Facebook Promoting its Onavo VPN in Facebook iOS App

[fairuz]

You've never heard of the 14 Eyes, have you?

I have now. What about it? Pick a VPN outside the 14 Eyes, like in Hong Kong, and you're still trusting a sketchy company with no accountability that could be doing much worse things than spying. In the US with no VPN, your access isn't restricted, and your government is the least likely to go after you for thought crimes (even EU nations have thought crimes).

 

[341328]

Sounds great!

which part?!

 

[ignatius345]

Too many people install Facebook and associated apps, without taking the time to read the EULA at install, as well as subsequent updates.

Yeah, crazy that most people don't take that time to wade through 10,000 words of legalese every time they update something.

That stuff should be written in plain English, period, with privacy-related items front and center. And consumers should be protected by strong privacy laws. The EU seems to at least be trying to do this.

Blaming users for "not reading the EULA" is just ridiculous.

 

[Pineapple24]

Always assumed Facebook's death would be quick and painless.

Instead it's slow and painful.

 

[quietstormSD]

Delete.......

 

[alexgowers]

I’m not sure if this is irony but you’re allowing Facebook access to data hacker want all in one place. Businesses are far more likely to be compromised than any individual many times over.

A vpn is only a private network if you aren’t being logged and tracked!?

It almost seems like one by one the corps of the world are starting to use black hat techniques that were deemed too nasty to use.

Imagine a vpn company that sold your traffic data, they would be out of business in a day! But Facebook cuts out the middleman and suddenly it’s a viable business. I’m out.

 

[Macaholic868]

33 million people are stupid enough to use this?

It’s not shocking. On almost any issue a good 20 to 30 percent of the population is nuts depending on whose polling. How many think the moon landing was faked? 20 - 30 percent. That JFK is still alive? 20 - 30 percent. You name the issue and it’s obvious that 20 - 30 percent of the population are a few french fries short of a Happy Meal.

 

[Rorosbutt]

Facebook wants to trick people into thinking they’re safe on the internet only to use it to track everything and sell the data. Who surprised?

 

[matthew12]

This is not a VPN. This is basically making Facebook your ISP/government at this point.

 

[Jesse Waugh]

33 million people are stupid enough to use this?

The sheeple are becoming obsolete.

 

[NightFox]

Can we please get some protection from the Feds on this sort of thing? Consumer Protection needs to kick in. I don't think people understand how this works especially if 33 million people are using it.

But isn’t it paranoia about the federal government that’s making so many people turn to VPNs in the first place? Can you imagine the response from those 33 million, most of whom I’d guess think they’re getting additional privacy, if the government tried to intervene?

 

[niun]

Always assumed Facebook's death would be quick and painless.

Instead it's slow and painful.

Doesn't matter how they go down. I just hope I'm around long enough to see FB crash.

 

[MacBH928]

I don't get it?
I thought the purpose of the VPN is to make your data secure and not let any one look at it. This is counter productive. Why would I use this?

 

[cupcakes2000]

I have now. What about it? Pick a VPN outside the 14 Eyes, like in Hong Kong, and you're still trusting a sketchy company with no accountability that could be doing much worse things than spying. In the US with no VPN, your access isn't restricted, and your government is the least likely to go after you for thought crimes (EU nations have thought crimes).

EU nations have thought crimes?! What are you talking about? I’m a national of the EU and we definitely don’t. I would appreciate a link to where you got this information, and which EU nations you’re referring to.

 

[makr]

Their next move should be introducing a DNS service and broadband provider, so they can ensure they monitor all internet traffic.
[doublepost=1518606976][/doublepost]

I don't get it?
I thought the purpose of the VPN is to make your data secure and not let any one look at it. This is counter productive. Why would I use this?

I think this would only make sense if someone is using VPN to access Facebook, if you are in a country that blocks that sort of websites. As they would use VPN for Facebook it wouldn't matter if their activity on Facebook monitored.

 

[adamjackson]

But isn’t it paranoia about the federal government that’s making so many people turn to VPNs in the first place? Can you imagine the response from those 33 million, most of whom I’d guess think they’re getting additional privacy, if the government tried to intervene?

The government isn't one entity though. The FDA, VA, FTC, Consumer protection and supreme court aren't all working together 100% toward the same goal of a police state akin to 1984. They each have a job to do and all of them overstep their jurisdiction in small ways but I see a US based corporation misleading consumers into feeling protected to use a VPN something that needs some oversight from regulators. If the FBI and NSA are against that, they can have their say privately but it doesn't always go their way...yeah they'll pull the terrorism card but your'e suggesting that the US Federal government's mission statement as a whole is to take away liberties and alienate the people who pay taxes to keep the fed going. I know a lot of federal employees who don't think that way. You can't look at things in absolutes. there's a push-pull to everything.

..and I know where you're coming from. when you se corporations getting out of **** with lobbyists and kick-backs, it feels like we have no voice. The people swore to serve us only serving the billionaires and banks. but you can't say with absolution that 100% of federal employee feel this way. It only takes a few nays to keep things in check.

...and finally you have to be an engaged citizen. How often do you participate in local and state politics, call representatives, back EFF and ACLU with your cash, fully ready ballot measures and voting records before casting a vote or following donation dollars to see how that impacts votes. I think if everyone stopped watching cable news and just watched CSPAN and sat in on local politics, it'd make a big difference. An educated people is a free people. which is why education on VPNs is important.

Facebook is going to do shady stuff like this. If people know and understand what facebook is doing, this product wouldn't last long.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

I have now. What about it? Pick a VPN outside the 14 Eyes, like in Hong Kong, and you're still trusting a sketchy company with no accountability that could be doing much worse things than spying. In the US with no VPN, your access isn't restricted, and your government is the least likely to go after you for thought crimes (EU nations have thought crimes).

...picking a VPN based in HK is about as a good decision as picking one in a 14 Eyes country. Or using Facebook's VPN.

 

[kingalexthe1st]

After all the work Apple does to protect your privacy, this app will undo all that and give Facebook every single bit of your browsing data.

For God's sake, stay away from this app.

 

[chowmein]

I have now. What about it? Pick a VPN outside the 14 Eyes, like in Hong Kong, and you're still trusting a sketchy company with no accountability that could be doing much worse things than spying. In the US with no VPN, your access isn't restricted, and your government is the least likely to go after you for thought crimes (EU nations have thought crimes).

If you pick Hong Kong, you'll be monitored by the Chinese government (yeah, technically different jurisdictions, but almost guaranteed they monitor traffic). Probably not much different than 14 Eyes.

 

[PG(Austin)]

As if I'd want Facebook skimming all my web traffic! To sell to the highest bidder I might add.

 

[diego]

omg. never. stay away. from me.

 

[fairuz]

...picking a VPN based in HK is about as a good decision as picking one in a 14 Eyes country. Or using Facebook's VPN.

For some reason, every time I hear of someone using a VPN service, it's in Hong Kong. There are even services that advertise it as better for being outside the 14 Eyes.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

For some reason, every time I hear of someone using a VPN service, it's in Hong Kong. There are even services that advertise it as better for being outside the 14 Eyes.

Do you mean they're located in HK and using it to avoid eavesdropping/censorship? If so, you're right. Personally, I wouldn't use a service with a tunnel endpoint or worse, servers, in HK.

 

[navaira]

Too many people install Facebook and associated apps, without taking the time to read the EULA at install,

Pray tell, do you always read the entire EULA when updating iTunes?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Pray tell, do you always read the entire EULA when updating iTunes?

I do read new EULAS before installing software.