Less than a month after Mark Zuckerberg apologized to
Congress for his company’s failure to prevent Cambridge Analytica from stealing
and abusing private data on millions of users, he found himself once again in
the spotlight. This time, though, it was a spotlight he controlled: F8, the
company’s annual developer conference.
While Zuckerberg’s apology tour continued, conducting it on
home turf noticeably changed the CEO’s attitude. The tense, tight, thin-lipped
man we saw at Congress was replaced by a lively, optimistic character who,
though still awkward, managed something akin to charm.
The tense, tight, thin-lipped man we saw at Congress was
replaced by a lively, optimistic character who, though still awkward, managed
something akin to charm.
It was a remarkably brash performance. Zuckerberg turned his
senate appearance into a gag. In doing so, he humanized himself and his company
while painting critics – including the senators who questioned him – as
inconsequential. It was a good joke. It also made Facebook’s intent clear.
Build it, whether they want it or not
For a time, it seemed the keynote made us witness to the
most unlikely of supernatural occurrences. It was as if Steve Ballmer, bored
and frustrated by his Clippers’ lackluster performance, possessed the body of
Zuckerberg and projected his consciousness into F8’s convention hall. If not
that, there was at least some forced enthusiasm from the normally stilted
Zuckerberg.
“We will keep building!” he bellowed, like a general
rallying his troops. “This is an important moment. We need to do more to keep
people safe, and we will. But we also need to keep building and bring the world
closer together.” At least Zuckerberg didn’t jump around the stage.
The company did throw all of us a bone with its new Clear
History function, which lets you delete your Facebook data history in a manner
akin to erasing your web history in a browser. It’s a useful, appreciated
feature, but not one worth much applause. Companies like Google and Microsoft
both have in-depth transparency of collected data, with the option to remove
it, so Facebook’s big announcement is merely an attempt to catch up with its
peers.
“We need to do more to keep people safe, and we will. But we
also need to keep building and bring the world closer together.”
Facebook followed Clear History with a full salvo of new
features that might cause privacy concerns – like Dating.
Zuckerberg’s mockery of his senate appearance was a good
joke, but it can’t compare to the bitter irony of Dating’s arrival.
Facebook’s image as bad as it has ever been. It’s struggling
to retain young users and constantly alienating people already on the service
with its privacy screw-ups. A recent Gallup poll found that 74 percent of
people who use Facebook are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about
invasion of privacy. Only 11 percent said they’re “not concerned at all.”
Those are staggering numbers. The average American is more
likely to believe Bigfoot exists than trust Facebook. So, yeah… why not let
Facebook into your love life? What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, of course.
There’s a reason why most people don’t use major social media websites for
dating. Independent sites offer a degree of anonymity.
Mark Zuckerberg Keynote Address Overview
Facebook
Even Tinder, which directly links to Facebook, pulls in only
so much data from the social network. Zuckerberg of course promises that Dating
will be oh-so-responsible with your private information, displaying only first
names, but it’s not yet clear how you’ll decide what photos, information, and
interests appear.
While Dating was the creepiest new tendril built by Facebook
at F8, it wasn’t alone. The company’s pursuit of VR is plenty disconcerting,
since it implies a desire to insert Facebook between people and their virtual
experiences – which, of course, will often be social.
The average American is more likely to believe Bigfoot
exists than trust Facebook.
At another point, Zuckerberg went all starry-eyed over a
computer vision technology that can recreate the rooms of a home in virtual
reality using only photos. Though presented as a way to revisit your childhood
home, it’s not hard to think of more nefarious uses. Computer vision already
lets people make fake pornography of famous actresses, or anyone else with a
few hundred photos posted online. Now, Facebook is showing us how people might
recreate an intimate scene on someone’s couch using nothing more than
photographs.
Jeez. It’s hardly a wonder everyone at Facebook seems so
happy.
Nothing to see here
It’s easy to criticize, of course, and Facebook would like
you to remember that. Facebook’s constant references to positivity are more
than part of corporation culture. They’re also an obvious public relations ploy
meant to distraction us – and developers, who are F8’s intended audience — from
the company’s problems. Facebook’s naïve optimism is that of a child elbow-deep
in a bag of Oreos who, once caught, insists she only took them to share with
everyone.
facebooks f8 keynote proves the company sees no reason to
change mark zuckerberg addresses facebook developer conference
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
What would be your response to that scene? Would you thank
the kid for her kindness? Would you let her go outside to ‘share’ them freely?
Would you give her access to your instant messages? Am I taking this metaphor
too far?
You get the point. Facebook is playing us for fools. The
positive tone is meant to disguise a more sinister message. The company thinks
it knows what you want better than you do, and it’s going to build what it
thinks you want, whether you like it or not. I mean, what are you going to do?
Leave? Hah!
Don’t be fooled. Facebook’s F8 keynote changed nothing. It’s
still the same company it was before, prone to familiar mistakes, making hollow
promises. Above all, it’s a company — one that makes its money by selling your
personal data. Give that a moment’s thought before you sign up to make
Zuckerberg your personal matchmaker.
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