Facebook megathread

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/30/18203551/apple-facebook-blocked-internal-ios-apps

Apple has shut down Facebook’s ability to distribute internal iOS apps, from early releases of the Facebook app to basic tools like a lunch menu. A person familiar with the situation tells The Verge that early versions of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other pre-release “dogfood” (beta) apps have stopped working, as have other employee apps, like one for transportation. Facebook is treating this as a critical problem internally, we’re told, as the affected apps simply don’t launch on employees’ phones anymore.

The shutdown comes in response to news that Facebook has been using Apple’s program for internal app distribution to track teenage customers with a “research” app.

That app, revealed yesterday by TechCrunch, was distributed outside of the App Store using Apple’s enterprise program, which allows developers to use special certificates to install more powerful apps onto iPhones. Those apps are only supposed to be used by a company’s employees, however, and Facebook had been distributing its tracking app to customers. Facebook later said it would shut down the app.

This poses a huge issue for Facebook. While Apple provides other tools a company can use to install apps internally, Apple’s enterprise program is the main solution for widely distributing internal apps and services. In an email, a Facebook spokesperson said “I can confirm that this affects our internal apps.”

In a statement given to Recode, Apple said that Facebook was in “clear breach of their agreement with Apple.” Any developer that breaches that agreement, Apple said, has their distribution certificates revoked, “which is what we did in this case to protect our users and their data.” Apple declined to comment on shutting down all of Facebook’s internal apps in an email to The Verge.

Revoking a certificate not only stops apps from being distributed on iOS, but it also stops apps from working. And because internal apps by the same organization or developer may be connected to a single certificate, it can lead to immense headaches like the one Facebook now finds itself in where a multitude of internal apps have been shut down.

Apple and Facebook have already been bickering over privacy, but this is the first instance of Apple taking an action that directly shuts down some of Facebook’s activities. Last March, Apple CEO Tim Cook criticized Facebook’s handling of the Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal, saying, “I wouldn’t be in this situation” if he were running the company. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg later said the comments were “extremely glib” and spoke of Apple as a company that “work hard to charge you more.”

 

[Corbin Dallas Multipass]

The Democrats wanted stricter limits on Facebook dude, they thought they were getting off too lightly.

Oof partisan dunk utterly rejected. Consider me BTFO.

 

[IV 445]

The Democrats wanted stricter limits on Facebook dude, they thought they were getting off too lightly.

They’re still mad about the Concord Management thing I am guessing

 

[Arcturus]

The Democrats wanted stricter limits on Facebook dude, they thought they were getting off too lightly.

I thought they were mostly concerned about ouchie words and "Russia used FB to get Trump elected!"

 

[Crabbo]

They should keep banging out that fine on a bimonthly basis if there is failure to correct their actions and continue to commit infractions.

As pointed out by others, 5 bil is pretty punitive for these companies.

 

[moocow]

Why not just have Silicon Valley pay off our national debt?

I'd rather they didn't feel like they own the country even more than they already think they do.

 

[ForceHucker]

Shares of Facebook surged to $205.27 — the stock’s highest price in the past year — in after-hours trading on Friday after news of the vote became public.

...but why? Is the logic that any company that gets fined that much is so powerful that it's too big to fail? That would explain the events of 2008 pretty well.

 

[AF 802]

Good. Also, keep your paws off crypto. Let someone less evil than Cucc handle it.

 

[Lone MacReady]

Any time these snakes lose money I am happy. May their demise be quickened from this.

 

[1Tonka_Truck]

They get a 5 bn USD fine and their stock goes UP?

This is not reality

At least to me, this indicates at least some traders knew about the possibility of FTC fines, but were expecting a larger number. When stock or commodity prices see a large movement, it's normally caused by some information surfacing that is contrary to trader's expectations.

e: Facebook has gained $8b in market cap in after hours trading today.

 

[CWCissey]

Facebook to be fined record $5bn, reports say

US regulators are said to have approved a penalty against Facebook over a data protection scandal.

www.bbc.co.uk

US regulators have approved a record $5bn (£4bn) fine on Facebook to settle an investigation into data privacy violations, reports in US media say.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been investigating allegations that political consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly obtained the data of up to 87 million Facebook users.

The settlement was approved by the FTC in 3-2 vote, sources told US media.

Facebook and the FTC told the BBC they had no comment on the reports.

How was the settlement reached?
The FTC began investigating Facebook in March 2018, following reports that Cambridge Analytica had accessed the data of tens of millions of its users.

The investigation focused on whether Facebook had violated a 2011 agreement under which it was required to clearly notify users and gain "express consent" to share their data.

• Cambridge Analytica: The story so far
• Are we addicted to the ‘like’ button?
• Facebook, Google and Twitter in data regulators' sights

Anonymous sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal on Friday that the $5bn fine was approved by the FTC in a 3-2 vote, which broke along party lines with Republican commissioners in favour and Democrats opposed.

Sources cited in other media also reported the same information.

The fine still needs to be finalised by the Justice Department's civil division, and it is unclear how long this may take, the sources said.

Facebook and the FTC have not confirmed the reports, telling the BBC they had no comment.

However, the amount falls in line with estimates by Facebook, which earlier this year said it was expecting a fine of up to $5bn.

If confirmed, it would be the largest fine ever levied by the FTC on a tech company.

Facebook has been expecting this
Analysis by Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter in San Francisco

Facebook had been expecting this. It told investors back in April that it had put aside most of the money, which means the firm won't feel much added financial strain from this penalty.

What we don't yet know is what additional measures may be placed on the company, such as increased privacy oversight, or if there will be any personal repercussions for the company's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

The settlement, which amounts to around one quarter of the company's yearly profit, will reignite criticism from those who say this amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist.

What was the Cambridge Analytica scandal?
Cambridge Analytica was a British political consulting firm that had access to the data of millions of users, some of which was allegedly used to psychologically profile US voters and target them with material to help Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

The data was acquired via a quiz, which invited users to find out their personality type.

As was common with apps and games at that time, it was designed to harvest not only the user data of the person taking part in the quiz, but also the data of their friends.

Facebook has said it believes the data of up to 87 million users was improperly shared with the now defunct consultancy.

The scandal sparked several investigations around the world.

In October, Facebook was fined £500,000 by the UK's data protection watchdog, which said the company had let a "serious breach" of the law take place.

Canada's data watchdog earlier this year said Facebook had committed "serious contraventions" of its privacy laws.

What has the response been?
Investors responded positively to news of the $5bn fine, pushing Facebook shares up 1.8%.

However, several Democratic lawmakers criticised the penalty, which they described as inadequate.

US Senator Mark Warner said "fundamental structural reforms are required" to deal with what he described as repeated privacy violations by Facebook.

"With the FTC either unable or unwilling to put in place reasonable guardrails to ensure that user privacy and data are protected, it's time for Congress to act," he said.

Should have just given him the chair to be honest...

 

[Polyboros2]

I hope it all goes straight to the wall.

 

[Drycantelope]

It's a good start I guess.

 

[Stephanie Bustcakes]

A slap on the wrist.

 

[Ashy the Angel]

At least to me, this indicates at least some traders knew about the possibility of FTC fines, but were expecting a larger number. When stock or commodity prices see a large movement, it's normally caused by some information surfacing that is contrary to trader's expectations.

e: Facebook has gained $8b in market cap in after hours trading today.

 

[Ruin]

Five billion is like five dollars for Facebook. Have some balls and go for the throat.

 

[Rei is shit]

Five billion is like five dollars for Facebook. Have some balls and go for the throat.

Like forcing zukerberg to take the wall down from his property in Hawaii?

 

[CharlesBarkley]

Like forcing zukerberg to take the wall down from his property in Hawaii?

Honestly, instead of the whole fine thing, maybe just punish Zuckerberg by having him zip tied to a jail door, stripped naked, lubed up and then get Jerry Sandusky drunk to wander in and have free reign of his holes for like, two hours.

I mean, that would scare big tech way more. You know Jack Dorsey would snap out of all that faux-vegan aloof hipster shit asap.

 

[thx1138]

If someone detonated an EFP under Zuck's stretch limo electric car I don't think the world would shed a single tear except at the loss of all the Data jokes. I mean, the ones Zuck still allows on the internet

 

[X Prime]

Oof partisan dunk utterly rejected. Consider me BTFO.

Eh, sort of. The only reason the Dems care about it is because of Cambridge Analytica.

If CA had been pro-Hillary somehow, you can safely bet your life savings they wouldn't care as much, barring some upstanding stalwarts.

So you were right, just as the Dems are, but it is possible to come to the correct conclusion for the wrong reason.

 

[UQ 770]

Its good to see there was a contingent of Dems ready to back up the Trump administration on this one and actually push for harsher outcomes. Its weird that they would end up helping out the faction they think cheated to win, but I think there are cooler heads behind this than the TDS morons. I hope this doesn't fizzle out and keeps escalating. Government regulation is an awesome thing when someone you don't like is on the other end of it. Fuck 'em.