CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA COULD ALSO ACCESS PRIVATE FACEBOOK MESSAGES

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

https://www.wired.com/story/cambridge-analytica-private-facebook-messages/

THE DATA CONSULTING firm Cambridge Analytica, which harvested as many as 87 million Facebook users' personal data, also could have accessed the private inbox messages of some of those affected. Facebook slipped this previously undisclosed detail into the notifications that began appearing at the top of News Feeds on Monday. These alerts let users know whether they or their friends had downloaded a personality quiz app called This Is Your Digital Life, which would have caused their data to be collected and potentially passed on to Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook buried the disclosure in the details about what information was compromised: "A small number of people who logged into 'This Is Your Digital Life' also shared their own News Feed, timeline, posts and messages which may have included posts and messages from you."

'The harvesting of personal Facebook messages wasn't disclosed, yet again, until the last second.'

JONATHAN ALBRIGHT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the app, which was designed by Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan to collect data on Americans on behalf of Cambridge Analytica’s British counterpart SCL, requested access to user inboxes through the read_mailbox permission. Unlike the collection of specific user friend information, which Facebook says it phased out in April 2015 unless both people had downloaded the same app, the read_mailboxpermission didn't fully deprecate until that October.

 

Users had to agree to give apps access to their inboxes, but that request for highly personal information would be bundled up with a list of other more benign data points, including birthdays or profile pictures. It's possible some users approved this access, never knowing how much of themselves they were giving up, not just to Cambridge Analytica, but to every app that requested these permissions until 2015.

Facebook says that a total of 1,500 people granted This Is Your Digital Life permission, although the total number of people affected remains unknown. Anyone who messaged those 1,500 people—or received messages from those 1,500—on Facebook at the time would be potentially impacted.

Cambridge Analytica denies having accessed that specific data. "GSR did not share the content of any private messages with Cambridge Analytica or SCL Elections. Neither company has ever handled such data," a company spokesperson says.¹

Still, the ambiguous last-minute detail Facebook offered to users about this deeply sensitive issue irked critics of Facebook's privacy policies. "The harvesting of personal Facebook messages wasn't disclosed, yet again, until the last second," says Jonathan Albright, research director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, who has tracked Facebook's recent missteps. "I suspect it'll be difficult to accurately reconcile the number of users affected due to the nature of [direct messages] and especially group messages."

[Unidentified 2,930]

Not surprised since Facebook messenger is clearly not private. Talked with my brother once and he was worried about an old knee injury possibly preventing him from taking up a new sport he wanted to try. After the conversation I had plenty of Facebook ads suggesting I buy a knew brace... Going to be really interesting to see what will come out of this whole mess. 

[Dashinka 24,513]

Were these people brainwashed?  I am still not seeing this as being an issue, but whatever narrative the MDL wants to push I suppose should be believed.  I’ll say it again, anyone who joined FB should not be surprised that FB made money off the data they collected.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

21 minutes ago, Unidentified said:

Not surprised since Facebook messenger is clearly not private. Talked with my brother once and he was worried about an old knee injury possibly preventing him from taking up a new sport he wanted to try. After the conversation I had plenty of Facebook ads suggesting I buy a knew brace... Going to be really interesting to see what will come out of this whole mess. 

There is a difference between systems parsing your content for keyword and transmitting personal data  to third parties.  

[Unidentified 2,930]

2 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

There is a difference between systems parsing your content for keyword and transmitting personal data  to third parties.  

I know. My point was that nothing is private on the internet. When you putting info on Facebook you are saying bye bye to your owning rights of that information.

[Dashinka 24,513]

49 minutes ago, Unidentified said:

I know. My point was that nothing is private on the internet. When you putting info on Facebook you are saying bye bye to your owning rights of that information.

It would be interesting to know how many folks that complain about the NSA collecting information, but are on FB and willingly giving it away?

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

1 hour ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

There is a difference between systems parsing your content for keyword and transmitting personal data  to third parties.  

Personal data in messages or what's on their accounts?

Because Obama got praised for doing it 2012. So how is it different now or is it just different because Trump used it?

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

25 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

Personal data in messages or what's on their accounts?

Because Obama got praised for doing it 2012. So how is it different now or is it just different because Trump used it?

messages, the info in the accounts is a separate topic

[Dashinka 24,513]

26 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

Personal data in messages or what's on their accounts?

Because Obama got praised for doing it 2012. So how is it different now or is it just different because Trump used it?

Like most everything else, it is political.

[Dashinka 24,513]

Just now, Il Mango Dulce said:

messages, the info in the accounts is a separate topic

Using FB to message is not really a good idea.  Also, signing into apps using one’s FB account is also not a good idea.  However, there is an easy fix, stop using FB.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

2 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

messages, the info in the accounts is a separate topic

Roger then I agree with you on that. But as stated earlier people can't expect everything to be private online. 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

Just now, Bill & Katya said:

Using FB to message is not really a good idea.  Also, signing into apps using one’s FB account is also not a good idea.  However, there is an easy fix, stop using FB.

You are on a social media platform right now, how safe is your data? 

Just now, cyberfx1024 said:

Roger then I agree with you on that. But as stated earlier people can't expect everything to be private online. 

Gmail, Outlook, Office 365?  

You have an expectation of privacy.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

2 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

You are on a social media platform right now, how safe is your data? 

Gmail, Outlook, Office 365?  

You have an expectation of privacy.

Trust me I work in Informstion Security I am well aware of how my expectation of privacy is nothing more than a illusion. That's why I have limited what all I have shared and spoke about online since my eyes were made aware of everything. 

 

[Dashinka 24,513]

2 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

You are on a social media platform right now, how safe is your data? 

Gmail, Outlook, Office 365?  

You have an expectation of privacy.

Probably not very safe which is why I don’t share personal information on this site.  I actually use FB to keep up with family, but rarely post anything or click on any of the ads, I am always amazed at the personal information that people are willing to share on FB, checking in everywhere, telling everyone when they are on vacation, etc.  Sometimes I post some photos, but that is rare.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

6 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

Trust me I work in Informstion Security I am well aware of how my expectation of privacy is nothing more than a illusion. That's why I have limited what all I have shared and spoke about online since my eyes were made aware of everything. 

 

I dont buy it, 

Facebook screwed up because they took the eye off the ball.