Facebook Watches Teens Online As They Prep for College – The Markup
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An investigation by The Markup found Meta’s pixel tracking students from kindergarten to college

An investigation by the media organization The Markup found the pixel by Facebook and Instagram-parent Meta on dozens of popular websites targeting kids from kindergarten to college, including sites that students are all but required to use if they want to participate in school activities or apply to college.

On some level, that’s not a surprise: tracking tools like the pixel are so widespread that intensive tracking is almost the status quo. You could make the argument that these educational sites are “just the same as any other site,” said Marshini Chetty, associate professor of computer science at the University of Chicago.

But dealing with kids raises bigger questions about tracking on the web. “Why is there the Meta Pixel? Why are there session recorders?” she said. “What is the place of that on these sites?”

  • OtterEnglish
    10•8 months ago

    This reminds me of that scene from Winter Soldier (excellent movie and it gets more relevant every year)

    Jasper Sitwell: Zola’s algorithm is a program…for choosing Insight’s targets

    Steve Rogers: What targets?

    Jasper Sitwell: You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who’s a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future.

    Steve Rogers: The Future? How could it know? [Sitwell laughs]

    Jasper Sitwell: How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola’s algorithm evaluates people’s past to predict their future.

    Steve Rogers: And what then?

    Jasper Sitwell: Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me.

    Steve Rogers: What then?!

    Jasper Sitwell: Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time.

    • Spaghetti_Hitchens
      5•7 months ago

      People seem to give the most praise to Infinity War and End Game, but I contend Winter Soldier and Civil War are peak MCU

      • OtterEnglish
        4•7 months ago

        It’s one of my favourites for sure

        I loved the one big scene in Endgame, but all of Winter Soldier was great