Facebook Accused of Watching Instagram Users Through Cameras

Facebook Inc. is again being sued for allegedly spying on Instagram users, this time through the unauthorized use of their mobile phone cameras.

The lawsuit springs from media reports in July that the photo-sharing app appeared to be accessing iPhone cameras even when they weren’t actively being used.

Facebook denied the reports and blamed a bug, which it said it was correcting, for triggering what it described as false notifications that Instagram was accessing iPhone cameras.

In the complaint filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco, New Jersey Instagram user Brittany Conditi contends the app’s use of the camera is intentional and done for the purpose of collecting “lucrative and valuable data on its users that it would not otherwise have access to.”

By “obtaining extremely private and intimate personal data on their users, including in the privacy of their own homes,” Instagram and Facebook are able to collect “valuable insights and market research,” according to the complaint.

Facebook declined to comment.

👀 👉🏼 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-18/facebook-accused-of-watching-instagram-users-through-cameras

#fb #DeleteFacebook #instagram #accused #spy #privacy #surveillance #thinkabout
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
📡@NoGoolag

We Are All Algorithms Now - Is that what's really destroying the legitimacy of our democracy?

I’ve never felt this way about an election before. For my entire adult life, campaigns could be exhilarating, tedious, crowded with incident or laden with foreboding, but you always felt that, at some point, there would be a resolution. The votes would be counted; the exit polls parsed; a decision made; and both sides would respect it. The one time that didn’t happen — in 2000 — I felt for the first time an inkling of what I feel in every part of my psyche now: a sense that the system itself was buckling.

👉🏼 ..(..)...
And the reason this dystopian scenario is so credible is not just the fault of these political actors. It’s ours too — thanks to the impact of social media. I think we’ve under-estimated just how deep the psychological damage has been in the Trump era — rewiring the minds of everyone, including your faithful correspondent, in ways that make democratic discourse harder and harder and harder to model. The new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, is, for that reason, a true must-watch. It doesn’t say anything shockingly new, but it persuasively weaves together a whole bunch of points to reveal just how deeply and thoroughly fucked we are. Seriously, take a look.

👉🏼 ..(..)..
For #Facebook and #Google and #Instagram and #Twitter, the business goal quickly became maximizing and monetizing human attention via #addictive #dopamine hits. Attention, they meticulously found, is correlated with emotional intensity, outrage, shock and provocation. Give artificial intelligence this simple knowledge about what distracts and compels humans, let the algorithms do their work, and the profits snowball. The cumulative effect — and it’s always in the same incendiary direction — is mass detachment from reality, and immersion in tribal fever.

👀 👉🏼 https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/we-are-all-algorithms-now

👀👇🏼 "Dopamine": Miniseries about the addiction mechanisms of Tinder, Facebook and Co. 👇🏼

"They'll do anything to make you an addict," they say about #Tinder, #Facebook, #CandyCrush, #Instagram, #YouTube, #Snapchat, #Uber and #Twitter in the miniseries of #Arte. Eight episodes explain in detail which mechanisms are triggered in our brain to keep us engaged

📺 👉🏼 https://t.me/BlackBox_Archiv/833 👈🏼 📺

#surveillance #capitalism #SocialDilemma #dystopian #democracy #thinkabout #why
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
📡@NoGoolag

A tip from a kid helps detect iOS and Android scam apps’ 2.4 million downloads

Smartphone apps raked in ~$500,000, in part thanks to shilling on TikTok and Instagram

Researchers said that a tip from a child led them to discover aggressive adware and exorbitant prices lurking in iOS and Android smartphone apps with a combined 2.4 million downloads from the App Store and Google Play.

Posing as apps for entertainment, wallpaper images, or music downloads, some of the titles served intrusive ads even when an app wasn’t active. To prevent users from uninstalling them, the apps hid their icon, making it hard to identify where the ads were coming from. Other apps charged from $2 to $10 and generated revenue of more than $500,000, according to estimates from SensorTower, a smartphone-app intelligence service

The apps came to light after a girl found a profile on TikTok that was promoting what appeared to be an abusive app and reported it to Be Safe Online, a project in the Czech Republic that educates children about online safety. Acting on the tip, researchers from security firm Avast found 11 apps, for devices running both iOS and Android, that were engaged in similar scams.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/scam-apps-with-2-4-million-downloads-found-on-apple-and-google-shelves/

#scam #kids #adware #Playstore #android #AppStore #iOS #tiktok #instagram

A Facebook employee has stolen my account. Thread! (RTs appreciated)

TLDR: some rich kid in LA now has my Instagram account because he got his friend who works at Facebook to steal it... and nobody at Facebook or Instagram is doing anything about it

👀 👉🏼 https://nitter.net/dannyjhall/status/1310231730591346689

#DeleteFacebook #fb #instagram #thinkabout #why #lol
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
📡@NoGoolag

Facebook merges Messenger chat service with Instagram

http://telegra.ph/Facebook-merges-Messenger-chat-service-with-Instagram-10-01

via www.theguardian.com


#fb #Facebook #instagram #messenger

Barinsta

Open source Instagram client for android

https://barinsta.austinhuang.me

https://github.com/austinhuang0131/barinsta

Download
https://github.com/austinhuang0131/barinsta/releases

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/me.austinhuang.instagrabber/


#barinsta #ig #instagram #fb #Facebook #alternatives

Facebook and Instagram disable features in Europe

Facebook is disabling several features in its Messenger and Instagram apps for people in Europe, to make sure they comply with a change in privacy rules.

From 21 December, messaging apps will fall under EU rules known as the ePrivacy directive.

Facebook has decided to switch off several interactive options and offer just a core messaging service until it can add the extras back in.

Group chat polls on Messenger are among the tools to be switched off.

The ability to set nicknames for friends on Messenger will also be deactivated, while the sharing of augmented-reality face filters via direct message on Instagram will also be switched off in Europe.

Facebook said it had not published a list of all the features it was suspending in Europe because it would be quickly reactivating ones that it was confident complied with the rules.

The core text messaging and calling options on Instagram and Messenger will not be affected.

"We're still determining the best way to bring these features back. It takes time to rebuild products in a way that work seamlessly for people and also comply with new regulation," the company said in a statement.

The tools will be deactivated for users across Europe in stages, so some people may find they can still use them for a few more days.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55350795

#DeleteFacebook #facebook #eu #messenger #instagram #ePrivacy
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@NoGoolag
📡@BlackBox

Is Instagram Spying on Me? When Ad-targeting Gets Too Personal

Advertisers bank on personalising ads, but this was too much.

A few days ago, my girlfriend and I saw an Instagram ad that felt eerily familiar. The image was a bedroom featuring a white designer cabinet, a bed with yellow and white-striped sheets and soft furnishings in shades of beige and light brown. Just like our bedroom.

We were paralysed for a few minutes. I had never come across ad content that hit so close to home before. Was it possible that Instagram was somehow spying on our room?

The ad for Bonsoirs’ “Club Holiday” Campaign. Bonsoirs is a French linen company.

There has been plenty of speculation in recent years about whether apps can listen to us or watch us. But there are lots of sensible reasons why an ad for something you’ve recently talked about might pop up on your phone. It’s possible you’d already seen it and never noticed, or maybe it’s related to something that you or the people you share your wifi with have searched for online.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/935p7d/instagram-ad-bedroom

#Facebook #Instagram #ads #privacy

Social Media Use in 2021

A majority of Americans say they use YouTube and Facebook, while use of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok is especially common among adults under 30.

To better understand Americans’ use of social media, online platforms and messaging apps, Pew Research Center surveyed 1,502 U.S. adults from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021, by cellphone and landline phone. The survey was conducted by interviewers under the direction of Abt Associates and is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, education and other categories. Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/

#socialmedia #facebook #youtube #instagram #snapchat #tiktok #research #usa
📡 @nogoolag 📡 @blackbox_archiv

Feds Track Down Capitol Rioter With Facial Recognition Hit On His Girlfriend’s Instagram

Stephen Chase Randolph was arrested in Kentucky. Federal authorities say he told undercover agents it was “f**king fun” to be in the Capitol mob.

Federal authorities arrested a suspect in the U.S. Capitol riot in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on Tuesday after they used facial recognition programs to find an image of him on his girlfriend’s Instagram page.

Stephen Chase Randolph, federal authorities say, knocked over a U.S. Capitol Police officer manning the barriers at the building, “causing [Officer-1]’s head to hit the stairs behind her, resulting in a loss of consciousness.” He then “continued to assault two other USCP officers by physically pushing, shoving, grabbing, and generally resisting the officers and interfering with their official duties,” the federal officials said.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/facial-recognition-capitol-defendants_n_607f34c0e4b0df3610c17614

#Instagram #face #recognition #privacy

Facebook and Instagram overlays in iOS stoke fears about apps being free of charge

Through grinding teeth, the social media market leader is implementing iOS 14's new privacy requirements. But it can't refrain from a warning finger in the process.

Facebook originally intended to use "educational screens" to reveal details about data usage. Now they seem to be part of a scaremongering campaign. The message: help keep Facebook and Instagram free, and give us access to your data! The hints seem to be a new way to fight back against Apple's tracking protection in iOS 14.5. Meanwhile, the company is enjoying great business, turning over $26.2 billion between January and March alone. The company had already announced that it will expect users to read page-long data protection declarations.

#facebook #DeleteFacebook #instagram #overlays #ios #ad #tracking
📡 @nogoolag 📡 @blackbox_archiv

The Instagram ads Facebook won't show you

Companies like Facebook aren’t building technology for you, they’re building technology for your data. They collect everything they can from FB, Instagram, and WhatsApp in order to sell visibility into people and their lives.

This isn’t exactly a secret, but the full picture is hazy to most – dimly concealed within complex, opaquely-rendered systems and fine print designed to be scrolled past. The way most of the internet works today would be considered intolerable if translated into comprehensible real world analogs, but it endures because it is invisible.

https://signal.org/blog/the-instagram-ads-you-will-never-see/

#signal #instagram #facebook #DeleteFacebook #ads #data #thinkabout
📡 @nogoolag 📡 @blackbox_archiv

Facebook shut down Signal’s ads because they exposed too much

Facebook has barred privacy-focused messaging app Signal from running a series of Instagram ads, which would have exposed just how much personal information the photo-sharing network – and its social media behemoth owner – has on individuals as they browse their timeline. Signal had intended to use Instagram’s own third-party advert tools to reveal some of the precise targeting that advertisers can buy access to.

There’s a general acknowledgement these days that advertisers can filter who, exactly, sees their commercials. That makes good business sense, after all: there’s no point in showing ads to people who are unlikely to be interested in your product.

However it’s likely that few mainstream consumers are aware of quite how much targeted information ad network providers like Facebook hold on them. Collated across multiple interactions online – with websites, apps, services, and more – they help build unexpectedly precise profiles about each user. Those profiles can then in turn be sold as visibility filters to more advertisers, so that they can further narrow down their campaigns to whoever they believe will be the most receptive audience.

https://www.slashgear.com/facebook-shut-down-signals-ads-because-they-exposed-too-much-04671574/

💡 read as well:
https://t.me/BlackBox_Archiv/2138

#signal #instagram #facebook #DeleteFacebook #ads #data #thinkabout
📡 @nogoolag 📡 @blackbox_archiv

MI5 have joined Instagram, But Remain One of the Most Secretive Organisations in the World

https://www.spyculture.com/mi5-have-joined-instagram-but-remain-one-of-the-most-secretive-organisations-in-the-world/


#mi5 #gchq #instagram #propaganda

#censorship #shadow #banned #Instagram #fb

Russia court bans Facebook, Instagram on extremism charges

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-technology-business-moscow-facebook-456db70cbe8e9bb639fca9fe2d793b10

A Moscow court banned Facebook and Instagram on Monday for what it deemed extremist activity in a case against their parent company, Meta.

The Tverskoy District Court fulfilled a request from prosecutors to outlaw Meta Platforms Inc. and banned Facebook and Instagram for what they called extremist activities. Russian prosecutors have accused the social media platforms of ignoring government requests to remove what they described as fake news about Russian military actions in Ukraine and calls for anti-war protests in Russia.

The court’s ruling bans Meta from opening offices and doing business in Russia. Meta declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

Prosecutors haven’t requested to ban the Meta-owned messaging service WhatsApp, which is widely popular in Russia. The authorities also emphasized that they do not intend to punish individual Russians who use Facebook or Instagram.

Instagram and Facebook were already blocked in Russia after the country’s communications and media regulator Roskomnadzor said they were being used to call for violence against Russian soldiers. In addition to blocking Facebook and Instagram, Russian authorities also have shut access to foreign media websites, including BBC, the U.S. government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and Latvia-based website Meduza

Continuing the effort, Roskomnadzor on Monday blocked the website of Euronews, a European news network. The regulator has also cut Euronews broadcasts.

The court’s verdict comes amid multipronged efforts by Russian authorities to control the message about Russia’s military action in Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as a special military operation intended to uproot alleged neo-Nazi nationalists.

A new law fast-tracked on March 4 by the Kremlin-controlled parliament, a week after Russia launched the attack on Ukraine, envisions prison terms of up to 15 years for posting fake information about the military that differs from the official narrative.

#Russia #facebook #instagram #ban #extremism #meta

Users in Texas, Illinois can no longer use certain filters on Instagram and Facebook

Fun social media filters are now banned in Texas and Illinois. Meta turned off AR #filters in the two states after they accused the company of misusing #facial #recognition technology.

Some filters are still available on apps like #Facebook and #Instagram, but the filters that use facial recognition are now gone, thanks to new state laws.

#Texas accused #Meta of violating #privacy rights through its technology.

In #Illinois, a class-action #lawsuit that restricted the use of #biometric data was settled.

Texas has a similar case pending.

However, Meta doesn’t believe that its technology violates facial recognition laws in Illinois and Texas.

Meta said it plans to roll out an opt-in system that would explain how its technology works and continue offering filters that map out users’ faces.

via www.ksby.com



> Meta doesn’t believe that its technology violates facial recognition laws in Illinois and Texas

Hookers believe they are virgins and politicians believe they are honest men who are benevolent towards their people

#USA Coalition Sue #Meta for Harming Youth

New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 32 attorneys general today filed a federal lawsuit against Meta for harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on #Instagram, #Facebook, and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit also charges that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without informing parents or obtaining parental consent, in violation of federal law.

“Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like Meta are to blame,” said Attorney General James. “Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem. Social media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable. I am proud to join my fellow attorneys general to stop Meta’s harmful tactics and keep children safe online.”

The lawsuit alleges that Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, exploited young users for profit by designing its business models to maximize young users’ time and attention and deploying harmful and manipulative features that harm young users. Meta designed features on its platforms that it knew would harp on young users’ vulnerabilities. These features include:

Algorithms that are designed to recommend content to keep users on the platform longer and encourage compulsive use;
“Likes” and social comparison features known by Meta to harm young users;
Incessant alerts meant to induce young users to return to Meta’s platforms constantly, even while at school and throughout the night;
Visual filter features known to promote young users’ body dysmorphia; and
Content-presentation formats, such as “infinite scroll,” designed to discourage young users’ attempts to self-regulate and disengage with Meta’s products.

https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/meta-multistate-complaint.pdf

https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-and-multistate-coalition-sue-meta-harming-youth

🇵🇸 Meta: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content | Human Rights Watch –

Meta’s content moderation policies and systems have increasingly silenced voices in support of Palestine on Instagram and Facebook in the wake of the hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 51-page report, “Meta’s Broken Promises: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook,” documents a pattern of undue removal and suppression of protected speech including peaceful expression in support of Palestine and public debate about Palestinian human rights.

Human Rights Watch found that the problem stems from flawed Meta policies and their inconsistent and erroneous implementation, overreliance on automated tools to moderate content, and undue government influence over content removals.

#Palestine #SocialPlatforms #Meta #Facebook #Instagram #Censorship
21/21/2023 #Report

Meta: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content | Human Rights Watch –


#Report #Censorship #Facebook #Instagram #Meta #SocialPlatforms
https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2023/12/ip_meta1223%20web.pdf