“Since Facebook uses SSL encryption, no surveillance system watching either Facebook’s connection or the user’s local traffic should be able to match up a user’s identity with their Facebook activity.”
“Janet Vertesi tried hide her pregnancy from the Internet. She detailed her efforts to mask any behavior that suggested the coming change in her life, using everything from Tor to mask her browsing history to paying cash for gift cards to avoid using her credit cards.”
“The social network ‘asks that the DEA immediately confirm that it has ceased all activities on Facebook that involve the impersonation of others or that otherwise violate our terms and policies.’”
Maria Konnikova explores “the Dunbar number” – really a series of numbers describing how many friendly acquaintances, good social friends and close confidantes the human brain can generally handle – and whether social media is making Dunbar’s concept irrelevant.
“Facebook has every reason to manipulate the News Feed to optimize for whatever user engagement metrics correspond to the best returns for advertisers, which in turn correspond to the best returns for Facebook. And it has every reason to use other experiments in an effort to improve other parts of its operation.”
“Some expectant parents visit spa-like ‘keepsake ultrasound studios’ several times over the course of their pregnancy, to capture images at various stages. Others put ultrasound images on cakes and cupcakes, shower invitations, dog tags, and original prints.”
“In June, the social network accounted for about one of every six minutes that Americans spent online, and one of every five minutes on mobile phones, according to comScore, a research company. Mothers, the typical household’s chief buyer of consumer products, are among the most dedicated users, spending nearly four times as many minutes on … Continue reading “Facebook Can Sell You Anything, Including Krill Oil, But How?”
“Facebook now knows it should subject you to emotional steroids to keep you coming back. It makes me wonder what other kind of psychological manipulation users are subjected to that they never learn about because it isn’t published in an academic journal.”
Yes, all of your suspicions are true: “Facebook’s methodology raises serious ethical questions. The team may have bent research standards too far, possibly overstepping criteria enshrined in federal law and human rights declarations.”
“After the controversy re-emerged this weekend, Iveri issued a statement saying she was ‘shocked and saddened to be called homophobic’ – and that it wasn’t her fault.”
