• dev_null@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      By paying people $20 / month in exchange for installing a VPN that will snoop on your data so they can market research their competitors.

      It is unacceptable, but it wasn’t in secret from the users. They agreed to get paid in exchange for the usage data of competitor apps.

      So it’s a completely different situation to any “secretly spying” claim. The users had to go out of their way to get it setup.

      • InternetPerson@lemmings.world
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        2 months ago

        Yes. Just another malicious thing facebook does. Surely, they are totally trustworthy in all other regards. /s

        • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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          2 months ago

          This has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with facts and evidence.

          • InternetPerson@lemmings.world
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            2 months ago

            The evidence is: among other things, facebook has repeatedly violated user’s privacy. It would be no surprise if they would also monitor conversations via the microphone. Sure, currently there seems to be no evidence for that. But I wouldn’t be so naive to just trust them on that.

            • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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              2 months ago

              The evidence is: among other things, facebook has repeatedly violated user’s privacy

              This is not evidence that they’re using your microphone, and you know it’s not.

              It would be no surprise if they would also monitor conversations via the microphone.

              Honestly, I would be very surprised. Not that they would, but that they were able to. And that they were able to without ever being caught, somehow bypassing Google and Apple’s mic usage notifications.

              But I wouldn’t be so naive to just trust them on that.

              I don’t know why you keep coming back to trust. I’ve already addressed this. No one is suggesting that you should trust them. You shouldn’t trust them. And you shouldn’t use their services. That’s not the point.

              • InternetPerson@lemmings.world
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                2 months ago

                This is not evidence that they’re using your microphone, and you know it’s not.

                I didn’t claim it to be evidence for that.

                somehow bypassing Google and Apple’s mic usage notifications

                Unless some form of hardware notification is hardwired into the device, which indicates cam or mic usage, I’m on the rather paranoid side regarding software notifications. Software is usually much easier to break. I’m leaning a lot out of the window now, as I don’t know how secure those notifications are implemented. However, even then there is reason for concern, given that facebook had / has questionable deals with device manufacturers. If they were willing to share personal data with device manufacturers, there is reason to suspect this went or can go the other way around as well.

                I don’t know why you keep coming back to trust. […] That’s not the point.

                It is mine. Even though there is no evidence for a surveillance using device microphones itself yet and it could be surprising if they were able to, given the history of facebook, they participated in a lot of rather surprising shit.

                • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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                  2 months ago

                  I didn’t claim it to be evidence for that.

                  …what exactly were you providing evidence for when you said “the evidence is”?

                  I’m on the rather paranoid side

                  Yes, I see that.

                  It is mine.

                  Okay well you could have been more clear, and I won’t disagree with you on that. That’s not the topic of discussion in this thread.

                  Even though there is no evidence for a surveillance using device microphones itself yet

                  People have been saying this for decades with no evidence.