Here are some Facebook highlights form the last year:
How Trump Consultants Exploited the Facebook Data of Millions – New York Times
This was the big one. Facebook provided user data to consulting firm Cambridge Analytica (reportedly posing as a research institution), which used to data to help Trump get elected.
As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening for Tech Giants – New York Times
Facebook made secret deals to provide user data (including private messages) to companies like Yahoo, Netflix, Spotify, and Microsoft. So much for users controlling their own data.
Judge unseals trove of internal Facebook documents following our legal action – Reveal
Facebook has been profiting off children who accidentally spend money (sometimes thousands of dollars) on online games. Internal communications showed that Facebook employees were aware that in-game currency was confusing for children and that the company often refused to issue refunds.
Facebook employees busted leaving 5-star reviews for Portal on Amazon – The Verge
Facebook employees were caught leaving fraudulent reviews for Facebook’s new home smart display. Facebook denied that it encouraged this.
Facebook Moves to Block Ad Transparency Tools — Including Ours – ProPublica
Facebook has started blocking journalists and researchers from collecting data used to show users how their data is used and how they are being targeted by ads (both commercial and ideological).
Facebook Identifies Russia-Linked Misinformation Campaign – New York Times
Yes, Facebook is still, in 2019, serving as a platform for Russian campaigns aimed and destabilizing the United States.
The kids are what put me over the edge. The fact that Facebook has been knowingly allowing children to rack up charges on their parents’ credit cards and refusing to refund the money made something finally click in my brain and I no longer have an account on their site (if I can hold out through the 30-day waiting period, that is).
Small Things Float 