Facebook wasn't really hiding this. It's there in plain sight for those that download their data (as shown in the article).

Not emphasized in the article is that this was possible on Android and not on iOS.

One interesting takeaway:

"Last week, acting on a tip, we logged into Facebook’s automated ad system to see if “Jew hater” was really an ad category. We found it, but discovered that the category — with only 2,274 people in it — was too small for Facebook to allow us to buy an ad pegged only to Jew haters.

Facebook’s automated system suggested “Second Amendment” as an additional category that would boost our audience size to 119,000 people, presumably because its system had correlated gun enthusiasts with anti-Semites."

Interesting correlation. This is based on data mined from a gigantic sample size. If the system says there's a correlation it's because there is, not because it's inferred by a person. Make whatever conclusions you want to make. None are good.

This is interesting in several fronts. First of all, Facebook shouldn't try to present a business move as an altruistic move. It's hypocritical and reminds me too much of a different Internet company. But the net neutrality aspect is also important. It's very dangerous to make a single company the gatekeeper of speech and communications, which is what the Internet serves as a platform for.

Very interesting article. One question is unanswered: A few years ago Google decided that Facebook was a huge threat and Google+ was their top priority. Today, that failed miserably yet Google looks as healthy as ever. Do they no longer perceive Facebook and "social" as such as big threat?

I've been struggling trying to come up with a reliable way of automatically posting links I share on Delicious on my Facebook wall. Delicious people suggested IFTTT. If this shows up on Facebook, then it worked.

IFTTT is a very cool tool for automatic stuff on the internet. You should check it out.

Signs you've lost the war: #hi5 social network let's you login using your #facebook account. http://t.co/srcQwbvq

Asking computer nerds to design social software is a little bit like hiring a Mormon bartender.

Ouch.

Very interesting details on the very beginning of Facebook. To me Facebook is a shady, douche-like entity trying to violate your privacy as much as possible without getting into too much trouble. They keep testing the boundaries to see how far they can get. Unsurprisingly, looks like the ethics for the website come directly from the original founder.

I've been spammed by some of my Facebook friends. They send you a message about some video, you click to see it and are taken to yuotube.com (yes, misspelled). There they tell you that you need a new version of Flash and prompt you to download. That, my friends, is the virus. I can see a lot of people falling from it. Virus writers are clever.