13 votes

Facebook labels Russian users as ‘interested in treason’

10 comments

  1. [5]
    SourceContribute
    Link
    Haha, hahaha. What a weird system they have. Maybe if the software engineers there took a few classes on ethics or read a few books there would be less of this weirdness.

    Facebook said the label was intended to only identify historical treason. “Treason was included as a category, given its historical significance. Given it’s an illegal activity, we’ve removed it as an interest category,” a spokesperson said.

    Haha, hahaha. What a weird system they have. Maybe if the software engineers there took a few classes on ethics or read a few books there would be less of this weirdness.

    11 votes
    1. [3]
      demifiend
      Link Parent
      <sarcasm>Ethics, history, and the humanities are irrelevant to STEM students and people seeking STEM careers.</sarcasm>

      <sarcasm>Ethics, history, and the humanities are irrelevant to STEM students and people seeking STEM careers.</sarcasm>

      10 votes
      1. [3]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. [2]
          demifiend
          Link Parent
          Your code's defective. It's supposed to ignore HTML tags it doesn't recognize instead of throwing exceptions. :)

          Your code's defective. It's supposed to ignore HTML tags it doesn't recognize instead of throwing exceptions. :)

          3 votes
          1. [2]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. demifiend
              Link Parent
              I don't get paid enough to deal with Facebook cancer.

              I don't get paid enough to deal with Facebook cancer.

              1 vote
    2. zoec
      Link Parent
      "But all these humanity, ethics, and social stuff, they can be derived from the right technological approach by first principles. We're just fixing them, though it may feel a bit disruptive at...

      Maybe if the software engineers there took a few classes on ethics or read a few books there would be less of this weirdness.

      "But all these humanity, ethics, and social stuff, they can be derived from the right technological approach by first principles. We're just fixing them, though it may feel a bit disruptive at first." /s

      4 votes
  2. [3]
    Neverland
    Link
    It would be great if users were aware of how FB and other platforms tagged their users to advertisers. I imagine that the tag list is somewhat protected info?

    It would be great if users were aware of how FB and other platforms tagged their users to advertisers. I imagine that the tag list is somewhat protected info?

    5 votes
    1. demifiend
      Link Parent
      Probably under "proprietary data" or "trade secrets". Besides, if people could see in real-time how Facebook tagged them for advertisers, do you think they'd continue to tolerate Facebook?

      Probably under "proprietary data" or "trade secrets". Besides, if people could see in real-time how Facebook tagged them for advertisers, do you think they'd continue to tolerate Facebook?

      5 votes
    2. Diet_Coke
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      You can find out your tags if you dig through some menus in the settings area. You can't find out how they do it, but my guess is it has a lot to do with what you share, what you like, groups...

      You can find out your tags if you dig through some menus in the settings area. You can't find out how they do it, but my guess is it has a lot to do with what you share, what you like, groups you're in, events you attend, and your friends and their activity.

      Here is one tutorial how, from the anarchotech collective, Good Housekeeping
      5 votes
  3. Diet_Coke
    (edited )
    Link
    I used to be tagged as interested in sabotage and subterfuge. You can dig through some menus and find what they have tagged you as, clear out their tags, and prevent future categorization.

    I used to be tagged as interested in sabotage and subterfuge. You can dig through some menus and find what they have tagged you as, clear out their tags, and prevent future categorization.

    4 votes
  4. demifiend
    Link
    If they call it treason, you're doing it wrong.

    If they call it treason, you're doing it wrong.

    "Treason doth never prosper, what's the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it Treason."

    ~John Harington

    1 vote