Facebook Completes Its $19 Billion Purchase of WhatsApp

[Heero121]

You'll be back. They all come back.

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk 2[/I]

I left before the whole data mining fiasco back in 2009. Back then you can actually delete your profile and data, not just close an account. Got an insider tip of them seriously compromising peoples privacy and security and got out. Never looked back, not a huge fan of zuckerberg or his business practices. Got out of whatsapp last year too, after first hearing facebooks buyout proposition.

 

[cybertec69]

No one pays 20 billion for a chat app, just for chat purposes.

 

[soulpatch]

As a big data analyst I can say that the data from Facebook barely scratches the surface that we can grab from your web, bank, and shop histories. I can tell the amount of spend you put on a particular bank card, stores you frequent, items you tend to buy on sale, brand loyalty, ect.

FB gets a bad rap for this but honestly they are more closed then a lot of people think. You have to cross a ton of hurdles to get data from them and it is not always the best unless the user actually likes something you have sponsored or on your companies page. We are able to get a LOT more info from your store discount cards you use or credit/debit cards. The amount of data out there on each one of us is truely astounding which is both awesome and scary at the same time.

People want the data to be used to aid their lives (lower prices on certain goods, offer coupons, discounts, reminders on in stock products, ect) but at the same time are upset when they realize we have their data. It is a dual edge sword.

Being online, using google, being on social networks, shopping with discount cards, using electronic payment, ect all leaves a rather hefty data trail. I have heard from friends before that they cut FB to limit their exposure and I guess that is true but as one in the data the FB data elements are perhaps the sprinkles on a 10 tier cake. The data points are nice to have but the core of the knowledge on the customer is already from other sources.

 

[soulpatch]

No one pays 20 billion for a chat app, just for chat purposes.

This I agree with completly but I am having a hard time figuring out what other use this app would have unless there is some unknown underlying infastructure I cant see.

 

[xeene]

They want to compete with Google hangout which wants to compete with Microsoft Skype which at this moment dominates peer to peer video chat.

 

[UrbanBounca]

Not to the extend that what Facebook does, they keep track of who and when you interact with them, then blast you with advertising, and they pass your information to those advertisers, now they can dig even deeper with the new whats app. How far will they take this. People need to understand that these companies revenue comes from advertising, they do not manufacture anything. You thought the NSA was bad.

The difference is the NSA was doing it without consent. FB reserves the right in their TOS when you voluntarily sign-up.

FB will be around for awhile, and even major companies are using them for services vital to their company, such as Verizon Wireless ridding of email support in lieu of FB and Twitter support.

I left before the whole data mining fiasco back in 2009. Back then you can actually delete your profile and data, not just close an account. Got an insider tip of them seriously compromising peoples privacy and security and got out. Never looked back, not a huge fan of zuckerberg or his business practices. Got out of whatsapp last year too, after first hearing facebooks buyout proposition.

It's not that they're data mining more than you initially agreed, but most people don't understand to what extent they're volunteering.

Also, if you were with FB at any point, they still have your information. It may not be at your disposal, but they still have it.

Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cr6]

Great discussion guys!
As for JKs comment:

If I had to choose, I'd much rather have Facebook know what I choose to share with other people than have Google reading my private emails, but I really don't have anything to hide, so I don't care either way.

I'm the complete opposite. I'd much rather Google have my information than FB. IMHO, It has nothing to do with "not having anything to hide". That's like saying I'm ok with our governments NSA spying on my life, listening to my phone calls, reading my emails because I have nothing to hide. That's a scary way to live your life, and unfortunately our government (and big business such as FB & Google) depend on people having this very thought process.
IMO FB goes way overboard with the way they collect and share your information. I mean take look at that FB mood manipulation scandal. Everything We Know About Facebook s Secret Mood Manipulation Experiment - Atlantic Mobile
If this doesn't scare the crap out of people then there's something seriously wrong. At least Google is up front about what they do with your information.
As for ads, I could care less about them. Both my phone and pc have ad blockers so I don't have to see them. (At least the majority of them) When I watch tv, I either change the channel when a commercial comes on, or I hit the mute button. I abhor ads, unless I'm watching the Superbowl. LOL

tap'n on my S5

 

[xeene]

I'd be scared if I couldn't make my mortgage payment or couldn't access Internet. What ever Facebook does with their data doesn't bother me because for low price of $10 anybody can find out anything they want about you just give them a reason. There is a lot more info on the net then most people are aware of and all of it is for sale.

Example: my wife was rear-ended couple years ago by a teenager. He only gave her his name and phone number. I was able to find out where he lived, who his parents where, where they worked, how much their income was, when and for how much much they bought their house, which school the kid attends, which businesses they owned, when they came to United States, which cars they drive and who is their cellular provider.
This was just me "surfing the net" because I was bored. Image what I could have known if I actually paid money.