There's a saying that predates the internet,lndian eroticism but is often used to describe the omnipresent and free internet services like Facebook we use on a daily basis: "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer, you're the product."
This criticism has been frequently marched out in the fallout of Facebook's recent Cambridge Analyticia scandal, during which it was revealed that more than 87 million user profiles were improperly shared by academic Aleksandr Kogan to a political consulting firm that helped Donald Trump.
SEE ALSO: Forget data. Free labor is Facebook's lifebloodNow, Facebook is taking major strides to fight back against the tsunami of criticism it's facing over user privacy. In a blog post published Monday, the company tried to address the idea that it's exploiting users for the purposes of mining data. The post says, in part:
If I’m not paying for Facebook, am I the product?
No. Our product is social media – the ability to connect with the people that matter to you, wherever they are in the world. It’s the same with a free search engine, website or newspaper. The core product is reading the news or finding information – and the ads exist to fund that experience.
This extremely direct response to critics didn't go over well — at least not with journalists. Many believe Facebook comparing itself to a newspaper is particularly rich, because the company has long been criticized for hurting the newspaper industry, and also because Mark Zuckerberg has long claimed that the social network is "not a media company."
So, as to whether Facebook users are actually customers or the product, it depends on how you look at it. The notion that they're the product is actually pretty simple to understand: Free online services usually make money by extracting lots of data from users, then selling that data to clients for targeted advertising. In this sense, advertisers are the clients, and the people enjoying the free content are what's being sold.
You could, of course, believe that Facebook's core product is "reading the news or finding information," as the company states in its new blog post. But that certainly sounds a lot like a media company!
Either way, one thing is certainly clear: Facebook as a service is really hard to define, even for its most senior executives.
Topics Facebook Privacy Social Media
Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
Disney commits to changing Splash Mountain's 'Song of the South' theme
The new record for the longest known lightning bolt is insane
James Comey is our newest sex symbol. Wait, what?
2025 Oscar winners: See the full list
USA Gymnastics abuse doc 'Athlete A' sticks the landing: Review
This couple got a pretty rotten surprise from UberEats
Trump's legal team apparently doesn't know how to use spell
Best robot vacuum deal: Save $300 on the roborock Qrevo Edge
Devin Nunes can't sue Twitter over a parody
Musetti vs. Diallo 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
Kendall Jenner with a fidget spinner is a walking metaphor for 2017
What is systemic racism?
James Comey speaks for all of America: 'Lordy, I hope there are tapes.'
Things Intel Needs to Fix
The 10 best films of 2020 (so far)
How to throw your own painfully nerdy James Comey watch party
'To me, they're not even people:' Eric Trump attacks his dad's critics
The cicadas aren't invading the U.S.
Trump's legal team apparently doesn't know how to use spell
'13 Reasons Why' actress' t5 pages from 'The Art of the Deal' that explain exactly what Trump's doingThese kids wrote a film script and OMG the horrorThings we wish our pets could say15 crayon colors inspired by 2017 that Crayola can have for freeScientists have recreated a period — and it's a big deal for women's healthAmazon is recruiting social media celebrities to start their own stores on its siteMarvel VP clarifies disheartening diversity statementsGet schooled online by celebrities like Steve Martin, Shonda RhimesLivestream of a pregnant cat isn't a marketing stunt, so relax and wait for kittensSheryl Sandberg's #20PercentCounts is your new Equal Pay mantraBrooklyn Beckham got his first tattoo and the internet has a lot of questionsGeorge Takei joked about running for Congress but we want it to be realVin Diesel laser cut out of ham and cheese is a sandwich masterpieceThis health and fitness startup is now a Harvard case studyTech hipster augmented reality monocles are coming, this prank proves itMeet the podcast proving that the future of sex tech is femaleThis super bizarre George Foreman tweet contains multitudesBed Bath & Beyond is the latest chain to dump TrumpBarclays' note claims next iPhones could have True Tone displays Xiaomi 14 design revealed ahead of launch · TechNode 'The Idea of You': August Moon songs ranked by similarity to One Direction BaichuanAI secures $300 million in funding from Alibaba and Tencent · TechNode Leinster vs. Northampton 2024 livestream: Watch Champions Cup rugby live for free X is changing how blocking works to curb abuse Why should we care what celebrities like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish say about Palestine? Who is this transparent alien? Why, it's a glass squid. Salmon: a critical reason not to mine in Alaska's fat bear country We're fracking the hell out of the U.S. Can Jay Inslee stop it? Tencent claims Hunyuan AI model surpasses GPT Get up to 35% off Nespresso machines at Amazon Best Lego deal: Get Star Wars Lego sets up to 30% off at Amazon Watch the first major music video generated by OpenAI’s Sora Microsoft bans U.S. police from using Azure OpenAI for facial recognition Best LEGO Store Star Wars Day deals 2024 Google app seen as a trojan bug by some Huawei and Honor phones · TechNode Masturbation May 2024: Deals on sex toys, lube, and more Loneliness in kids: Screen time may play a role Xiaomi 14 series to debut with HyperOS and Leica Summilux lenses · TechNode iPhone 15 series sees price fall in China · TechNode
3.8979s , 8262.3359375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【lndian eroticism】,Steady Information Network