The IT Nerd

Remember that data slurping VPN that Facebook engineered? The one that got kicked off the iOS platform? The one that Facebook decided to use some underhanded tactics to keep it alive and in use on iOS before Apple took them down again? Well, Facebook has decided to shelve it:

Facebook will end its unpaid market research programs and proactively take its Onavo VPN app off the Google Play store in the wake of backlash following TechCrunch’s investigation about Onavo code being used in a Facebook Research app the sucked up data about teens. The Onavo Protect app will eventually shut down, and will immediately cease pulling in data from users for market research though it will continue operating as a Virtual Private Network in the short-term to allow users to find a replacement. Facebook has also ceased to recruit new users for the Facebook Research app that still runs on Android but was forced off of iOS by Apple after we reported on how it violated Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program for employee-only apps. Existing Facebook Research app studies will continue to run, though.

This really doesn’t mean anything as this is simply damage control by Facebook. What really needs to happen is that Facebook needs to be severely punished for this sort of bad behavior. For example, governments worldwide need to severely restrict their activities. They need to be fined heavily, as in into the billions of dollars. Or, if I were Tim Cook, I would simply send out an iOS update that would stop Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and whatever else that Facebook has out there from working simply to send a message that Facebook’s behavior is unacceptable. Those are the sorts of things that will force Facebook to behave.

This isn’t going to help Facebook’s image. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee released its final report [Warning: PDF] after studying Facebook, disinformation and fake news on February 18th, which called the company and its executives as “digital gangsters.”

Democracy is at risk from the malicious and relentless targeting of citizens with disinformation and personalized ‘dark adverts’ from unidentifiable sources, delivered through the major social media platforms we use every day

And:

Companies like Facebook should not be allowed to behave like ‘digital gangsters’ in the online world, considering themselves to be ahead of and beyond the law.

The UK is a country that is serious about making Facebook pay. To that end, here’s what is recommended:

• The report calls for a code of ethics for tech companies that would be overseen by an independent regulator
• The regulator would be given powers to launch legal action
• The government look to reform current electoral laws
• Social media companies are forced to take down harmful content
• Tech companies are taxed.

I can pretty much assume that this is not going over well at Facebook HQ. They could really get smacked silly if they’re not careful. Perhaps they should take a more conciliatory approach and be a good corporate citizen.

Nah. That’s too much to hope for from these people. They have proven that time and time again.

The Washington Post is reporting today that Facebook is negotiating a record breaking, multi-billion dollar settlement with the FTC to make their issues go away:

The fine would be the largest the agency has ever imposed on a technology company, but the two sides have not yet agreed on an exact amount. Facebook has expressed initial concern with the FTC’s demands, one of the people said. If talks break down, the FTC could take the matter to court in what would likely be a bruising legal fight.

Facebook confirmed it is in discussions with the agency but declined to comment further. The FTC declined to comment. The two people familiar with the probe spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private talks.

A multi-billion dollar fine would amount to a reckoning for Facebook in the United States after a series of privacy lapses that may have put the personal information of its users at risk. Lawmakers have faulted the company for mishandling that data while failing to crack down on other other digital ills, including the rise of online hate speech and the spread of disinformation from Russian operatives and other foreign actors.

You know, I really don’t think this is enough of a punishment. Facebook is a company that because of all its bad behavior needs to be wiped off the face of the Earth. Forever. A fine is simply not enough for them to atone for their sins because their sins are so great. Governments around the world should make it so difficult for Facebook to exist that they just die. And they should do it now.

You might recall that Facebook and their data harvesting VPN were punted from the Apple App Store because it violated the App Store rules. It now seems that Facebook is fighting back in a very unique way. They’re PAYING people between 13 to 35 up to $20 per month along with referral fees to sideload the Facebook Research app using an enterprise certificate on the iPhone. And this has been going on since 2016. If you’re not familiar with the concept of sideloading, let me explain it this way. On iPhones you can only install apps from the App Store unless they are enterprise certificate that big companies use to install custom apps. Now using an enterprise certificate is legitimate, unless you are doing what Facebook appears to be doing. In any case, TechCrunch exposed Facebook’s “Project Atlas” program that encompasses this. And to cover their tracks, Facebook has been using beta testing services like Applause, BetaBound and uTest to recruit participants to install the Facebook Research app.

Facebook confirmed the program in a statement provided to TechCrunch and said that the Facebook Research app was “in line with Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program,” though that does not seem to be the case based on Apple’s Enterprise Certificate policy. Which means that Facebook is lying. But I guess they had a change of heart as they decided to deep six this program. But only on iOS. It still exists on Android. I’m guessing that Facebook figured out that Apple could simply invalidate the certificate that these scumbags are using seeing as Apple issues these certificates which would put an end to this. So they decided to beat them to the punch and spin it in some positive light when there’s nothing positive here at all.

Here’s the bottom line. Facebook is not to be trusted in any way, shape or form. This is the latest example of this. And at some point they don’t deserve any more chances to be trusted. Instead, they should be wiped out of existence. That should start with Apple punting the Facebook app off the App Store along with anything other apps that Facebook makes.

UPDATE: Apple has apparently revoked the certificate that Facebook used with “Project Atlas” which as a side effect has also killed the ability for Facebook to test pre-release versions of Facebook, Instagram and other apps internally. Plus it’s also taken down employee only apps as well. This apparently is being treated as a 911 event within Facebook. Apple has commented that they did this because Facebook was in “clear breach of their agreement with Apple.” and they had the right to revoke the certificate “which is what we did in this case to protect our users and their data.”

Sucks to be you Facebook because you deserve this.

Something that warms my heart is Facebook being held accountable for everything related to their privacy gong show of the last year. U.S. regulators have apparently met to discuss imposing a record-setting fine against Facebook for violating a legally binding agreement with the government to protect the privacy of its users’ personal data according to The Washington Post:

The fine under consideration at the Federal Trade Commission, a privacy and security watchdog that began probing Facebook last year, would mark the first major punishment levied against Facebook in the United States since reports emerged in March that Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, accessed personal information on about 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge. The penalty is expected to be much larger than the $22.5 million fine the agency imposed on Google in 2012. That fine set a record for the greatest penalty for violating an agreement with the FTC to improve its privacy practices.

For it to be effective, it has to be hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. I say that because anything less and Facebook won’t get the message. Which is that they can’t simply do whatever and expect people not to care. Thus I hope this report is accurate and this is the start of Facebook being served some cold hard justice.