Facebook: Explaining Again and Wanting Context
December 6, 2018
My grandmother, who raised three children in the Depression, told me again and again, “Never complain, never explain.” Good advice? Probably not. But her mantra makes more sense to me than “Deflect, deny, and spin.”
I thought about my grandmother when I read the Facebook post about the Six4Three explanation crafted by the wordsmiths at Facebook. Yep, Facebook, an outfit which has been in the news of late.
Information generated in the white hot flame of Silicon Valley’s business processes is an art form. Hey, no one appreciated Picasso straight away either. Before heading to Philz, I can visualize furious tapping on a laptop in order to paint word pictures of what could be done to generate revenue, enhance power, and augment one’s bonus. Those types of prose should not count for anything. The words are little more than clumsy ways to give ideas some shape.
I noted this statement:
The set of documents, by design, tells only one side of the story and omits important context.
Right. The fix is to provide more documents and provide more information about the “context.”
Several observations from rural Kentucky:
The documents were released, in my opinion, as a signal to Mr. Zuckerberg that he has annoyed some individuals in the UK government. I am not sure Mr. Zuckerberg grasps the type of hurdles the UK government can erect for him and his verbal parkour experts to navigate.
Next, the documents will act as a bit of a kick to the buttocks of some countries’ regulators, investigators, and investigative authorities. The notion of “cherry picking” and “context” is one that may cause some quite intelligent and capable information centric people to probe. Ah, probe. Interesting idea. Probe deeply. More interesting.
And Facebook is now in reaction mode. The best offense is a good defense, but the defense is coming too late for users. I am not a Facebook “user” although a software script posts pointers to my stories and videos on a page which belongs, I believe, to my late, much missed Tess the dog. With some services losing body count and the general buzz about Facebook drifting into the auditory pain zone, the defending, the deflecting, the apologizing have lost efficacy.
In short, more to come. One does not destabilize without getting dizzy from slaps about the ears. I say, old chum, have you been poked by a brolly? No. Soon perhaps. Soon.
Context? You want to provide context? Poke, probe, prod — whatever the word — the action will roil the social graph.
Stephen E Arnold, December 6, 2018
Facebook and Phone Numbers: Money Is Money
November 27, 2018
There are two ways to log into Facebook. One is to use your email address and the other is to use your phone number. People tend to remember their phone numbers over which email they use for Facebook. Facebook also uses phone numbers as a security feature, so it is not surprising that people use it as their primary login. One of the problems with that is Facebook has sold that piece of information. According to WND’s article, “Facebook Confirms Giving Advertisers Users’ Phone Numbers.”
Facebook confirmed that it allowed advertisers to access users’ phone numbers and contact lists. The social media company’s defense is that by allowing advertisers to access user information, they are creating a more personalized Facebook experience that includes ads. Facebook said:
“ ‘We are clear about how we use the information we collect, including the contact information that people upload or add to their own accounts.’ In a Gizmodo report published Wednesday, two studies found that the social network was giving advertisers access to data sources that users did not explicitly permit could be used.”
Does it really come as a surprise that a billion dollar company sold consumer information for a higher profit margin? If it does, then you really need to do some reading and research. Facebook does not care about relationships and communication. They care about the bottom line. Is Facebook really as secure as we hope to believe it? Also we can thank them for the recent rash of spam calls on cell phones. Ah, Facebook. We admire your business acumen.
Whitney Grace, November 27, 2018
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Facebook: Learning about Cricket As Played by Parliament
November 26, 2018
I say when one learns cricket, the first concept to grasp is:
When you’re in you’re out; and when you’re out, you’re in.
Jolly good, right?
The British parliament is now playing cricket against Facebook, not India, not Pakistan, and not the quite acceptable Aussies.
Its Parliament versus the high school science club, once in search of companionship.
Facebook is going to have companionship going forward. Cricket matches can last longer than clicking through a Facebook item on a mobile phone.
The scope of the match has been sketched in broad outlines in “Parliament Seizes Cache of Facebook Internal Papers.”
The idea is to put a top bowler on the field versus the youthful geniuses who have sparked some controversy about Brexit, Trump, Russian disinformation, and other other sleeping policemen on the information highway.
The write up mentions that the trove of data includes “confidential emails between senior executives and correspondence with Zuckerburg.”
Yes, email, that omnipresent method of communication which often leaves some buggers gobsmacked.
The motivation for the document seizure was:
MPs leading the inquiry into fake news have repeatedly tried to summon Zuckerberg to explain the company’s actions. He has repeatedly refused. Collins said this reluctance to testify, plus misleading testimony from an executive at a hearing in February, had forced MPs to explore other options for gathering information about Facebook operations.
Will these documents become public? Facebook will try to throw a spanner in the works. Abso-bloody-loot-ly.
Will this slow the speed of the cricket ball? No. But Facebook will try to block because a full blooded swing might allow the bouncer to strike the Facebooker in the twigs and berries.
Can anoraks with gray T shirts be considered proper uniforms?
Stephen E Arnold, November 26, 2018
Zuck Ducks: Not Going to Answer Questions from Seven Annoyed Nations
November 24, 2018
I read “Mark Zuckerberg criticized for Ducking International Grilling on Fake News.” Hey, that sounds like a fun time. According to the write up:
Ian Lucas, a Labor MP who sits on the committee, called the move a “gross failure of leadership”, adding: “It seems [Mr Zuckerberg] is just not up to it.”
I like that “not up to it.”
My thought is that Facebook staff going through border controls in the UK, Singapore, Latvia, Brazil, Ireland, and Argentina could possibly face some bureaucratic snafus. Full body searches, luggage cut apart to make sure there is no contraband in the bags. Questions about reasons for travel. Standard stuff. Just routine.
Those probing questions are important because some answers which raise inspectors’ concerns must be explored. Small rooms. No mobile phones. No reading materials. No inputs for what could be several hours. No access to toilet facilities. Awkward but necessary. Some rules apply to Facebookers in spite of their perception of regulations.
Is it possible that red tape could be unrolled for Facebook professionals who want government approval for certain activities, who need to sign up for permits, or who must interact with officials in any of these countries on an official basis? Argentina is almost as capable as France in the bureaucratic procedures department? Come to think of it, Singapore is into rules and darned good at procedures. Most of the countries getting the zuckduck are. ‘
Wowza.
At some point, patience with Facebook is likely to dwindle. I know that Facebook is almost a country. It has cash. It has friends. It has moxie. Will these strengths be enough to deal with the consequences of using the zuckduck tactic? Countries have laws, regulations, police, and intelligence agents. Countries can be convincing in many ways.
Many, many ways.
Perhaps the “grilling” will be escalated by the politicians who wanted a Zuckerburger? What’s next? A fried zuck weenie or a zuck-jita nuked nuked in the political microwave. The time could be set four hours. Maximum strength, of course.
Tasty when served piping hot like Facebook’s admission that the duplicity documented in a recent New York Times’ article about the company were mostly correct.
Ah, high school science club thinking in action.
Stephen E Arnold, November 24, 2018
Ah, Facebook: High School Science Club Management in Action
November 23, 2018
In my high school, a person who did not relate to the math and science clubs’ superior humans might find their class notes defaced or something interesting in one’s locker.
I learned that “Facebook admits targeting George Soros after he criticized company.” Mature. I noted that the lean in executive Sandberg has revealed that the Definers relationship “crossed her desk.” Wait. I thought she did not know about hiring this outfit. I suppose the Washington Post is mistaken in its Switch column. Mistakes happen.
But that action was not the surprise I experienced when I read “Facebook Appeals Data-Sharing Fine ‘For Your Sake.” Nifty angle. “My sake.”
Stephen E Arnold, November 23, 2018
The Facebook Management Play: Not Much to Change
November 22, 2018
I read two articles this morning. I came away with the thought that Facebook is not eager to change.
The first article is “As Problems Pile Up, Mark Zuckerberg Stands His Ground in Exclusive CNN Business interview.” The main idea appears to be:
Zuckerberg resisted growing calls for changes to Facebook’s C-suite, reiterated Facebook’s potential as a force for good, and pushed back at some of the unrelenting critical coverage of his company after a year of negative headlines about fake news, election meddling and privacy concerns.
The second article is “The Punctured Myth of Sheryl Sandberg.” Yep, the lean in thinker and doer. The main idea struck me as:
Sandberg played a central role in nearly every misdeed at Facebook that’s described in the Times piece. Singularly focused on the company’s stock price and its advertising-based business model, she worked to minimize data abuse and election interference.
So what?
Three observations:
- Facebook is not likely to change without some outside encouragement
- Ethical behavior appears to be a dynamic concept. Expedient behavior may be a suitable synonym.
- A company founded on getting info about potential dates has morphed into an organization capable of taking down carefully constructed social assemblies.
Change may be difficult. Habit, momentum, and money can be barriers. We may have a digital turkey to monitor.
Stephen E Arnold, November 22, 2018
Facial Recognition and Image Recognition: Nervous Yet?
November 18, 2018
I read “A New Arms Race: How the U.S. Military Is Spending Millions to Fight Fake Images.” The write up contained an interesting observation from an academic wizard:
“The nightmare situation is a video of Trump saying I’ve launched nuclear weapons against North Korea and before anybody figures out that it’s fake, we’re off to the races with a global nuclear meltdown.” — Hany Farid, a computer science professor at Dartmouth College
Nothing like a shocking statement to generate fear.
But there is a more interesting image recognition observation. “Facebook Patent Uses Your Family Photos For Targeted Advertising” reports that a the social media sparkler has an invention that will
attempt to identify the people within your photo to try and guess how many people are in your family, and what your relationships are with them. So for example if it detects that you are a parent in a household with young children, then it might display ads that are more suited for such family units. [US20180332140]
While considering the implications of pinpointing family members and linking the deduced and explicit data, consider that one’s fingerprint can be duplicated. The dupe allows a touch ID to be spoofed. You can get the details in “AI Used To Create Synthetic Fingerprints, Fools Biometric Scanners.”
For a law enforcement and intelligence angle on image recognition, watch for DarkCyber on November 27, 2018. The video will be available on the Beyond Search blog splash page at this link.
Stephen E Arnold, November 18, 2018
High School Science Club Management: The Facebook Method
November 16, 2018
I am not much of a Facebooker. We use a script to pump out the titles of the items we post in the Beyond Search blog. I try to ignore Facebook, but – I must admit – that has been tough the last few days. The New York Times finally jabbed its remaining investigative skills into the juicy, fat cables of Facebookland. My takeaway from the long newspaper story which has many atwitter is that HSSCM is alive and well. HSSCM means to me “high school science club management.”
What sparks me to write this fine morning in rural Kentucky is an essay by the chief lean inner at his link. To read this essay, I have been informed I have to log in. I did not. I assume I saw the full Monty, but who knows? In practice it doesn’t matter because the drift of the write up is:
What? Who knew?
Yeah, sounds about right. Who put “Great Balls of Fire” on the Woodruff High School PA system at 7 45 am in 1958? Those of us in the WHS Science Club said:
What? Who knew?
Here in frosty Harrod’s Creek, the stories from Facebookland reveal the basic workings of HSSCM: Say what’s necessary to make the annoying Mr. McDonald (our WHS principal) go away.
We were the Science Club. We are the future. We knew better.
Sophomoric explanations work fine when one is 15. Transported to a publicly traded company I grow weary.
Time for a change. Lean into that.
Stephen E Arnold, November 16, 2018
Facebook: Darned Busy
November 12, 2018
I read “Zuckerberg Rebuffs Request to Appear before UK Parliament.” Now this is an AP story, and I don’t want to get into a tussle with the organization’s legal eagles by quoting an AP content gem. Therefore, you will have to navigate to the original (AP is into original) story and read the words yourself. For me, I noted the alleged factoid that Facebook’s poobah is not going to chat about fake news with European officials. Nevertheless, Facebook appears to be interested in expanding its operations in Ireland and figuring out how to make money without creating situations which require European officials to demonstrate their appetite for information about what looks and acts like a country. Perhaps Facebook should summon European officials to the sparkling streets of San Francisco or do lunch in New York? Like that?
Stephen E Arnold, November 9, 2018
Facebook Sidesteps Balloons and Goes for Satellites
October 23, 2018
How can Facebook elevate its trust factor? Forget gliders. Facebook is now into satellites.
The Verge shares how Facebook wants to bring the Internet to the world in, “Facebook Is Developing An Internet Satellites After Shutting Down Drone Project.”
According to an application filed with FCC, Facebook has registered company called PointView Tech, LLC. and is working on a satellite called Athena. Athena will ideally be used to provide Internet broadband services to unserved and underserved areas around the world. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom. It is a fitting name, because the satellite Athena will spread wisdom and information.
Facebook had planned to use drones to bring Internet access through the Aquila project, but this was shunted. Aquila will instead focus on designing onboard software systems to guide the satellite.
“Now, it sounds like Facebook will continue to try and develop its own hardware, just a different variety this time. According to a September 2017 report on broadband development, more than half of Earth is still not online, and that the only way to do so would be to use low Earth orbit satellites that sit in space about 100 to 1,250 miles above the surface. There’s already a booming industry around satellite internet, with key players like SpaceX investing heavily in the space to become the new internet service providers of an untapped market. SpaceX launched its first satellites back in February.”
The article also points out that Facebook has ulterior motives in bringing the Internet to underserved and unserved areas. Facebook heads to space.
Whitney Grace, October 23, 2018
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