a quick note to say--

[kaberett]

In which the Internet is creepy: I spent Thursday & Friday nights at facesfriend's place. At no point did I connect to an internet via my laptop; at no point did I search the 'net for directions; and my phone Doesn't Internet and is in no wise associated with either Google or FB accounts. Most of our IMing is via gchat or IRC. How, then, is it that when I rocked up on facebook a little while ago from the Oxford Tube, it asked me if I lived in Cambridge, London, or facesfriend's area of town? BECAUSE IT HAS NEVER ASKED ME THAT BEFORE and Thursday was at most the second time I have been to that neck of the woods in my life.

Comments

[worlds_of_smoke]

Isn't there some sort of way to locate someone based on cell towers? Maybe they pinged your cell tower history and made an assumption? -headskritch-

[spiralsheep]

Or one/more of kaberett's contacts posted something that linked up in some way.

[kaberett]

Nope. Not to my knowledge; like, I don't thiiiiiiiiink most people knew that was a thing that was going to happen? Like I think maybe two people other than us? Neither of whom posted anything in any obvious way...

[spiralsheep]

Apart from maps, no searches for restaurants or events, or even merely checking-in to read while logged in, from you or any contact who was there? Or their phones are leaking location data and you're an associated contact?

[kaberett]

Nope, we stayed in. I didn't use the net at all, facesfriend used the net a bit on his phone but talked about me not at all in so doing and was doing so at home sooooooooo...

[spiralsheep]

Well, given the relative probabilities of (1) a data leak you're unaware of, or (2) facebook's magic scrying powers, I'm still going to assume (1). :-)

[kerrypolka]

Is there a meaningful difference?

[spiralsheep]

Clearly there is to me or I wouldn't have made the distinction. I suspect there's also a meaningful difference to the people who collect this sort of data or they wouldn't spend quite so much time and money on doing it.

[kerrypolka]

I'm confused, sorry! I'm not sure what you mean by 'Facebook's magic scrying powers' in a way that's different than 'Facebook learning a person's location in a way the user doesn't want and can't identify'. I'm also not sure what the difference would be to Facebook since whatever the method, they have the information they want. (I think I'm misreading your tone somewhere to signal meaning but I don't know where!)

[spiralsheep]

It's ok that you don't understand. However, if you're asking me for an explanation of why I think the difference between believing in magic and understanding tech matters then my motivation is to do with the social consequences of accepting magic instead of seeking to understand human behaviours.

One of the problems with believing in magic is that fairy tales aren't generally comfortable places for the peasantry to live in, y'know?

A List of Stuff What I choose Not To Believe, by spiralsheep :-)

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

The world is the way it is because [magic] and we ordinary people can't understand or change it.

Only people who already have power can understand power and use power.

Everything is predestined by God government the security services big business facebook.

Relax and accept the mysterious magic!

/end list

Also, I don't know you well enough to know whether you'd want this pointed out to you but, as you've asked me twice now to explain to you, "I'm also not sure what the difference would be to Facebook since whatever the method, they have the information they want" is based on a logical fallacy because you began at the end with a conclusion "they already have the information" rather than at the beginning of the process of the how of information gathering (or before that in asking why the information gathering might happen). The world, as currently perceived by humans, doesn't generally start at the end and work backwards so thinking that way about the world will increase the likelihood of coming to unsupported and even false conclusions.

[kerrypolka]

Hmm, that's interesting, thanks! I definitely agree looking behind the curtain is important.

[azurelunatic]

It would be kind of nice to be able to track down said leak and plug it.

[spiralsheep]

Or even merely to know more about the process (because knowledge is power &c).

[kaberett]

Facebook has 0 access to my phone (and doesn't even know my phone number), so that'd be a worrying trick...

[worlds_of_smoke]

Oh, point.

(But not one that I'd expect Facebook to be unable to jump over at some point in the future. :P I trust them about as far as I can throw them.)

[azurelunatic]

I wouldn't bet on it not knowing phone number as long as there are third parties who have facebook on their phones/using facebook as phone book, and those third parties have one's phone number and the email that facebook knows one by in a place that facebook can see.