The Battle for the Web

An Apology for the Internet - How It Went Wrong. Noah Kulwin. nymag.com . Apr 16, 2018.

Start with hippie good intentions. A generation embracing new technology as a tool to transform the world for good.

• Can Duruk: You were going to Facebook not to work but to make the world more open and connected.

Mix in capitalism on steroids. To save the world, you first need to take it over. Turns out the scale and power was also good for making money.

Facebook Monetizing Encrypted Messaging by Analyzing Metadata. @SarahJamieLewis. twitter.com . Jan 25, 2019.

Claim: FB will track relationships and social groups and make that information accessible to law enforcement. FB is a corporation that needs to make money; surveillance makes them money.

Contention: Actual privacy and security must protect metadata as well as content.

Cwtch by OpenPrivacy aims to minimize metadata exposed by apps used. It’s built on Tor. Challenges: message latency, server reliability & discovery, (online) first contact problem for key exchange.

Facebook to Pay $550 Million to Settle Facial Recognition Suit. Natasha Singer; Mike Isaac. www.nytimes.com . Jan 29, 2020.

Illinois’ biometric privacy law requires companies to obtain written permission before collecting a person’s biometrics. Residents have the right to sue for up to $5,000 per violation.

Facebook’s Tag Suggestions harvested facial data without getting written consent nor telling Illinois users for how long the data would be kept.