Beware your Paypal and Facebook accounts may be linked without your knowledge

[mark manley]

After deleting my Facebook account a couple of weeks ago I was surprised when I received an email today from Paypal telling me that my agreement with Facebook had been terminated. I first presumed that it was a phishing email trying to get me to log in and get my details but I checked my Paypal account, not using the link provided in the email and found yes the two were linked, something I was unaware of and had not authorised.
Further researched revealed that the two organisations decided on your behalf that the two should be linked and did so presumably burying your agreement somewhere in the small print of updated terms and conditions. I have no idea if this compromises the security of Paypal accounts in any way but either way highlights how tech companies operate without informing you in any meaningful way and reinforced my belief that dumping Facebook was a good move.

[*Touring Ted*]

This kind of thing infuriates me. But we are all so desensitised to it now. It's just expected. It's normal.

I will still use Facebook and Paypal. Because I'm a moron like everyone else.

[backofbeyond]

You could consider joining some far right political group Mark. That way they’ll throw you out.

Strange how utopia and distopia are turning out to be the same thing. I’ve thought for a while it’s part of facebook’s ‘master plan’ to make themselves indispensable so they don’t get dumped when we all get bored posting selfies - remember MySpace etc. If their tendrils are everywhere you’ll have to keep using them. Lots of sites now give you the option to log in with Facebook so the linkage goes deep.

How does it go:

‘We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you want
but you can never leave’.

Yours in paranoia

[mark manley]

Originally Posted by backofbeyond

You could consider joining some far right political group Mark. That way they’ll throw you out.

Strange how utopia and distopia are turning out to be the same thing. I’ve thought for a while it’s part of facebook’s ‘master plan’ to make themselves indispensable so they don’t get dumped when we all get bored posting selfies - remember MySpace etc. If their tendrils are everywhere you’ll have to keep using them. Lots of sites now give you the option to log in with Facebook so the linkage goes deep.

How does it go:

‘We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you want
but you can never leave’.

Yours in paranoia

I have just tried to like your post but the like button isn't working, they must be onto me!

[Threewheelbonnie]

Good luck closing a PayPal account!

My Ebay account was hacked so I closed it. I told PayPal that as they were linked I'd close that too. I fully intended to open new ones with clean details. However, PayPal don't close accounts they suspend them. To close a suspended account you have to reset the password and to do that you need to send documents at the very top of ID theft holy grail lists to said hacked account

Needless to say I reported them to the regulator, got it sorted and didn't open a new one.

Andy

[Tomkat]

Yeah, I deeply dislike paypal for their charges, high handed behaviour and lack of security. But you try using a well known online selling site without it. What I do try to do, however, is avoid cross linking accounts. For example, I will never sign into another application using Facebook.

[Two wheels good]

Originally Posted by *Touring Ted*

This kind of thing infuriates me. But we are all so desensitised to it now. It's just expected. It's normal.

I will still use Facebook and Paypal. Because I'm a moron like everyone else.

Yes, The public is desensitised and assume we have to tolerate it in exchange for the service provided. Google was the first to declare that all this information was no longer private and could be exploited and sold. And they got away with it.

I think public opinion is changing to some extent following the Cambridge Analytical scandal, influencing of election/referendum, illegal funding of Brexit adverts, Zuckerberg refusing to appear before PACs.
I even heard some radio reports about whether smart home devices are eavesdropping. People have a bit more information now.

The thing is that tracking and surveillance is even worse than most people imagine. FB shadow profiles and tracking of people who don't even have a FB account. Google's camera car sucking up Wi-Fi data and passwords and then saying it was a rogue developer.
They try something and see what they can get away with then back-track and re-group with a different approach if people object e.g Google glasses.

The only official body that seems to be confronting them, or beginning to, is the EU. (Not wishing to introduce the dreaded B word topic!)

[Tim Cullis]

Turn off Facebook Platform: How to stop third-party apps from using your Facebook data and protect your privacy

Scroll down to the section, 'How to disable Facebook's app platform altogether'.

https://www.imore.com/how-to-revoke-...pp-permissions

[Tomkat]

Originally Posted by Two wheels good

I even heard some radio reports about whether smart home devices are eavesdropping.

Not only them, any device linked to the internet with a microphone and/or camera. The likes of google and microsoft deny it, but then they would, wouldn't they? If you search anything like "is my phone eavesdropping on me?" the results that come back are quite scary.

[Grant Johnson]

Note that there is no "login with Facebook / Google etc" buttons on HU, and there never will be! Because we agree - way too much connection / collection of personal data. Privacy has always been a major concern for us.

[Jay_Benson]

Originally Posted by Tomkat

Not only them, any device linked to the internet with a microphone and/or camera. The likes of google and microsoft deny it, but then they would, wouldn't they? If you search anything like "is my phone eavesdropping on me?" the results that come back are quite scary.

I read a report in one of the online papers (I think?) where the reporter had talked about learning to speak an unusual language. Within a matter of hours his facebook feed had offers of online language courses popping up. Obviously that was a total coincidence.

[backofbeyond]

My father in law was just talking to us at the weekend about the same thing happening to him recently. I can't remember what it was he said he was interested in but within a few hours adverts for it were showing up on his phone. Nothing you can put your finger on other than coincidence but we're all so suspicious about 'big data', the methods used to collect it and the often dubious uses to which its put these days that even genuine coincidence is seen as targeted.

We were at Sammy Miller's motorcycle museum this afternoon (well worth a visit if you've not been!). They have a large collection of bikes from the 19- teens, 20's 30's etc, many of which came with 'features' as std that would never be allowed these days - carbide lighting, exposed moving engine parts, open chains, gears etc but back then people bought them because that was how things were. Little by little, either through legal requirement or manufacturing refinement, they've gradually been 'safety sanitised'. I suspect we're probably living through the carbide lighting era of the internet, a time when pretty much anything goes. Back then it was 'rider beware' if your tyres blew out. These days it's 'user beware' if your bank account is emptied out (or your DNA profile is sold on or Siri et al report your conversations to advertisers).