windows 10, the opportunity to refine our approach to privacy and implement your feedback is exciting.  We are also ensuring Windows 10 is compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that goes into effect in 2018. Fundamentally, the GDPR is about protecting and respecting an individual’s privacy rights and Microsoft’s enduring commitment to trust is well aligned through the privacy principles that shape the way we build our products and services.

 

[AresKrieger]

3 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

belief in your tech company that they protect your privacy regardless whether it's true or not.

Or you can be like me and simply block everything that is non vital, updates, ads, analytics etc because why trust when you can evade.

 

(plus I don't have a social media account besides this one, if you even consider it that)

[captain_to_fire]

1 minute ago, AresKrieger said:

Or you can be like me and simply block everything that is non vital, updates, ads, analytics etc because why trust when you can evade.

Not all analytics and telemetry is bad imo. For example, I want Spotify to use my listening history to suggest songs that I might like or Amazon suggesting me stuff that I may want to buy based on my shopping and search history. Some tech companies promise aggregated, depersonalized telemetry data like filtering out usernames, passwords, and anything classified as personally identifiable data before being sent to their database but then again that is a matter of faith to tech companies. 

[Delicieuxz]

33 minutes ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

I was mainly referencing the Ars article I posted which is showing the atypical; nothing solid about the claimed revelations. My mistake if that wasn't clear, I thought the chain of replies was enough.

I was misunderstanding you, then. My mistake, as well.

 

33 minutes ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

I watched it, I think we have different ideas on what raw footage is (I'm being literal here on the raw footage). There were obvious points where the full conversation from start to finish were not shown.

There are. But there are also many individual statements which include their full context: Who the speakers are, the company that the claims are being made of, the exact query, and the exact answer. Those are fully-contained pieces of information, and extending the recording of the encounter in either direction is not going to add clarity to those specific statements.

 

Quote

I also didn't see where an employee said DM content (ie data) was sold to advertisers, only that they create a profile (ie metadata) based off the DMs and public posts which IS sold to advertisers.

I don't think I said that Twitter sells exact DMs to advertisers, but that Twitter analyses those things "to create a unique personal virtual profile of each Twitter user, that Twitter then sells to advertisers".

 

 

30 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Does this mean that Windows 10 FCU is not GDPR compliant despite Microsoft's claim that they are GDPR compliant? 

I don't specifically know about the GDPR (which apparently doesn't come into effect until May), but the Dutch DPA concludes that Microsoft is in violation of current European privacy laws.

 

https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/news/dutch-dpa-microsoft-breaches-data-protection-law-windows-10

 

There is more information about the Dutch DPA's findings in this thread:

 

 

[2FA]

5 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

I was misunderstanding you, then. My mistake, as well.

No worries.

 

5 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

There are. But there are also many individual statements which include their full context: Who the speakers are, the company that the claims are being made of, the exact query, and the exact answer. Those are fully-contained pieces of information, and extending the recording of the encounter in either direction is not going to add clarity to those specific statements.

True but given O'Keefe's history, I would prefer the full thing.

 

5 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

I don't think I said that Twitter sells exact DMs to advertisers, but that Twitter analyses those things "to create a unique personal virtual profile of each Twitter user, that Twitter then sells to advertisers".

 

1 hour ago, Delicieuxz said:

 

Lawsuit incoming.

Sorry should have quoted this. I just know legal documents are very explicit in their meaning. I'm sure someone will start a lawsuit over it but given direct content isn't being sold, Twitter didn't violate their own ToS.

[captain_to_fire]

6 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

I don't specifically know about the GDPR (which apparently doesn't come into effect until May), but the Dutch DPA concludes that Microsoft is in violation of current European privacy laws.

Maybe Linus or Jon should do a TQ episode about GDPR. 

It looks like Microsoft is already violating the right to be forgotten and right to access.

[mr moose]

So if the news agent agrees with my ideals they are legitimate, but if they post an article I disagree with they are dodgy journalists who misrepresent the truth?

 

 

It's all dodgy. Nothing to fight over.  Assume it's all BS until evidence is verified by an independent 3rd party.

[ivan134]

lmao project veritas? we're now posting "news" from conspiracy theory sites?

[AlTech]

Time to ditch Twitter I guess.

[Taf the Ghost]

5 hours ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

"Solid"

 

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/01/activist-says-twitter-shadow-bans-conservatives-dont-believe-it/

Twitter shadowbans a lot of people and it isn't just some QoS issue. Twitter has a fairly simple political stance that Corporate-Leftist in the English-speaking sections and intentionally censors to fit that propaganda end. Hilariously, a lot of the non-English sections are a lot better because they don't expend the resources to censor in the same way. (Or they're not paid to do it.) 

 

Though Twitter's bigger issue is the child pornography rings they allow to operate in the non-English areas, but that might change. Twitter's largest shareholder is currently under arrest in Saudi Arabia for corruption. Jack might really want to look to head for the hills.

[Taf the Ghost]

16 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Time to ditch Twitter I guess.

Twitter has been trying to ditch Twitter for years, but they just can't quite figure out how to make it work. Though Twitter's biggest problem will always be its revenue models, so they can't take advantage of the fact it's a PR & News platform. The current model encourages them to look mostly the other way when so much of the "news" is pure astroturf. 

[ScratchCat]

7 hours ago, Delicieuxz said:

Also, don't forget the same applies to:

 

Your internet searches

Your email accounts

Your offline Windows OS activity

Your personal Microsoft service accounts

Your web cam activity with friends, family, and anyone else

Your activity when sitting in-front of a webcam, even while you're not using it

Your mobile phone activity

The things you say when you're close to a mobile phone, even when you aren't using the phone and its screen is turned off

Probably also your daily movement, if you carry your phone with you and have location data enabled.

 

Etc.

Some solutions :

DuckDuckGo

10minutemail

Linux , something with blocked telemetry or a lack of an Internet connection.

There is nothing for Microsoft accounts apart from encrypting the items you send to OneDrive

End to end encryption service.

Stickers

Blue tack or disconnecting the microphone

Google tried to still track you even when it was off in mid 2017 using the cellID. Pretty much only airplane mode / Faraday cage would work.

 

 

The surprising thing is that they had humans working on the filtering system rather than an AI, generally it seems most data collection businesses only process the data, not view the data unless there is an issue.

[Tech_Dreamer]

Can't 'react' to posts for this thread alone. (anyone else?) 

 

#iWonder

[Doobeedoo]

Well no shit. Data harvesting! 

[Misanthrope]

Well first:

 

Spoiler

I guess I can stop bothering deleting dick and badge picks from my inbox then

 

Second: This is a project veritas "video" meaning it will be what, a 2 minute clip out of context? I'll trust anything they say once they actually show me full versions of their stuff instead of their awful 'gotcha!' attempts.

 

Thirdly: fucking duh. Honestly I would be surprised if Twitter, Facebook, Google, MS actually didn't kept my shit around, even if they claim they "do not" they probably can make that claim legally cause they contract some funny third party provider for long storage just so it's technically not in their name or some stunt like that.

 

It's why I feel strongly about privacy: Because once the information is saved for any reason, is much harder to get a company to not be evil than it is to keep them limited and honest from the get go.

[Misanthrope]

13 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

Isn't rule #1 "Don't post your dick online"?

Well that should be qualified with a "For free"

[PlayStation 2]

My boy James O'Keefe. I checked out his AMA on T_D and that was fairly interesting.
More on topic: I can't say that I'm shocked.

[Trik'Stari]

On 1/15/2018 at 8:29 PM, SC2Mitch said:

Thought this was already public knowledge? Do you really expect a multiple billion dollar company not to snoop into your DMS? That's just silly

It is silly.

 

And it should be illegal to include the right to do that in a terms of service or EULA. At the very least, the company should be 100% liable for maintaining the security of that data.

[TacoSenpai]

Gee another Silicon Valley social "media" Corporate elitist company using their platforms to censor and push their agendas I'm shocked Cotton!  To be honest I've been thinking about deleting my twitter for a little while now and this might be the nail in the coffin.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Ahh, the joys of never having bought into the whole social media bullshit ...

 

Of course they are keeping everything and reading stuff as they please.  And the others are just as bad. 

I used to say "If you don't pay for it, you're the product", but in the last couple of years Microsoft has raised the bar to "Whether you paid for it or not, you're the product"

[TacoSenpai]

The real danger about all of this is of the massive user base in social media its just an accepted thing.  People have become so addicted to facebook, twitter, instagram, and staring down at their phones to see how many teeny boppers liked their photo and retweeted it that they can't be without it.  People would rather sacrifice their privacy, opinions, and independent thought than go a day without their beloved social media.

[Nena Trinity]

Fuck Twitter to death!

[Kamina]

Use Gab.ai

 

Twitter is SJW trash.

[ATFink]

On 1/15/2018 at 6:43 PM, SC2Mitch said:

Just going to add that Project Veritas is a fucking awful publication known for misleading people (ref: Washington Post Vs Project Veritas)

1) If you hate Project Veritas for misleading people then you should also equally hate NYT, FOX, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Washington Post, Talk radio, pretty much every single politician alive today, ads... well almost anyone or anything that tries to sell you something, general competition (especially in markets with lots of competitors), Google/YouTube search algorithms, many Movies, many Songs, etc. for attempting to skew/omit specific points to guide public opinion towards their own goals.

 

2) Care to share a specific misleading statement? I don't know how their Washington Post coverage was misleading. I'm not trying to argue, I actually want to know. IIRC I think there was something about WP claiming PV tried to plant a story? I never found out if that was the case or not. If it was then good on WP editors.

On 1/15/2018 at 6:48 PM, DeadEyePsycho said:

Veritas didn't disclose that they were journalists or that they were recording audio when talking to employees when doing this either.

That is the whole point of undercover Journalism. Am I missing something?

 

I would like to know an instance where they intentionally mislead people (either through skewing data, omitting data, not reporting certain things, over-reporting other things to inflate the apparent severity, etc.). The points where they mislead and the points they omit will help draw you a detailed picture of there end goal (if they are trying to skew public opinion moreso than provide inside statements).