[kelnage]

I believe FB is being purposely disingenuous with its statement there - using the language of user privacy and security to protect itself from third-party academic research.

The authorisation it talks about here is not the users - it’s their authorisation. The privacy concerns are the advertisers (yes, really - they claimed at one point some adverts include names and contact details for the advertiser, and hence constitute private information). That’s why they say “people’s privacy” without explicitly identifying the people they are protecting.

[paulryanrogers]

> they claimed at one point some adverts include names and contact details for the advertiser, and hence constitute private information

So if Facebook allowed ads do contain PII haven't their privacy protections already failed? And if advertisers are allowed to include PII by design then it cannot really be private. If it is private then surely users whom the ad targets have a right to record their experience.