News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is Elusive. Parent comment

Re:Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is E... by citrablue on Wednesday May 01, 2019 @01:02PM (#19799164)
Does your reasoning apply to other companies? Coca-cola, for example, is very interested in building profiles and modifying behavior. I estimate they're much less sophisticated w/r/t building profiles (although if you think in terms of flavors, instead of demographics, perhaps not...) They are definitely very effective in terms of behavior modification. The product does significant harm. It also hijacks an evolutionary flaw (people like other people's feedback=FB, people like sweet things=CC).
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is E... by Barrin92 on Wednesday May 01, 2019 @02:24PM (#19800100)
Not the OP but I think it definitely does. What's the public health damage caused by disease epidemics like obesity and diabetes in the long term, tens if not hundreds of billions, even more?

It's time to bring the hammer down on advertisement and manipulation of people's behaviour. Imagine if the government would try to nudge people in the way these companies do, we'd never here the end of it and rightfully so.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is E... by needaccount on Wednesday May 01, 2019 @05:14PM (#19801707)
Basically that’s what the field of public health is: https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/mcu336/f/Der...

Non health related example: https://datasmart.ash.harvard.edu/news/article/how-governmen...

Also any taxes on goods like cigarettes or fuel are nudges. Also zoning..

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is E... by bryan_w on Wednesday May 01, 2019 @03:05PM (#19800531)
> Imagine if the government would try to nudge people in the way these companies do

You've never seen a Got Milk ad, have you?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is E... by rsync on Wednesday May 01, 2019 @03:39PM (#19800830)
"You've never seen a Got Milk ad, have you?"

That's not the government - it is a private association of "... milk processors and dairy farms."[1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Facebook's Zuckerberg Preaches Privacy, but Evidence Is E... by JohnFen on Wednesday May 01, 2019 @04:04PM (#19801068)
> Does your reasoning apply to other companies? Coca-cola, for example, is very interested in building profiles and modifying behavior.

(Not the OP) Personally, yes, it applies in full to all other companies. That said, marketing and advertising companies (which Facebook counts as) are the most egregious with this sort of thing.

[ Parent | on HN ]