Facebook Says Russian Firms 'Scraped' Data, Some for Facial Recognition (wral.com) 41
An anonymous reader quotes the New York Times:
On the same day Facebook announced that it had carried out its biggest purge yet of American accounts peddling disinformation, the company quietly made another revelation: It had removed 66 accounts, pages and apps linked to Russian firms that build facial recognition software for the Russian government. Facebook said Thursday that it had removed any accounts associated with SocialDataHub and its sister firm, Fubutech, because the companies violated its policies by scraping data from the social network. "Facebook has reason to believe your work for the government has included matching photos from individuals' personal social media accounts in order to identify them," the company said in a cease-and-desist letter to SocialDataHub that was dated Tuesday and viewed by The New York Times...
As Facebook is taking a closer look at its own products amid increasing scrutiny and public outcry, it is increasingly finding examples of companies that have been exploiting its global social network for questionable ends.... Artur Khachuyan, the 26-year-old chief executive of SocialDataHub and Fubutech, said in an interview Friday that Fubutech scraped data from the web, particularly Google search and the Russian search engine Yandex, to build a database of Russian citizens and their images that the government can use for facial recognition. "We don't know exactly what they do with it," he said.... At one point in a 30-minute phone interview, he said the Russian Defense Ministry was a client but later said he could not name Fubutech's government clients.
The two Russian companies have been around for over four years, "relying in part on Facebook data," the Times reports.
"At the top of the SocialDataHub's website, there is a single line: 'We know everything about everybody.'"
As Facebook is taking a closer look at its own products amid increasing scrutiny and public outcry, it is increasingly finding examples of companies that have been exploiting its global social network for questionable ends.... Artur Khachuyan, the 26-year-old chief executive of SocialDataHub and Fubutech, said in an interview Friday that Fubutech scraped data from the web, particularly Google search and the Russian search engine Yandex, to build a database of Russian citizens and their images that the government can use for facial recognition. "We don't know exactly what they do with it," he said.... At one point in a 30-minute phone interview, he said the Russian Defense Ministry was a client but later said he could not name Fubutech's government clients.
The two Russian companies have been around for over four years, "relying in part on Facebook data," the Times reports.
"At the top of the SocialDataHub's website, there is a single line: 'We know everything about everybody.'"
This'll Be Illustrative (Score:1)
Slashdot seems to be overflowing with Russian trolls. this thread should be illustrative.
Although, I gotta say, this just seems like Facebook deflecting. Blame the bogie man!
Easier implementation than expected (Score:2)
We're Glad You're Home! (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
That didn't take long...
Re: (Score:1)
Facebook definition of disinformation: Anything favorable to Republicans.
Social media needed a news change (Score:3)
Next news cycle is all about Russians looking at images?
Re: Social media needed a news change (Score:1)
Yes Alexei, they're both news but your naughty government is up to no good again.
He said Fubutech scraped data from the web, particularly Google search and the Russian search engine Yandex, to build a database of Russian citizens and their images that the government can use for facial recognition. âoeWe donâ(TM)t know exactly what they do with it,â he said.
Re: (Score:2)
Right on cue...
Re: (Score:2)
Who was in the mil, who was at what event years ago when their created resume never mentioned such a unique past.
Such open data sets make the role of MI6, the CIA difficult as generations can then be tracked back to discover their actual level of education and mil service.
Hard work to place an embassy worker doing very average work when social media had the same person at a top US university doing advanced math and crypto.
Very f
Those Russians must be very skilled... (Score:2, Informative)
"Facebook has reason to believe your work for the government has included matching photos from individuals' personal social media accounts in order to identify them," the company said in a cease-and-desist letter to SocialDataHub that was dated Tuesday and viewed by The New York Times...
Indeed...they must be very skilled & have lots of time too. What won't the Russians do these days?
To make matters worse, it's the New York Times that confirms...
Yeah right...The New York Times.
I am about to have big yaaawn!!
Re: (Score:2)
And now for the trifecta...
Google grabs photos too (Score:1)
I used to host a photo gallery on the internet. This was when google was fairly young and I wasn't too worried about my privacy.
This was before google-chrome or chromium existed or even Android.
Google found it.
A stalker found it.
Every other web indexer found it too.
Took the gallery off the internet. Learned that lesson, thankfully it was well before social networks were popular.
Next was avoiding photos and asking friends never to tag me in any photos without permission. Not being on FB, TW, IG, G+ or any
Woops! Typo! (Score:2)
We (Facebook) Russian scraped some of your data and sold it!
There fixed it for ya.
How about China? (Score:2)
How many Chinese "firms" (read: Chinese government) scraped our precious data too?
Oh wait, China is the good authoritarian dictatorship. Not like those evil, sneaky Russians. China is a good boy, they dindu nuffin!