Facebook Building 'Shadow Profiles' of Non-Members, Experts Allege

Ghostrider said:
Can you prove with absolute certainty that it's your subject who wrote those posts? You could try to trace the IP - but you would need the cooperation of the ISP, which isn't exacly granted. And then, without forensic examination of the subject's computer(s), you still wouldn't be able to prove your subject wrote those posts - only that they were posted from that machine.
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The only way you could prove for absolutly sureness that the indevidual posted is if he sat under a secured and trusted cctv at the exact time of posting from which the IP could be 100% linked to that position. Other than that I am forced to answer, NO. Which is still why we have juries to decide if they are the ones who "DID" it. Technology doesn't give us an adsolute here. That's why people go on trial and stand infront of a jury on cases that involve uncertainty.

And if any governmental security force hasn't complete access through an ISP, I want to know why not considering the morons on the net.

Ghostrider said:
Happens that identity theft is one BIG problem over the interwebs. Profiling is so totally not like what you see on Criminal Minds. Any security force that holds this kind of information above gossip level deserves to have their netherlands handed over to them.
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Again a jury, failing a positive investigation would hold the resolution.
And any any security force that holds this kind of information below gossip level deserves to have their p45 handed over to them.

Ghostrider said:
Of course, there still are the clueless teenagers who post drunk pics on MyFace (guess the quote) and then find themselves in some difficulties during job interviews, but nobody ever ordered anybody to be stupid. However, this use of data by employers is just a couple of lawsuits away from becoming unviable.
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If they face difficulties at job interviews then is that not also a part of profiling. The right candidate for the job is just the tip of the iceburg.
 
The thing that concerns me about the digital age is that it's no longer possible to hide in the crowd. With the types of databases that are out there, all you have to do is plug in a profile and it will return data on anyone that matches it. There is no way to get lost in the shuffle when everything is searchable. And once you get flagged for whatever reason, there is nothing you can do about it. Your record is always out there, functioning as a silent accuser you can never silence, negotiate with, or pay off. It's cheaper to buy more storage than it is to erase data, so everything just...sits, in massive data centers like the ones Google runs.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/if-youre-applying-job-censor-your-facebook-page

Half of employers already use Facebook and other social media to disqualify people. An unknown number of employers disqualify people based on credit checks. Within a few years employers will be able to check every digital facet in your life, things like forum posts or purchase records at supermarkets. None of this data can be gotten rid of, and it can only be used against you. Our government does absolutely nothing about the problem because these databases are valuable to them as well.

In the future, applying for a job doesn't just mean they call a few old employers and make sure you can do the job. It will be an invasive scrutiny of every part of your private life, from the political views you express online to your credit and debt history to how much booze you buy with your Kroger card. None of your personal data is going to make you more appealing or more suitable to an employer, it will only serve to further undermine your standing and give them more ammunition to disqualify you or coerce you into accepting unfavorable employment terms.

I think about this stuff a lot, and it really scares me. We want our private lives to be private for a reason, because there is a whole lot more discrimination out there than is covered in the Bill of Rights. People are suffering enough with unemployment and underemployment without worrying about prospective employers having even more excuses to reject them, cut their hours, or cut their pay. Nothing good will come of people's private lives being stockpiled in an easily searchable database, with or without their consent.
 
Ark said:
The thing that concerns me about the digital age is that it's no longer possible to hide in the crowd. With the types of databases that are out there, all you have to do is plug in a profile and it will return data on anyone that matches it. There is no way to get lost in the shuffle when everything is searchable. And once you get flagged for whatever reason, there is nothing you can do about it. Your record is always out there, functioning as a silent accuser you can never silence, negotiate with, or pay off. It's cheaper to buy more storage than it is to erase data, so everything just...sits, in massive data centers like the ones Google runs.
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Yes, though you can still cloak yourself to some degree. However, want to bet that software weaponry and EMP devices are going to sell a dumptruckload in the near future?
 
Ghostrider said:
Yes, though you can still cloak yourself to some degree. However, want to bet that software weaponry and EMP devices are going to sell a dumptruckload in the near future?
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Yeah, I'm sure that's the field to be in. Dunno how you could ever miniaturize an EMP device, though.

I'm not going to do anything drastic while I'm still at my parent's place, but when I'm paying for my own connection I think a VPN will be a worthwhile investment. I don't think ISPs can really be trusted, all it takes is an offer of money or law enforcement asking nicely and they'll happily turn over the activity records and account details for your IP. I'm sure there will be plenty of customers flocking to VPNs in the next few years, you don't have to know more than the basics of how the internet works to be afraid of it.
 
Ark said:
Yeah, I'm sure that's the field to be in. Dunno how you could ever miniaturize an EMP device, though.
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Well, use your imagination. What about a portable laser emitter ionizing the air, then a megavolt electrical charge shooting through the ion tunnel? Maybe a little far-fetched but I think the visual effect would be stunning.:lol:
 
jangofett287 said:
This could well be true. I don't have facebook ,but being in high school I probably get almost daily invitations. XD (seriously, I think my peers are playing a game to see who can get me to finally sign up!) One recent E-Mail from facebook said:
When I saw that I was like; Ok :uhh:
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Do those E-mails come from your friends, or from Facebook itself? If it's the latter, it is a problem.

PeriapsisPrograde said:
Absolutely no fake profiles were cited or linked to in the article. Where's the beef? :2cents:
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The article wasn't about fake profiles, it was about profiles created BY Facebook about people who aren't members. Linking to these profiles would be an invasion of someones privacy - so of course these profiles aren't linked to. It doesn't mean these profiles don't exist (nor does it prove they do).

Ghostrider said:
Can you prove with absolute certainty that it's your subject who wrote those posts? You could try to trace the IP - but you would need the cooperation of the ISP, which isn't exacly granted. And then, without forensic examination of the subject's computer(s), you still wouldn't be able to prove your subject wrote those posts - only that they were posted from that machine.
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The RIAA has successfully gotten warrants to take peoples computers and examine them with no more evidence that that, sued hundreds of people with no real proof that any infringement had taken place.

This is one of the reasons that only 7 people have my E-mail address (I don't get ANY spam EVER) and that my Email ID is carefully constructed to avoid being "guessed" by dictionary programs.

It's also why I don't have any credit cards - I buy the anonymous "pre-paid" cards when I need one. Mostly, I use hard cash. It's also why I use anonymous pre-paid cell phones, even though it's more expensive and the phones aren't as nice.

An old workmate (from my law enforcement days) runs one of those "find out anything about anyone" data mining services, and gave me a free account (to repay a major favor I did for him). I've used it to see what info is available about me - and pretty much EVERYTHING is available, despite my attempts to stay under the radar. Anyone who is willing to pay for the service has access to my Social Security numbers, info about legal cases I was involved with as a cop (info which is supposed to be "sealed", and in some cases is classified for reasons of national security), my medical records, etc.

You have no privacy. Big Brother knows your secrets - and sells them to who ever is willing to pay. The scariest part is that Big Brother isn't the government, it's businesses. The government is just one of many customers.
 
Tommy said:
You have no privacy. Big Brother knows your secrets - and sells them to who ever is willing to pay. The scariest part is that Big Brother isn't the government, it's businesses. The government is just one of many customers.
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Exactly. The 4th Amendment does not apply to business, and they've done more to destroy the average person's right to privacy than any government Orwell could dream up. And if they sell it to other businesses or the government, well, it's not the government doing the unreasonable search, is it?
 
allseeingeye.jpg


Ok everyone. When do we start running?
 
Ark said:
Exactly. The 4th Amendment does not apply to business, and they've done more to destroy the average person's right to privacy than any government Orwell could dream up. And if they sell it to other businesses or the government, well, it's not the government doing the unreasonable search, is it?
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Exactly. There are many Fed-Ex workers who have reported that the cops have deliberately damaged packaging so that the Fed-Ex workers had a reason to open them (allegedly to "repair" the packaging) while the cops watched. Once the packaging was opened the cops could claim that any contraband was "in plain sight".

Confidential Informants have also been used to break into places the cops couldn't get warrants for, then when they report what they have seen it gives the cops Probable Cause. I've witnessed that myself. While this is illegal, do you really think the cops are going to arrest themselves?
 
I gotta say this but what a fantastic idea, to damage a box inorder to peer inside. If the contents are legal, wrap it up and send it on it's way. No harm done. Otherwise it's contraband "in plain sight".
I'm not a cop, but surely they have reasonable suspician where the package is concerned, they cannot do it to every box.

Correct me if I'm wrong and I'm sure somebody will but usually the term for "Confidential Informant" is often a person who is manipulated via monetary means or by leverage of incarceration, prosicution due to their own criminal activities... hense breaking into.
Rights are good, great even, but they are used most effectively by those criminals who know how to exploit them. Alternate means of fishing are therfor employed, for a catch.

Criminals don't play by the rules, I can't really understand how the police or security forces can catch them without sometimes breaking a few rules themselves. We have law, proceedures, then we have reality, raw and bitter. I'm sure there are a few dangerous criminals who would be free if it wasn't for such tactics employed by police. We pay them to serve and protect and I can't see how they can do with a constant smile and a rule book in their hand.
 
How does Facebook stay in business these days? The whole site is an ethical nightmare.
 
PennyBlack said:
Criminals don't play by the rules, I can't really understand how the police or security forces can catch them without sometimes breaking a few rules themselves. We have law, proceedures, then we have reality, raw and bitter. I'm sure there are a few dangerous criminals who would be free if it wasn't for such tactics employed by police. We pay them to serve and protect and I can't see how they can do with a constant smile and a rule book in their hand.
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That rule book is the only thing protecting innocent people. Does our legal system not say "Innocent until proven guilty"? Throw out the rule book and cops are just armed thugs with different colored clothing.

a_190x190.jpg
 
PennyBlack said:
...Criminals don't play by the rules, I can't really understand how the police or security forces can catch them without sometimes breaking a few rules themselves. We have law, proceedures, then we have reality, raw and bitter. I'm sure there are a few dangerous criminals who would be free if it wasn't for such tactics employed by police. We pay them to serve and protect and I can't see how they can do with a constant smile and a rule book in their hand.
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"As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistiguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy."
Christopher Dawson
 
Tommy said:
Do those E-mails come from your friends, or from Facebook itself? If it's the latter, it is a problem.
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As I understand, from your friends via Facebook. Your friends give FB your E-mail address so that FB can send you an invite on their behalf.

FB asking them to do that is a bit shady, but as long as FB does nothing else with the address, I'd be madder at my friend than at FB.
 
Ark said:
That rule book is the only thing protecting innocent people. Does our legal system not say "Innocent until proven guilty"? Throw out the rule book and cops are just armed thugs with different colored clothing.

a_190x190.jpg
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Sorry, but the rule book isn't the only thing protecting innocent people. It's also those willing to cross the line to protect where the rule book fails.
I believe in innocent until proven guilty myself. But if your are caught with your fingers in the till, we call it banged to rights. Then certain deals are done between certain parties hense "plea bargaining" ect. Even prior to charges, those who commit a crime can be given a chance to inform or be used to aid the authorities for a good word or lighter sentence. Not always, but it does happen.

I like picture by the way. An demonised cop is always good to bolster the evil they do.

Astronut25 said:
"As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistiguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy."
Christopher Dawson
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Understand that, also "For evil to prevail, all it takes is good men to do nothing." Theres loads of sayings that can be served up that would confuse an issue like this, but surely there's logic in my little madness somewhere.
 
Astronut25 said:
"As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistiguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy."
Christopher Dawson
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Did anyone else hear this in the voice of the Civ5 announcer? (Or was that just me...)
 
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