"Facebook pays teens to install VPN that spies on them"

So after they got banned from the apple app store for doing that directly, they now just abused their certificate to sideload that app.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/...

Sadly we can’t fix stupid, it’s grown and breeded to astronomical levels.

Wtf did I just read, that’s crazy even for facebook

Ok, actually reading this.
If you’re fucking crazy enough to sideload a vpn app (ios) you deserve to be violated. I refer to my previous comment. We can’t fix stupid, but it may be time to start killing it

@devTea reads like fiction, doesn't it? :)

@C0D4 the more you read into it, the more the call to remove their certificates makes sense.

@JoshBent yea, I don’t always agree with Apple’s policies. But this one I can agree with.

Giving an app full access to network activity is one thing (ad blockers on iOS need vpn certs to block traffic) but doing it knowing it’s just a giant invasion of privacy for trackable behaviour is another.

But there are people out there for a super quick buck, regardless the risk.

@C0D4 well they also MITM your https traffic too, if vpn wasn't enough

@JoshBent the only MITM I deem remotely trustable is cloudflare but even then I don’t host anything with logins / payments through it. Don’t know who you can trust out there with that kind of access to things.

@devTea that's where you are wrong kiddo. What you just saw is just a drop in an ocean.

I'm not gonna read 🙈

Wait, could I install this on 500 Android emulators, scripted to post stupid shit to Instagram and browse memes, and get rich?

In my younger years I would have definitely installed it :D

This kinda is Facebook telling us we are worth about $20USD/month (a.k.a worthless to them)..

Seriously, I don't care what data they have on me. Where can I sign up for this?

Can anyone explain to me why it is so damn important that no one knows which websites I visit, what kind of apps I use and how often I watch porn.

@mrOslofjorden For one, they're integrated within worlds biggest mass surveillance program and unless I'm a terrorist, they can stay the fuck away from my data.

The biggest issue with this imo is that, if all your traffic goes through Facebook, the data of people communicating with you will go through there as well so you're taking their choice as for whether or not to use Facebook/facebook services or have them get data of you away.

I literally block Facebooks IP ranges through a firewall and if someone would end up getting my data into Facebooks hands because of their own decision while I don't have the option to say no, I genuinely would block their ass on any platform they're using to communicate with me.

Next to that I'm going to call in some friends on this one as I'm tired as hell right now: @FrodoSwaggins @Root @PerfectAsshole @-Tor

Apple is a good guy in cases like this.

https://theverge.com/2019/1/...

@linuxxx To be able to make a decision for others than yourself is a good argument for not doing this. I agree on that.

@FrodoSwaggins yeah I guess they would have been able to find out pretty much what they want. Yeah, they could blackmail me, but that would be illegal and is probably not a thing that Facebook or some others would do. What can they blackmail me for? What kind of data is so sensitive that I can't let anyone see it? If I have to hide something I for sure don't use Facebook or other less secure communication apps..

And for someone to predict my next moves, it's not that hard - I wake up, go to work, eat and repeat.

@mrOslofjorden So you're saying that you've got nothing to hide?

@mrOslofjorden what has been left out here, is what happens if Facebook has a breach (which has happened). Do you think the people who intentionally broke the law to gain access to Facebook's data, is going to be nicer to you and your data?

@mrOslofjorden also, you may not have any inappropriate stuff to hide, but what about credit history or financial standing? Facebook could sell information like that to potential lenders and employers.

@ChaoticGoods @mrOslofjorden Information online -- especially in the hands of companies like Facebook -- never goes away. It will only ever change hands.

Also, what if something you've done is suddenly illegal, or something of grey legality is how being actively prosecuted? Facebook willingly shares all data with the government, meaning they now have proof of your wrongdoing. The statute of limitations here in the US is 15 years, and that is a very long time. Are you positive that everything you've done is 100% legal (and there are hundreds of thousands of laws...) and makes you appear like a model citizen? I very much doubt it.

Selection bias is also a thing: someone could just decide you are guilty -- or want to find you guilty for other reasons -- and look through your online behavior, comments, etc. to find things to make you guilty. Probably even have enough to prove it to a jury. Certainly enough to prove it to themselves and those close to them.

Data breaches and blackmail are also a very real thing.

Did you know chrome stores all of your saved login credentials on your Google account? It also makes this available via the web. Single point of failure for your entire online life.

The most real and common of all, though, is manipulation by large organizations. Google tailors results not just to your preferences but for shaping you politically. Facebook is actually more guilty of this (surprisingly), and also analyzes your usage and behavior to build a psychological profile of you, both for ad targeting (and moderation decisions, hiring, ...) and of course for selling.

The world is a scary place, and your data is both very valuable and a huge liability.

@Root great points, though your statement about the statute of limitations isn't accurate. The actual period depends on the crime and in many instances the state. Also, it doesn't apply to that situation. If you commit an act that is legal at the time, it doesn't matter if it's found later, it's still legal, in most cases. In fact, our Constitution forbids "ex post facto laws".

Pardon the Wikipedia quote, but the direct source is easy enough to get: "Ex post facto laws are expressly forbidden by the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3 (with respect to federal laws) and Article 1, Section 10 (with respect to state laws)."

Though it doesn't apply to all crimes or punishments, basically. Obviously other countries are different.

Edit: to clarify, I agreed with you. I was just pointing out the breaches which you also covered.

@ChaoticGoods You're right, of course; I wasn't thinking when I wrote that. 😖

Though I do worry with the recent trends in this country, and how a certain party has a habit of disregarding the constitution and the rule of law when it doesn't suit them. Their political enemies are vilified and threatened even when doing nothing wrong. 😕 But with respect to devRant's rules, that's about as far as I'll go with politics here.

@cursee I've said this so many times, Apple is in an even better position when it comes to backstabbing you.
Imagine the following: You don't want Facebook and Google to have your data.
Apple tells everyone: "come to us, we care about your privacy".
Everybody takes Apple's word for it an moves to Apple.
Now Apple has all your data.

Would you blindly trust Apple based on their promises?
I'm not saying Apple will backstab you, but that you should be especially cautious with Apple as they can backstab you without you even noticing.

@FinlayDaG33k I don't think they store your data without encryption. But then they are closed-source so who knows what they are doing.

But in that case Facebook is also not open-source. So at least the one saying they are not interested in your data is more reliable than the likes of Facebook.

From my understanding Apple's unique selling point is taking care of their users (at expensive price). They give you shiny, (usually) working, dummy-proof and secure products and platforms. If they don't respect that selling point of theirs, they will piss off so many of their fans. So I don't think they will stab you from the back. They have been stabbing you from the front since day 1 anyway.

PS : I'm not an Apple fan. Never own one. Not even iPod.

@cursee true, though I do want to remention to not blindly trust them.
also, shiny, dummyproof and secure are highly debatable...
Especially the "secure" part since people tend to think Apple will also protect them from social engineering (phishing n stuff).

@FrodoSwaggins I was addressing @root s comment. Legally, if cocaine was legal when she posted the picture, she can't be tried for possession after it's outlawed. I wasn't arguing that if you do something illegal and have given FB an all-access pass, you're not going to get in trouble. Just that you cannot be tried for a crime that was legal when you committed it.

@FrodoSwaggins "also what if suddenly something you've done is illegal". So yes, she did. It's not a big thing, she acknowledged the oversight. Again, I'm not sure what your stuck on. I've said a couple times now that if you commit a crime, it can and would be used against you. As long as it was actually a crime when you committed. It seems you just missed that part on each of our comments, sorry for the confusion.

@FinlayDaG33k btw there is a recent news that Apple blocks all of Google's internal apps as well :3

I think Apple is trying something.

@cursee Sounds like they want to do the same Google wants but with bigger profits (cus their devices aint cheap)