Today a trove of 4,000 internal Facebook documents reveal how the social media giant profits off user data and battles rivals.
Here are some of the key revelations from the document dump, including from reports published from earlier leaks:
Facebook wielded its control over user data to hobble rivals like YouTube, Twitter, and Amazon.
Facebook executives quietly planned a data-policy “switcharoo.”
Facebook considered charging companies to access user data.
Facebook whitelisted certain companies to allow them more extensive access to user data, even after it locked down its developer platform throughout 2014 and 2015.
Facebook planned to spy on the locations of Android users.
The PDF can be found here but currently it’s taking forever to load. Grab it while it’s hot.
Check It Out: Leaked Internal Facebook Documents Reveal Disturbing Information
‘A scandal a day keeps the regulators away’ (from The Book of Bad Advice; Chapter 11, Social Media Company Management)
So, Andrew, there are three things that this article makes apparent:
There is no level on which these revelations are not disturbing, each on multiple fronts.
There is no promise that FB will not hesitate to break, without remorse, whenever it suits them.
There is no floor beneath which FB will not sink, thanks in no small measure to the apparent amorality of its CEO.
And let’s not forget, this is the same company that seeks to put a camera device in your home.