The scourge of Facebook

[Gregjam]

Success, found that Thai had somehow appeared in the section for languages I don’t want a translation for. I am using an iPhone and it does weird things at times. While sorting this out my Lazada app started to use Thai headings but has since reverted to English again. I like IOS but am never really sure what it is doing in the background.

[Big Boy]

I've experienced exactly the same problem this evening, so I guess my Facebook has just been improved. Your solution worked a treat - thank you.

[PeteC]

The next time you open FB you'll get a poster telling your about "META" new privacy terms and conditions. I didn't read it as a waste of my time. I'm sure it leans towards their benefit rather than their users. None of these companies would really announce anything that wasn't for their benefit. F them all.

[buksida]

FTC Seeks to Quash Meta’s Metaverse Monopoly as Income Slumps
On July 27, the FTC alleged that Meta, formerly Facebook, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg are attempting an Illegal acquisition to expand its Metaverse empire.

The social media giant is aiming to buy virtual reality firm Within, including its popular VR fitness app, Supernatural.

The complaint was filed in the Northern District of California, accusing Meta of already having a monopoly in the virtual reality sector with the top-selling device (Oculus), a leading app store, seven of the most successful developers, and one of the best-selling apps of all time.

The agency alleged that Meta (META) is trying to illegally buy the fitness app to “prove the value of virtual reality to users.”

FTC Bureau of Competition Deputy Director John Newman said, “Instead of competing on the merits, Meta is trying to buy its way to the top.”

Meta is already the largest provider of virtual reality devices and apps in the United States. In 2014, Zuckerberg and the company bought VR hardware startup Oculus for $2 billion. It has since expanded that empire to include the leading app marketplace, Quest Store, with 400 apps.

The Meta CEO said the company needed to be “completely ubiquitous in killer apps” in an email to executives. The firm has also gobbled up seven of the largest virtual reality studios, including Beat Games studio giving it control of the wildly popular app Beat Saber, a VR rhythm game.

The complaint hinges on the premise that Meta would instead buy out its competition rather than develop its own product to compete with them and offer greater choice for consumers.

“If consummated, the acquisition would substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly,” read the complaint, which stated that it would violate antitrust laws.

https://www.fxempire.com/news/article/f ... ps-1078209

[PeteC]

FB's made some changes to their layout recently, and I notice some people on different groups saying that their worst gripe are the ads that they are apparently seeing. I've used the below for a long time, and I've never seen an ad of any kind on FB pages that I visit. It's installed on Firefox, but I believe it can be downloaded for any browser. It's free.

phpr96YO2PM.jpg (28.8 KiB) Viewed 21100 times

[buksida]

Fakery and fraud: Energy scammers cast 'wide net' on Facebook
A Filipino consumer fumes as she rips open a portable charger to discover she has been conned -- the batteries are choked with sand, making her yet another victim of scammers on Facebook.

AFP's fact checkers have uncovered a slew of energy-related scams proliferating on Facebook -- from fake solar panel incentives in the United States to hoax electric bike giveaways in Indonesia and the sale of dud devices in the Philippines.

And the trend underscores how fraudsters worldwide profit off disinformation, casting a wide net across social media users, many of whom take the bait amid a cost of living crisis and high utility and energy costs.

"What they did was awful," the 24-year-old Filipino, Brenilyn Ayachock, vented in an online video that showed sand pouring out of the power bank as she opened it with a knife.

"We were expecting a good product, but this is what they sent us."

Ayachock made the purchase on what appeared to be the Facebook page of a legitimate energy device retailer, with "special offers" and "flash sales" alongside environment-friendly messages such as "turn off unnecessary lights."

The page stopped responding to her, Ayachock said, after she bought the device for 1,500 pesos ($28), a small fortune at a time of galloping inflation.

She immediately reported the page to Facebook, but it was still active as of this week.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/25017 ... n-facebook

FB seems to be encouraging these scammers by taking payment from them and allowing them to advertise.

[pitsch]

I got a lot of ads on Facebook for side jobs earning 1500-4000 baht a day. So first I made a google search with this result: "Scam Warning
We have been made aware of a new scam, where individuals are lured to sign-up for part-time jobs on eCommerce platforms. These “jobs” entice victims with a daily salary of S$300 to S$500, and require victims to send money to a bank account before being reimbursed. The scammer then becomes uncontactable upon receiving the money.
We advise consumers not to fall prey to dubious job offers promising lucrative returns, and any unsolicited job offers referencing Lazada or a Lazada affiliate programme. Avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers off the Lazada platform, and never share your bank account details with anyone."
But I was still curious how it works in detail. So I contacted a George via messenger. He told me:
"The work I am doing now is a third-party platform that lazada cooperates with. It is mainly responsible for helping e-commerce merchants increase product sales and increase store traffic.
The part-time job doesn't require you to spend any money, I will pay the principal, and your job is to help me do tasks and submit orders. If you have spare time, you can do it on your mobile phone or computer. It will not be complicated. It takes about half an hour every day."

I had to go to a very professional looking website and register an account. Then George gave me another account that I had to log into and click the SUBMIT button 60 times. This earned me 400 baht on the first day, 1000 baht on the second day and 1700 baht on the third day. So I had more than 3000 baht, the minimum that I could transfer to my account. But before that I had to click SEND 60 times in my account. After about 30 clicks, I got a message that this is an order whose amount exceeds my account (more than 3100 baht). George told me I need to fund my account (SEND MONEY!!!) and then I can withdraw the full amount. When I sent him this scam alert, I never heard from him again.

[dtaai-maai]

Rule of thumb: if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true...

[buksida]

Most of what you find on Farcebook these days are scams and spam - especially anything that says you can make money. They pay Facebook to be there so the company is effectively assisting scammers and cybercriminals.

[buksida]

This explains a lot ... and I guess Tiktok is as much of a scourge as Farcebook ...

According to the 2023 Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Thai online users now prefer watching their news on social media rather than reading it, and their favorite platform for news content is TikTok.

The report, which is based on data from six continents and 46 markets, explains that younger populations in many Asian countries, along with the availability of cheap mobile data and widespread access to video news on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, contribute to this trend.

Furthermore, the report reveals that across markets, only around a fifth of respondents (22%) now state a preference for starting their news journeys with a website or an application, down from 32% in 2018.

While Facebook's influence on journalism is declining, TikTok is gaining ground.

355148995_688964409908150_7790493781317256539_n.jpg (66.17 KiB) Viewed 20831 times

Source: Thai Enquirer

[caller]

For Countries like Thailand, I'm not sure that is a surprise, considering the poor state, not to mention state control, of most mainstream media. Anyone checked out the Bkk Post since the election?

[buksida]

Oh dear, Farcebook is launching a Twitter competitor that also consumes and harvests all of its users' data.

META LOOKS TO TARGET TWITTER WITH A RIVAL APP CALLED THREADS
Meta is poised to unveil a new app Threads that appears to mimic Twitter — a direct challenge to the social media platform owned by Elon Musk.

A listing for the app, called Threads, appeared on Apple’s App Store, indicating it would debut as early as Thursday. It is billed as a “text-based conversation app” that is linked to Instagram, with the listing teasing a Twitter-like microblogging experience.

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” it said.

Instagram users will be able to keep their user names and follow the same accounts on the new app, according to screenshots displayed on the App Store listing. Meta declined to comment on the app.

Musk replied “yeah” to a tweet from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey saying, “All your Threads are belong to us,” along with a screenshot from the App Store’s privacy section showing what personal information might be collected by the new Meta app.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/net/2023 ... d-threads/

[Dannie Boy]

I’m just glad that I’m of an age where none of these platforms are of the slightest interest to me - I’m sure Lost will be signing up though!!

[Lost]

I’m just glad that I’m of an age where none of these platforms are of the slightest interest to me - I’m sure Lost will be signing up though!!

Nope, you need an Instagram account to sign up. That's a step too far for even me.

[buksida]

Thailand threatens Facebook with legal action over alleged scams
Thailand's digital minister plans to ask a court to shut down Meta Platforms' Facebook (META.O) in Southeast Asia's second largest economy unless it takes action over scams that have affected more than 200,000 people, he said on Monday.

"We are asking the court to close Facebook, not allowing it to provide services in Thailand if they let these fake pages scam people," Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn told Reuters.

In a statement, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society said it had made repeated requests for advertisements it had identified as scams to be taken down by Facebook but the problem persisted and it would seek court intervention.

Meta did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Ministry spokesperson Wetang Phuangsup told Reuters officials were currently gathering evidence of wrongdoing by Facebook that would be presented before court.

"If there is a lot of wrongdoing, the court could close down pages and accounts. Or the court could close the entire platform," he said.

The ministry said scams perpetrated on Facebook included luring users to invest in fake companies, faking government bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and trading in digital currencies.

"They can't do business like this," Chaiwut said.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/face ... 023-08-21/

Well, that's a rare fairplay to the Thai govt.