Facebook Doesn't Know What Happens to Your Data [Content Made Simple]
Issue #267: TikTok heartthrob, what Elon Musk means for Twitter, and more.
TOP OF THE WEEK:
Facebook Doesn’t Know What It Does With Your Data, Or Where It Goes: Leaked Document
Quote:
“We do not have an adequate level of control and explainability over how our systems use data, and thus we can’t confidently make controlled policy changes or external commitments such as ‘we will not use X data for Y purpose.’ And yet, this is exactly what regulators expect us to do, increasing our risk of mistakes and misrepresentation,” the document read. (Motherboard retyped the document from scratch to protect a source.)
In other words, even Facebook’s own engineers admit that they are struggling to make sense and keep track of where user data goes once it’s inside Facebook’s systems, according to the document.
Commentary:
Yeah I mean this isn’t very surprising. Facebook is simply a Frankenstein’s monster that has been created and cannot be controlled.
HITTING THE LINKS
Link #1: How TikTok heartthrob William White’s thirsty fandom turned toxic
I remember reading about this dude last year. Wild to see how this has evolved.
When he shot to fame last summer, TikTok influencer William White, now 22, was treated with bemusement by the media. After all, this was a handsome young guy who’d cultivated a huge fandom of mostly Gen X women by winking, smiling, dancing, and occasionally lip-syncing to a soundtrack of ’70s and ’80s tunes.
Link #2: New Google Tool Allows You to Remove Search Info About Yourself
People have been calling for this for a long time. It is long past due that internet users have this ability. Glad to see this development.
For many years, people have been able to request the removal of certain sensitive, personally identifiable information from Search — for example, in cases of doxxing, or information like bank account or credit card numbers that could be used for financial fraud.
Under this new policy expansion, people can now request removals of additional types of information when they find it in Search results, including personal contact information like a phone number, email address, or physical address. The policy also allows for the removal of additional information that may pose a risk for identity theft, such as confidential log-in credentials, when it appears in Search results.
Link #3: The Elon Musk Placebo Effect
I have started to see some people think that the Elon Musk/Twitter deal may fall through. That would be crazy, but “crazy” has sorta been par for the course throughout this process. I appreciated this article.
Elon Musk is buying Twitter and taking the public company private in order to save “free speech.” That much we know: He has made his intentions clear.
But what will actually change about the social-media platform is still largely a mystery, and the hints don’t suggest that Twitter’s about to become a free-speech free-for-all. Maybe Musk will reinstate Donald Trump on the platform. Perhaps he’ll add an editing feature for tweets, though that’s not directly related to content moderation and was already in the works. Maybe he’ll fulfill his promise to get rid of spam, something Twitter already tries pretty hard to do. He has also promised to “authenticate every human” on the site—whatever that means.
THE FUNNY PART
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