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IMPORTANT. Threads stated policy is to collect and exploit Fediverse user personal data without explicit consent.

Now is a very good time to review Threads Terms of Use (https://terms.threads.com/terms-of-use) and Supplemental Privacy Policy (https://help.instagram.com/515230437301944).

Note just by following a Threads user or replying to a post, Meta claims they are entitled to your personal data.

And what do they say they will do with your data? Provide you with "business services (including ads)."

#threads #DataPrivacy

Terms of Use

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR USE OF AND ACCESS TO OUR SERVICES (DEFINED BELOW) ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS; IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING, YOU MAY NOT USE OR ACCESS THREADS IN ANY MANNER.
Terms of Use
#dataprivacy #threads
in reply to Mastodon Migration

Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
• •
Your username, profile picture, and domain and IP of your server are public and every Mastodon server out there does absolutely the same thing.
in reply to Eugen Rochko

John Francis
John Francis
• •
@Gargron I still have a lot of concerns that by making something public, that anyone finding it considers themselves entitled to use it for any purpose. I suspect there are several content licenses that provide solutions. It's probably not a Mastodon concern, but maybe it's something that belongs in ActivityPub.
@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Mastodon Migration
Mastodon Migration
• •

@Gargron Yes, but this does not address the issue. The concern expressed here is the use of this identity data, as well as Mastodon user content and interactions, for the purpose of Threads broader business services, including ads.

As described in the document Supplemental Privacy Policy: https://help.instagram.com/515230437301944

#threads #DataPrivacy

Help Center

help.instagram.com
#dataprivacy #threads @Eugen Rochko
in reply to Mastodon Migration

Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
• •
So theoretically a Threads user might see an ad about honey because they follow a user from beekeepers.ninja.
in reply to Eugen Rochko

rexum
rexum
• •
@Gargron but then beekeepers.ninja would probably be blocked by instance moderators.
@Eugen Rochko
in reply to rexum

Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
• •
@rexum I think you misunderstood something at some point. The only people who might see ads are people who use the Threads app. There is no way for Threads to show an ad outside of Threads.
@rexum
in reply to Eugen Rochko

rexum
rexum
• •
@Gargron yes, but they could inject ads as user posts but I don't think they would do that.
@Eugen Rochko
in reply to rexum

Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
• •
@rexum That would be pointless. You would simply unfollow the user.
@rexum
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Mastodon Migration
Mastodon Migration
• •

@Gargron @rexum

Think that the focus on ads misses the point. The primary issue is not the display of ads, but rather the collection and analysis of Fediverse user personal data and content, and the use of it for profiling the user. The concern is that such data is taken from the Fediverse and is used to fill out Meta's profile of the user and then exploited for whatever purpose, including but not at all limited to ads.

@Eugen Rochko @rexum
in reply to Mastodon Migration

Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
• •
@rexum Personal data usually carries a slightly different meaning than a public profile and posts you choose to broadcast to the open web, and the way this entire thread is written is highly misleading in a disappointing way.
@rexum
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Mastodon Migration
Mastodon Migration
• •
@Gargron @rexum Would welcome the opportunity to clarify the matter then. What Threads policy says is that they can use this Third Party Information, whatever you want to call it, for their business purposes. One of the concerns that Fediverse users have is the Terms of Use that platforms like Threads employ, and which Mastodon does not. It would be great for Threads to clarify that they will not exploit Fediverse user data and content in the same way they do users who sign up for their service.
@Eugen Rochko @rexum
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Kurt Fliegel
Kurt Fliegel
• •
@Gargron @rexum I don’t think it’s misleading at all. The foundational activity of surveillance capitalism is to collect whatever informational or behavioral data it can from whatever sensors it can; conflate via data matches and appends; build predictive models; and activate via algorithmic systems, or sell outright. The clause in Threads’ privacy supplement is a clear signal that the Fediverse will be an additional network of sensors feeding Meta’s data ecosystem.
@Eugen Rochko @rexum
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Mastodon Migration
Mastodon Migration
• •

@Gargron

Please see the conversation below and the clarifications above.

It seems that Threads has two versions of their Supplemental Privacy Policy. The EU version does not raise concerns, but the US version does. Further, the fact there are two different versions, confirms that the matter is a real concern.

Raising this issue is not "against" Threads integration. Lots of good can come from big players joining distributed social media, but only if we can protect our data privacy rights.

@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Thomas Lee ✅ :patreon:
Thomas Lee ✅ :patreon:
• •
@Gargron @rexum unless threads injects the ads into the stream of someone we follow on threads. I do not trust Meta.
@Eugen Rochko @rexum
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Clayton Slaughter
Clayton Slaughter
• •
@Gargron
Sure they can. Remember the email services that append ads to emails?
I don’t understand the business plan of Threads, other than acquiring user data to resell. Letting users take their followers and content is a tell that it isn’t about walling in threads with a moat. Rather maybe to expand Threads moat to the entire Fediverse?
It’s very puzzling.
Thank you for your work and insights.
@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Dale Reardon
Dale Reardon
• •
@Gargron I can already think of one way if they are devious enough - If I follow someone on threads, then threads can just insert sponsored posts into their timeline that auto syndicates over to my account on Mastodon - So Threads can generate advertising posts on behalf of people and make them look like normal posts which will come across - Twitter essentially did this at one point & may still be doing it to fool people into reading ads
@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Mastodon Migration
Mastodon Migration
• •

@Gargron The bigger concern would be that a Fediverse user might start getting ads on other platforms about honey, just because they follow someone on Threads and also follow beekeepers.ninja or simply post on Mastodon about bees.

But this is not just about ads. It is about data privacy and what Meta claims authority to do with data and content pulled from the Fediverse.

@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Mastodon Migration

Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
• •
No, that is not a concern, because there is no capability for the fediverse user to get ads on other platforms connected to them in any way. It is also an extremely bog standard, matter of fact privacy policy. Ours does not look much different.
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Unknowable@troet.cafe
Unknowable@troet.cafe
• •
Yeah and Zuckerberg's intentions are good natured, as always, but of course Eugen.
This entry was edited (4 months ago)
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Pieselpriemel
Pieselpriemel
• •
@Gargron Why not, and beekeper@threads.net will probably not even know that he boosted that add. 🤷
@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Eugen Rochko

Michael Fisher
Michael Fisher
• •

@Gargron I think the question is whether Threads would use the APub integration to scrape the beekeepers.ninja user’s social graph, posts, etc there and then do God knows what with it. That’s the fear.

The reality, I believe, is that they can already do that (and if Meta is being Meta, they already are) using existing Mastodon web services and APIs…so refusing ActivityPub-based direct federation with them wouldn’t prevent much.

@Eugen Rochko
in reply to Eugen Rochko

The Nexus of Privacy
The Nexus of Privacy
• •

While it's true that every well-written social network pricacy policy does cover this kind of data, no it's not at all "absolutely the same thing".

Compare and contrast what Threads' privacy policy says they can do with this data to a privacy policy like @admin's and it's clear that Threads' privacy policy tries to give the company as much ability to use data without requesting additional consent (although EU DPC's may have something to say about it). Also, unlike every Mastodon server out there, Meta's business model relies on exploiting people's data -- and they have a long track record of using data without consent. It really isn't the same thing at all.

https://eupolicy.social/privacy-policy

Also you suggested elsewhere in this thread that "Personal data usually carries a slightly different meaning than a public profile and posts you choose to broadcast to the open web." In the EU, GDPR is very explicit that personal data includes publicly available data such as this.

@mastodonmigration @rexum


EUpolicy.social - A Mastodon server for the EU bubble

This is a Mastodon instance for the EU policy bubble. We aim to be a friendly and respectful discussion space for people working in EU policy and to contribute to the growth of the Fediverse.
Mastodon hosted on eupolicy.social
@Mastodon Migration @rexum @The eupolicy.social admin
This entry was edited (4 months ago)
in reply to Eugen Rochko

івась тарасик
івась тарасик
• •

@Gargron the difference is: fediverse instances belong (mostly) to communities, whereas f ones belong to a corporation. are you ignoring that fact on purpose?

@mastodonmigration

@Eugen Rochko @Mastodon Migration

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