According to Facebook you are not allowed to read this post, so beware.

zom · 27-10-2012 07:48PM #1

Facebook Investigating How Bulgarian Man Bought 1.1 Million Users' Email Addresses For Five Dollars:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/10/25/facebook-investigating-how-bulgarian-man-bought-1-1-million-users-email-addresses-for-five-dollars/

http://talkweb.eu/

Think twice before you put any of your personal details on internet!!

MagicMarker · 27-10-2012 07:53PM

OMG, I'm going to have to move.

squod · 27-10-2012 07:53PM

According to facebook I look ten years younger than I am and I have a charming disposition and witty sense of humour.

EDDIE WATERS · 27-10-2012 07:54PM

Like this if you want cancer to be cured

Rosedust84 · 27-10-2012 07:55PM

He looks like a stalker alright

BillyMitchel · 27-10-2012 08:14PM

Is there not a Facebook thread for this crap?

Pottler · 27-10-2012 08:53PM

"Bulgarian Man" - sounds innocent, sure them Bulgars are lovely. He probably just wants to send out "greetings from sunny Bulgaria" or somthing. Lucky it's not some country famous for having a huge Mafia or anything!!

jd007 · 27-10-2012 08:56PM

Pottler wrote: »

"Bulgarian Man" - sounds innocent, sure them Bulgars are lovely. He probably just wants to send out "greetings from sunny Bulgaria" or somthing. Lucky it's not some country famous for having a huge Mafia or anything!!

thank fcuk it wasn't one of them nigerian princes.

Albedo0.39 · 27-10-2012 08:58PM

What does "scraping " data mean?

Pottler · 27-10-2012 09:13PM

Albedo0.39 wrote: »

What does "scraping " data mean?

They take out all the copper and burn the rest, it makes good money in the far east. 3.50 a kilo, apparently.

af_thefragile · 27-10-2012 09:16PM

Well I closed my facebook account years ago and I haven't regretted that once!

batistuta9 · 27-10-2012 09:18PM

Albedo0.39 wrote: »

What does "scraping " data mean?

using a program to take data (the email addresses in this case) off the webpage basically.

Tombi! · 27-10-2012 09:21PM

Well today I learned that the UK, Canada, America and Europe are all countries.
Thanks Forbes.

Albedo0.39 · 27-10-2012 09:22PM

batistuta9 wrote: »

using a program to take data (the email addresses in this case) off the webpage basically.

Thanks.

MadsL · 27-10-2012 09:25PM

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

Well today I learned that the UK, Canada, America and Europe are all countries.
Thanks Forbes.

According to the seller of the information, a Gigbucks user with the handle “mertem,” the data was collected from Facebook applications.”The information in this list has been collected through our Facebook apps and consists only of active Facebook users, mostly from the US, Canada, UK and Europe,” reads the Gigbucks post. “Whether you are offering a Facebook, Twitter, social media related or otherwise a general product or service, this list has a great potential for you.”

biko · 27-10-2012 09:25PM

meh

Tombi! · 27-10-2012 09:31PM

MadsL wrote: »

UK is in Europe; it's just another example of idiots thinking that Europe is a country and/or the UK is somehow not part of Europe.

mbur · 27-10-2012 10:44PM

Thanks OP. posts like that one make this god frsaken place worth the effort wonderful place even better. Its well to recognise that this story is just a marker for the incredible digital intrusion that is going on everywhere.

As we put personal information online, purchases, opinions, 'likes', whatever, the scope for misuse of that information is increasing beyond our wildest dreams.. On the internet, information is currency.

UCDVet · 27-10-2012 11:07PM

You can buy large quantities of all sorts of information - including bank information/credit card numbers - for a few bitcoin.

Spend an hour looking for it on private Tor nodes (or whatever they are called). It's disturbing what's out there.

OnTheCounter · 27-10-2012 11:07PM

If I knew where to buy that many active email address for $5 I would.

Apart from it being terrible PR from a company would there be any other issues facing a company who uses these email addresses considering how they were sourced?

batistuta9 · 27-10-2012 11:38PM

OnTheCounter wrote: »

If I knew where to buy that many active email address for $5 I would.

Apart from it being terrible PR from a company would there be any other issues facing a company who uses these email addresses considering how they were sourced?

i'm not 100% sure, it probably depends on the jurisdiction you're in

though those email addr. seem to have been gotten by the apps people signed upto, so when using the app for the first time they may have agreed to let the app pass their data on to third parties or something similar (whether selling it's allowed by FB's T&C for having an app on the site i don't know)

According to Facebook you are not allowed to read this post, so beware.

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