It's complicated ~ Facebook's terrible 2018

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2018/dec/24/facebook-2018-timeline-year-in-review-privacy-scandals

Establishing identity is a vital, risky and changing business

https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2018/12/18/establishing-identity-is-a-vital-risky-and-changing-business

Instagram: from Facebook's 'best hope' to Russian propaganda campaign tool

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/18/instagram-facebook-russian-propaganda-ira

Facebook's privacy problems: a roundup

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/14/facebook-privacy-problems-roundup

Facebook disclosed on Friday that a bug may have affected up to 6.8 million users, allowing app developers to see photos that users had uploaded but never posted – but this was hardly the first mea culpa the social media giant has had to send out regarding data and security as of late.

Facebook admits bug allowed apps to see hidden photos

 

Read more

Here’s a quick look at Facebook’s recent issues with user privacy:

• A whistleblower came forward in March to reveal that Cambridge Analytica improperly harvested the personal Facebook data of 50 million people in order to profile and target users for political advertisements. After five days of silence, Mark Zuckerberg apologisedfor his company’s “mistakes”.
• A bug in June caused a glitch that publicly published the posts of 14 million users that were intended to be private. Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, apologised for the “mistake” and said the company has since fixed the glitch.
• Hackers were able to access and steal personal information in nearly halfof the 30m accounts affected in a September security breach. The company initially believed that 50 million users were affected in an attack that gave the hackers control of accounts.
• Mark Zuckerberg faced accusations in a lawsuit filed by the software firm Six4Three in May that he “weaponised” the ability to access user data. The company has rejected all such claims, and has repeatedly made motions to have the case dismissed.
• It was this same lawsuit that led to a cache of internal communications coming out after the UK parliament obtained the documents in an extraordinary move to hold Facebook and Zuckerberg accountable. The documents were under seal by a California court, and Facebook’s attorneys and the judge in the case have both criticized Six4Three’s legal team for turning over the confidential papers.
• These documents revealed that Facebook staff did discuss selling access to user data to advertisers in 2012 before deciding to restrict such access two years later.
• The documents also led to Facebook finally agreeing to a hearing in front of the House of Commons, which took place in November. Facebook sent a representative, the former Liberal Democrat MP Richard Allan. During hours of questioning, it was revealed that an engineer had warned the company in 2014 that users apparently based in Russia were collecting large amounts of data each day. A company spokesperson later commented that the matter was properly investigated and deemed not a data breach.
• In March, users realized that the company had collected text messages and phone calls through smartphone apps without their consent. Facebook immediately issued a “factcheck” claiming “people have to expressly agree to use this feature” and “uploading this information has always been opt-in only”. But the “factcheck” did not acknowledge that some previous notification screens did not warn users that call and text history would be uploaded.
• This has since led to a class-action lawsuit alleging that, in doing this, Facebook “presents several wrongs, including a consumer bait-and-switch, an invasion of privacy, wrongful monitoring of minors and potential attacks on privileged communications”. Facebook has said it asks for users’ permission to enable the feature that gives access to call logs.
• Facebook said it stopped giving third-party app developers access to user data in 2015. But the Wall Street Journal reported in June that the social network continued to share users’ data with third-party developers even after the date that executives claimed the practice would stop. Facebook officials confirmed this report.

Vice & Marlboro Man

https://www.economist.com/business/2018/12/15/the-biggest-brand-in-digital-media-has-lost-much-of-its-lustre

Vice and other formerly hot digital media properties are on a losing streak, as Google and Facebook have squashed all competitors in the digital-advertising marketplace. The duopoly commands the majority of the $100bn internet advertising market in America; Vice, BuzzFeed and Vox combined get less than 1% of that market. Vice fell well short of its total sales target for 2017, of $800m, and will fare little better in 2018, with perhaps $700m in revenues. Previously profitable, Vice is losing money. 

https://www.economist.com/business/2018/12/15/a-tobacco-giant-hashes-out-a-deal-with-a-cannabis-company

As demand for cigarettes has fizzled, Altria has increased its prices and cut costs to try to drive profits. A move into cannabis, which was recently legalised in Canada, is no quick fix but the long-term prospects for the cannabis market, if and when the drug is more widely legalised in America, are tempting. At present recreational cannabis is legal in just ten states. Some reckon the total market could be worth between $40bn-70bn, equivalent to America’s spending on wine or spirits. Altria’s revenues in 2017 were a little over $25bn.

Can Huawei survive an onslaught of bans and restrictions abroad?

https://www.economist.com/business/2018/12/15/can-huawei-survive-an-onslaught-of-bans-and-restrictions-abroad

‘If Bobbie Talks, I’m Finished’: How Les Moonves Tried to Silence an Accuser

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/business/les-moonves-bobbie-phillips-marv-dauer-cbs-severance.html

A trove of text messages details a plan by Mr. Moonves and a faded Hollywood manager to bury a sexual assault allegation. Instead, the scheme helped sink the CBS chief, and may cost him $120 million.

Victoria’s Secret gets ready for a makeover

https://www.economist.com/business/2018/12/08/victorias-secret-gets-ready-for-a-makeover

Sex sells, and it sells few things better than lingerie. 

'The idea was to change Pirelli': photographer Albert Watson's 2019 calendar

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/dec/05/the-idea-was-to-change-pirelli-photographer-albert-watsons-2019-calendar

After the retail apocalypse, what next for the high street?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/01/everything-must-go-what-next-for-the-high-street-new-retail-empty-shops