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Is Facebook a threat to democracy?

Do companies like Facebook pose a threat to Democracy?

  • Total voters
    19
Bucky

Bucky

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I think companies like Facebook and Google pose a threat to democracy and national security. These companies have become so big I believe countries will soon ban them.

How can these companies assure they are handling personal/confidential information safely?

I think action from the U.S government or another country is required. It sure as hell won't be done by the addicted users. Look at where people are complaining about the recent Facebook scandal... on SOCIAL MEDIA!

They have become more than a monopoly in business but a true threat to Democracy. When they allow our enemies to infiltrate our homes and manipulate our minds. Do people realize Facebook has the technology to record us?

The advertisers need Facebook more than Facebook needs the advertisers. Banning facebook may necessary on the basis of national security.
 
Bucky said:
I think companies like Facebook and Google pose a threat to democracy and national security. These companies have become so big I believe countries will soon ban them.

How can these companies assure they are handling personal/confidential information safely?

I think action from the U.S government or another country is required. It sure as hell won't be done by the addicted users. Look at where people are complaining about the recent Facebook scandal... on SOCIAL MEDIA!

They have become more than a monopoly in business but a true threat to Democracy. When they allow our enemies to infiltrate our homes and manipulate our minds. Do people realize Facebook has the technology to record us?

The advertisers need Facebook more than Facebook needs the advertisers. Banning facebook may necessary on the basis of national security.
Click to expand...

I would not go that far, but they sure are not part of fixing America, being better.
 
Bucky said:
I think companies like Facebook and Google pose a threat to democracy and national security. These companies have become so big I believe countries will soon ban them.

How can these companies assure they are handling personal/confidential information safely?

I think action from the U.S government or another country is required. It sure as hell won't be done by the addicted users. Look at where people are complaining about the recent Facebook scandal... on SOCIAL MEDIA!

They have become more than a monopoly in business but a true threat to Democracy. When they allow our enemies to infiltrate our homes and manipulate our minds. Do people realize Facebook has the technology to record us?

The advertisers need Facebook more than Facebook needs the advertisers. Banning facebook may necessary on the basis of national security.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but this is a nonsensically stupid claim. Facebook itself is not a threat at all. Facebook is nothing more than a platform that allows people to interact with each other. What they do with it is their business. Give people a lot of freedom, and at least some people will use it to hurt others with it, but that's a reason to be careful about how you use it, not a reason to ban it.

Don't put incredibly private information on there if you can't handle other people seeing it. I have more faith in Google or Facebook protecting your personal information than I do a smaller operation like your local bank.
 
MrWonka said:
Sorry, but this is a nonsensically stupid claim. Facebook itself is not a threat at all. Facebook is nothing more than a platform that allows people to interact with each other. What they do with it is their business. Give people a lot of freedom, and at least some people will use it to hurt others with it, but that's a reason to be careful about how you use it, not a reason to ban it.

Don't put incredibly private information on there if you can't handle other people seeing it. I have more faith in Google or Facebook protecting your personal information than I do a smaller operation like your local bank.
Click to expand...

The average person spends about 1-2 hours a DAY on these social media websites. Imagine watching the TV and you see an ad from the Kremlin or DRPK. That would be completely unacceptable.

People are completely in the dark. Once our information get's into the wrong hands, they can control your identity, take out loans, etc...
 
No, people are.
 
Bucky said:
I think companies like Facebook and Google pose a threat to democracy and national security. These companies have become so big I believe countries will soon ban them.

How can these companies assure they are handling personal/confidential information safely?

I think action from the U.S government or another country is required. It sure as hell won't be done by the addicted users. Look at where people are complaining about the recent Facebook scandal... on SOCIAL MEDIA!

They have become more than a monopoly in business but a true threat to Democracy. When they allow our enemies to infiltrate our homes and manipulate our minds. Do people realize Facebook has the technology to record us?

The advertisers need Facebook more than Facebook needs the advertisers. Banning facebook may necessary on the basis of national security.
Click to expand...

You should have left the choice "national security"; on that note - yes, Facebook is a threat; Twitter is a threat etc. Once a bad piece of information gets out there, it travels and stays in people's minds. Trial lawyers do it all the time and are censured by the courts for it, but once that idea gets into a juror's mind, it stays there.

We have seen that there is no telling what an enemy will publish and how far it will travel before it's found out and we now know that people will make important decisions based on bad information.

Such social toys are for kids and it should stay that way with adult supervision.
 
In their current form, that allows Russia and foreign actors to illegally obtain profiles of our entire population for the purposes of running information operations, yes. Obviously.
Anyone who thought Facebook and other privacy abusing companies and business models were not a threat, are simply not imaginative.

Your fist clue should be the "privacy agreement". The second should be what you find out when you try and delete an account.
And the third, as we are discovering every month, is that the security to protect all that private data of most of the population of the U.S., is paper thin.

The old saying "Knowledge is power", apparently as people saying today "knowledge is just for fun, ads, and is harmless."

All of this could be fixed with better security laws and regulation, along with better privacy laws/regulation.

I'm sure Republicans will get right on that. Apparently a lot of liberals don't get it either. National security experts seem to agree that the only change that will come to these things, will be a result of catastrophe. Why use our brains, when we can just leap before we look? So much less fun eh?
 
Poor ol' Zuckerberg: he went from hero to zero in no time.

When the Obama campaign data mined Facebook, it was historic! Brilliant!

When the Trump campaign did the same thing, it's a crime!
 
Mach said:
In their current form, that allows Russia and foreign actors to illegally obtain profiles of our entire population for the purposes of running information operations, yes. Obviously.
Anyone who thought Facebook and other privacy abusing companies and business models were not a threat, are simply not imaginative.
Your fist clue should be the "privacy agreement". The second should be what you find out when you try and delete an account.
And the third, as we are discovering every month, is that the security to protect all that private data of most of the population of the U.S., is paper thin.

All of this could be fixed with better security laws and regulation, along with better privacy laws/regulation.

I'm sure Republicans will get right on that. Apparently a lot of liberals don't get it either. National security experts seem to agree that the only change that will come to these things, will be a result of catastrophe. Why use our brains, when we can just leap before we look? So much less fun eh?
Click to expand...

And with this latest scandal we hearing nothing from Mark Zuckerburg. Where is the accountability? I read somewhere they he actually cannot be removed as the CEO of Facebook.

He has become like a king. It is bad.
 
apdst said:
Poor ol' Zuckerberg: he went from hero to zero in no time.
When the Obama campaign data mined Facebook, it was historic! Brilliant!
When the Trump campaign did the same thing, it's a crime!
Click to expand...

Obama's team apparently used a voluntary request.
Cambridge used fraud to get the data.

And no, Cambridge Analytica has other shady/criminal actions that make it a problem. Everything from the undercover admissions of illegal acts (honeypot/entrapment/blackmail, etc.), the Russian-originated Face book leak (and the fraud used to get it), their involvement with wikileaks, etc.

Clapping your hands at information warfare being used on the public to change regimes, is as absurd as it gets.
 
apdst said:
Poor ol' Zuckerberg: he went from hero to zero in no time.

When the Obama campaign data mined Facebook, it was historic! Brilliant!

When the Trump campaign did the same thing, it's a crime!
Click to expand...

THis is a guy who loses $5 BILLION in net worth in one day as the Facebook stock loses a little, which is obscene, dont feel sorry for him
 
And once again, my wife and I can rest easy in our decision to not participate in social media. I think DP this doesn't qualify as there are no ads to click on, no stories to share and no list of friends and all of their info.
 
Bucky said:
And with this latest scandal we hearing nothing from Mark Zuckerburg. Where is the accountability? I read somewhere they he actually cannot be removed as the CEO of Facebook.
He has become like a king. It is bad.
Click to expand...
Bucky, it's most likely that there are no laws to govern this. We were counting on their "good behavior". Turns out where money/power is inovlved, there isn't any...a new concept only just learned in 2015 (really!).

Our nation likes to make laws after deaths/catastrophe, it's better for big business that way.
Remember what it took to get seatbelts into cars? Cigarettes controlled? We have to fight Republicans the entire way as well, against cries of "big government regulations, nanny state, blah blah blah".

Zuckerberg can probably legally tell us all to **** off. He always could. You don't own your data, he does. He can sell it to Russia for a pittance, who cares?
What are we gonna do, string him up but not make laws that ensure similar things won't again occur? Probably so...

I hear Republicans are now pushing for Election Security measures that were talked about in 2000 Gore v Bush...with Russia knocking at our door 15 years later. By that metric, we'll get to laws to stop facebook *maybe& by 2030ish.
 
Bucky said:
I think companies like Facebook and Google pose a threat to democracy and national security. These companies have become so big I believe countries will soon ban them.

How can these companies assure they are handling personal/confidential information safely?

I think action from the U.S government or another country is required. It sure as hell won't be done by the addicted users. Look at where people are complaining about the recent Facebook scandal... on SOCIAL MEDIA!

They have become more than a monopoly in business but a true threat to Democracy. When they allow our enemies to infiltrate our homes and manipulate our minds. Do people realize Facebook has the technology to record us?

The advertisers need Facebook more than Facebook needs the advertisers. Banning facebook may necessary on the basis of national security.
Click to expand...

Is a national platform where people regularly discuss politics and ideas a threat to a form of government that relies on people discussing politics and ideas...

What it is, is a threat to stupid people that can't tell the difference between fake news written in broken english, and legite journalism. Which makes them say stupid things, which then invites ridicule, which then leads those people to wonder if Facebook is a threat to democracy...
 
Mach said:
Obama's team apparently used a voluntary request.
Cambridge used fraud to get the data.

And no, Cambridge Analytica has other shady/criminal actions that make it a problem. Everything from the undercover admissions of illegal acts (honeypot/entrapment/blackmail, etc.), the Russian-originated Face book leak (and the fraud used to get it), their involvement with wikileaks, etc.

Clapping your hands at information warfare being used on the public to change regimes, is as absurd as it gets.
Click to expand...

Neh, it's the same ****. Just like Clinton and Fusion GPS.

Of course you're going to cover for Obama.
 
apdst said:
Neh, it's the same ****. Just like Clinton and Fusion GPS.
Of course you're going to cover for Obama.
Click to expand...

I told you why it's different.
You told me "neh it's the same" without any reasoning. "Nuh Uh" as it turns out, isn't a reason, or a refutation, it's just what kids say when they are emotional rather than reasonable.
 
With new technologies there are some challenges. Are these companies going to have consumer protection on board? Apparently, not unless congress and senate force them to. Companies don't care about people. They care about money, and developing protective software is going to cost them a little.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
THis is a guy who loses $5 BILLION in net worth in one day as the Facebook stock loses a little, which is obscene, dont feel sorry for him
Click to expand...

I don't...lol
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Is a national platform where people regularly discuss
Click to expand...

That's not even remotely close to what Facebook is. DP is a national platform where we can discuss things anonymously, and we don't have to post any personal data.

Facebook as the equivalent of a database of highly sophisticated psychological profiles and connections of the majority of our entire U.S. population, with basically a sign out front that says "take as much as you want no matter who you are". This aggregated data can and was, trivially pulled by an adversarial nation for use in information operations against he United States population.

No one can tell the difference between fake media and legit journalism, when done properly. Even done poorly, it's about a 50/50, always has been, always will be.

Why do you think we have the CIA? Military propaganda, psychological divisions?

If they can use 50% of "stupid people" as you put it, to change the government for the nation, it's not a threat to the stupid people, it's a threat to everyone...
 
apdst said:
More credible sources than you are telling a different story.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.fa...acebook-data-from-millions-of-unknowing-users
Click to expand...

Your own source says you are wrong.

“Facebook in 2011 had the ability for people to opt in, and the Obama campaign rocked this,” she said. “We got people to opt in, and the privacy policies at that time on Facebook were that if they opted in, they [Facebook] could tell us who all their friends were.”
Click to expand...

Have you ever been on the correct side of any debate, ever?
 
Mach said:
That's not even remotely close to what Facebook is. DP is a national platform where we can discuss things anonymously, and we don't have to post any personal data.

Facebook as the equivalent of a database of highly sophisticated psychological profiles and connections of the majority of our entire U.S. population, with basically a sign out front that says "take as much as you want no matter who you are". This aggregated data can and was, trivially pulled by an adversarial nation for use in information operations against he United States population.

No one can tell the difference between fake media and legit journalism, when done properly. Even done poorly, it's about a 50/50, always has been, always will be.

Why do you think we have the CIA? Military propaganda, psychological divisions?

If they can use 50% of "stupid people" as you put it, to change the government for the nation, it's not a threat to the stupid people, it's a threat to everyone...
Click to expand...

DP is a small community of anonymous users who basically troll each other every day. The arguments are generally all the same, made by the same people.

On facebook, people know who you are. They hold you to what you say. A democracy should not have it's discourse in anonymity. And facebook, is a national platform, where people regularly discuss politics out in the open.

I've generally found the fake news on facebook that I've seen easy to spot. But that being said, my family has a strong white supremacist lean and are generally posting ignorant **** to begin with.

I'm not so fond of the data collection or the selling of private pictures to foreign advertisers. But those things can be corrected with a change to privacy laws. Which we won't ever change because congress is bought by the same people who buy that data to sell you **** you don't need.
 
No, dumb brainwashed people are, and the politicians that pander to the dumb brainwashed people and push the rhetoric
 
If Facebook is a threat, then the Internet is a threat to democracy.

Problem with western society, is that we have this mystical idea of "free speech and freedom of expression" and that is being used against us by those that want to harm or dominate us. Facebook or the internet is a great democratic tool, especially on the information front. Only problem is that facts are manipulated and suddenly truth and facts become the opposite and that is when it goes down hill. During the 2016 election it was clear that there was something going on Facebook with all the pro-Trump and anti-Clinton **** being pushed.. lies, falsehoods and worse. Now we know, that this was in fact Russian bots doing a lot of the damage.

However saying that, news media have a similar problem. Biased places like Fox News and Briebart, that push lies and propaganda instead of actual facts... those are just as toxic (if not worse) than Facebook/the Internet. Case in point... Fox News viewers believing for a decade that Saddam had something to do with 9/11.

Now what is the solution.. good question and hard to answer as a solution might be as bad as the problem. Ultimately as long as we have portions of the population who will only believe in news that meets their world view, and not the actual facts... then we have a problem. You see it with Trump and his loyalists.
 
Bucky said:
And with this latest scandal we hearing nothing from Mark Zuckerburg. Where is the accountability? I read somewhere they he actually cannot be removed as the CEO of Facebook.

He has become like a king. It is bad.
Click to expand...

Zuckerburg appears to be just as accountable as Tom Brady is... and that is not at all.
 
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