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Facebook Security Social Networks The Courts

Facebook Permanently Deletes the Accounts of NSO Workers (arstechnica.com) 48

Posted by BeauHD from the cause-and-effect dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A day after Facebook-owned WhatsApp sued NSO Group, the social media platform has permanently deleted the accounts of employees who work at the Israel-based spyware maker, according to message boards and a security researcher who spoke to one worker. "Your account has been deleted for not following our terms," said a message sent to one employee by Facebook-owned Instagram. "You won't be able to log into this account, and no one else will be able to see it. We're unable to restore accounts that are deleted for these types of violations."

A message board popular in Israel indicated that the deletion was widespread. "I had just personally verified it (I have friends working there)," one person wrote. "Ninety-eight percent of the company employees were blocked." Another person who claimed to work at NSO responded to say he or she hadn't been blocked. Another person claiming to be an NSO employee complained bitterly on LinkedIn. An Israel-based security researcher who spoke to an NSO employee said the deletions affected a much smaller percentage of the company's employees and didn't involve WhatsApp accounts.
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Facebook Permanently Deletes the Accounts of NSO Workers More

Facebook Permanently Deletes the Accounts of NSO Workers

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  • Let's all shed tears (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TechyImmigrant ( 175943 ) on Wednesday October 30, 2019 @05:50PM (#59363616) Homepage Journal

    for the hacking bastards who sell to the highest bidder.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by ffkom ( 3519199 )
      Especially since Facebook did them the favor to save them from their time-wasting platform, that sells their data to the highest bidder. Both sides of this conflict are equally immoral and disgusting.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mishehu ( 712452 )
        At least NSO is more honest about their intentions than the cult of Zuck.

        • The NSO's victims usually don't even know they're victims until the Stasi come after them, and they've done *nothing* to make think something is wrong.

          FB's victims wilfully supply the data that may be used against them (even if only in a "you're the product" sense), and despite increasing awareness (e.g., Cambridge Analytica, Trump, Brexit, etc) don't seem to care.

          • I don't willingly supply FB data. They buy my data from elsewhere and create a profile on me anyway. Please do not repeat the false statement that the data they have is all voluntarily submitted. I was going to say "lie" but I don't want to imply you're an unethical FB; I believe you're just repeating stuff you've been force fed by the scum at FB and their equally evil privacy raping minions.

            • I don't have an FB account, so this is not me defending a platform I use. I have no love for FB.

              But that does not mean someone else cannot be worse.
              Facebook buying your data from elsewhere is still far less of a problem compared to putting malware **on** your phone, which is apparently what these guys have done.

    • Quick question (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Okian Warrior ( 537106 ) on Wednesday October 30, 2019 @06:34PM (#59363748) Homepage Journal

      "Your account has been deleted for not following our terms,"

      I have a question about this.

      Facebook deleted the accounts of employees of a company? So is being an *employee* of certain companies a violation of their terms?

      I can see deleting the corporate account, but... what term violation was committed here?

      • Yes, I believe there is in fact something in there explicitly forbidding you to sign up for the explicit purpose of acting on behalf of anyone or anything else, like for example your employer. I think it's in or near the same language that forbids you from signing up under a false identity. Unsurprisingly, turning a blind eye to these two rules being flagrantly violated is a cornerstone of Facebook's business strategy. It should be equally unsurprising to you that they also have no integrity and will sel

      • Re:Quick question (Score:4)

        by Luthair ( 847766 ) on Wednesday October 30, 2019 @07:07PM (#59363848)

        They aided and abetted hacking WhatsApp & Facebook, the fact that they were paid to do it is immaterial.

        If someone shows up at your house and breaks your legs, do you think it should matter whether they were paid to do it, or if they did it because they wanted to?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by OzPeter ( 195038 )

          They aided and abetted hacking WhatsApp & Facebook, the fact that they were paid to do it is immaterial.

          If someone shows up at your house and breaks your legs, do you think it should matter whether they were paid to do it, or if they did it because they wanted to?

          So the guy who is paid to wash the car of the people who broke your legs should also get in trouble with the law even if he had no clue as to the intention of the leg breakers?

        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • That's not fair! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Wednesday October 30, 2019 @05:55PM (#59363632)

    These sumbitches do bad things and *they* manage to have their personal data deleted permently from FB. Why are they rewarded? There are hundreds of thousands of nice, well behaved former FB user who dream to be able to do just that.

    • Don't worry the ghost profiles are still there for those people wanting to get hacked...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jm007 ( 746228 )
      lol, good one :-)

      my bet would be their info is still around, but only FB gets to view it

      that's my duh! contribution for the day

    • I know, right?! How do I do this, can I just add that I'm employed by them?! Forget all those other steps to deleting your account, this is awesome!

    • These sumbitches do bad things and *they* manage to have their personal data deleted permently from FB. Why are they rewarded? There are hundreds of thousands of nice, well behaved former FB user who dream to be able to do just that.

      Who told you that their data is permanently deleted. Nothing is deleted, it just got moved to a different access group. Me, you, them cannot access it. Zuk's policy unit as well as all of his "interesting colour" (generally black) units can.

  • From what I can understand from the article, this is about personal accounts, not about business-related or something like that. What terms of service did they violate? As far as I can tell by reading all the linked articles, is that they didn't violate any terms. But, remember, Facebook may close your account without notice for any reason without any explanation. While they may have legal grounds for that action, legal doesn't mean correct.

    • Pretty sure if you have multiple accounts and use one of them to hack them they are fully justified in banning you on all accounts. And I don't mean just legally, but morally as well.

      • I can totally agree with that. And I think their ToS prohibits creating multiple accounts. But even if the company used that practice, I doubt you would need your employees to create a phony account. I guess there are bots that are better than that.

      • I don't mean just legally, but morally as well.

        I agree entirely. The people who work for NSO have just discovered that there are consequences for bad behavior, and working for NSO means that people might not want to associate with you.

    • Facebook deleted PERSONAL accounts, and Facebook is "unable to restore accounts that are deleted..."

      Quick! Someone tell me how I can get FB to do this to me !!!

  • FRCP (Score:2)

    by sphealey ( 2855 )

    I'm sure Facebook is aware of the changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that took effect in 2006 affecting retention of business records even when they are nominally "deleted" in case such records are subpoenaed - their operations personnel probably went through the training that was prevalent during the phase-in period. Right?

  • I'm sure they got them all. All of the obvious accounts. I'm sure they have no other accounts sent through VPNs from different countries and locations.

    Yup, they're all gone.

  • Now delete DOJ, NSA, CIA & FBI accounts (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    After Prism was imposed upon carriers, what if a pissed-off Verizon in the DC area cancelled all Verizon accounts of all government employees and their families..

    All Verizon wireless cell phone accounts, all Verizon FIOS accounts and all government circuits. When asked why, the Verizon spokesperson only said that they were prohibited from commenting.

    Imagine the outcry. Facebook has a greater market share than Verizon.

  • Employees of a rival (for some value of the term) company were voluntarily posting their personal data all over Facebook, probably including comments about their workplace, and Facebook shut them down?

  • Most seem to agree NSO employees deserve it (Score:3)

    by gotan ( 60103 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @05:23AM (#59365086) Homepage

    But isn't anyone a bit worried, that FB appointed themselves judges who may and who may not take part in the public exchange of views on an equal footing?

    With the size of FB and its dominance of social media it's not just any private company. So they have significant power to influence and shape the public discussion e.g. of political issues according to their agenda, whatever that may be, and they obviously decided to use it.

    I think it's an abuse of power similar to that of Rupert Murdoch using his News Network to further his political agenda.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sique ( 173459 )
      FB is a private space, and the landlord gets to decide who has the right to be there. You don't have a right to be on FB, you just have a contract with FB which allows you to. And if FB cancels your contract, you might sue them for contract violation, but nothing more.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gotan ( 60103 )

        As i see it that approach is problematic since FB has a quasi monopoly on social media.

        Do you really want to empower monopolists to blackmail anyone who disagrees with their political views?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Re "public exchange of views"
      Just like social media did with censorship, people talking about elections, politics, ads... very funny political memes
    • They didn't decide *who* could participate. They decided that certain actions were not compatible with being in the space. Like being drunk and disorderly (in a physical space). Working for NSO means that they were involved in hacking Facebook and WhatsApp and so, yeah, I can see FB deciding to take such an action. They didn't make an a priori decision based on personal preferences. Each and every one of those people would be welcome on FB had they chosen a career that didn't involve aiding and abetting

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