Facebook Ads Target Youth and Others During Vulnerability

FrgMstr

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Internal Facebook documents have been obtained by The Australian which reportedly shows how Facebook uses algorithms to determine when its users, as young as 14, are feeling stressed, depressed, or overwhelmed, in order to identify when those users might be more vulnerable to specific advertisements. The Australian is behind a paywall, but this local OZ TV station has the coverage. Beware there is an autoplay video on its page.

The leaked document shows it has been honing the covert tools its uses to gain useful psychological insights on young Australian and New Zealanders in high school and tertiary education.

But don't worry says Facebook, nothing to see here.

“The data on which this research is based was aggregated and presented consistent with applicable privacy and legal protections, including the removal of any personally identifiable information,” Facebook said in a statement issued to the newspaper.

Just remember, if you or your kids use Facebook, you agreed to all of this when you signed up. My kids, think Facebook is a joke, which is certainly not a bad thing in my opinion. You know if your parents use it, it must not be cool.
 
Meanwhile at Facebook HQ:

620
 
Hey, kid. I heard your mother just died in a traffic accident... how would you like to buy this commemorative key chain complete with today's date? It's a steal, kid. A steal I tell ya.
 
They dropped the ball, all FB had to do was say the data the research is based on is used for a system that identifies at risk youth for help. E.g. it'd advertise suicide/bully/etc help lines/sites and the like.

Instead they went the route of "sure, we might be targeting your potentially suicidal teenager with rope and will & testament advertisements, but we do so in within the privacy guidelines!
 
I was both an early adopter and an early dumper of facebook. It was easy to see a long time ago that not only was it not healthy to know everything about everyone you have ever met but that anyone had access to that information if they wanted it.

I would say I'm glad that a lot of kids don't use it but they just replace it with 15 other "cool" social media platforms where they constantly post shit they shouldn't.
 
What's that saying...

Oh right.

Fuck Facebook. If any inanimate object could eat a bag of dicks, I wish it was Facebook.
 
I was both an early adopter and an early dumper of facebook. It was easy to see a long time ago that not only was it not healthy to know everything about everyone you have ever met but that anyone had access to that information if they wanted it.

I would say I'm glad that a lot of kids don't use it but they just replace it with 15 other "cool" social media platforms where they constantly post shit they shouldn't.

Well im much more ok with the thought of my daughter on FaceBook then SnapChat or instagram

Actually in second thought, I don't like the concept of having my daughter anywhere on the internet

ug, this is why I wanted a son... I just know karma's gonna get me and she'll be on teen moms 3 lol
 
Whatever happened to the days when internet companies had mottos like "Don't be evil"?
 
Whatever happened to the days when internet companies had mottos like "Don't be evil"?

That was back when they weren't pulling in billions of dollars in advertising revenue and wanted to make the world a better place.
 
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