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All Facebook Portal (Webcam) Systems On Sale

  • Last Updated:
  • Dec 22nd, 2019 9:28 am
Sr. Member
Nov 25, 2009
795 posts
461 upvotes
Vancouver
Company gave me a FB Portal for free, I have it and never use it.

I'd imagine my mom to have use for it though, I will consider giving it to her...
Deal Addict
May 18, 2007
2201 posts
1490 upvotes
GB9797 wrote: Do yourself a favor. Log into fb and delete all your content/info till its blank. Unfortunately youll have to delete things one by one because fb doesnt want you deleting anything. I knew it would take long so i did it at work, took me about 3 weeks (20hrs) at work to completely delete everything. Since then my life has improved significantly. Fb = cancer
Forgive the following sidetracking of the OP.

@GB9797 , if you're privacy conscious and kept up with the revelations of how most companies manage their data, you most likely are aware that user activated data deletions generally result in data fields merely marked as "deleted" or "inactive" in the central database. Companies are only legally obliged to delete data as mandated by the government's data retention rules. If you want companies to actually delete your data, you'll have better luck talking to your government reps.
:arrowl: Thanks if Helped! :D
Sr. Member
May 29, 2017
649 posts
507 upvotes
coryboehm wrote: Yet these forums are all over the Google Nest Home Hub deal at Staples. Google is the same company the FTC and DOJ investigation on this week over privacy concerns, and that is under the current "hands off" administration of the United States.

Regardless of which way you turn online someone is violating your privacy. At least to use this you give up minimal information when it isn't in use (just your phone number). Heck Google or Apple already has more than that information on file on you from just your phone.
At least Google and Amazon never interfered with elections and allowed a third party to mess with your aunt's subconscious through their platform. They're all guilty but one was clearly far worst than the rest.
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User avatar
Nov 16, 2004
26683 posts
15290 upvotes
Toronto
Btw the portal TV unit allows you to cover the monitor and mute the mic

I'm looking to get Portal so my son can video chat on the television screen with his grandparents. Trying to think of a way around it without spending $200 (cast screen?) but a sale would help.
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User avatar
Nov 16, 2004
26683 posts
15290 upvotes
Toronto
sacthegreat666 wrote: I bought it from Facebook directly. It came in a week, but they charge NO TAX!!! So maybe that would be a better deal!

I have the portal TV and it works well for video calls to track my 2 year old who keeps running.
And I have connected the portal to a smart plug - which I can switch off whenever I am not using portal.
I like that idea, thanks for the suggestions

No Tax directly from Facebook
Portal TV
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User avatar
Jan 22, 2008
4175 posts
1483 upvotes
Calgary
My mom loves this. I got her the 15.6 version and she uses Messenger a lot so I was certain she will love this.
Newbie
Dec 14, 2017
60 posts
65 upvotes
Jeeverz wrote: I don't really trust Google/Nest but I live with it, I don't trust Amazon/RING/Echo one bit... but most of all I would never ever ever trust FB even if my life depended on it.

NOPE.
Why exactly? I hear this sentiment a lot (or similar) but never really a good explanation as to why. What does FB do with your data (that Google doesn't) that makes such a big difference.
Banned
Aug 11, 2018
996 posts
928 upvotes
Not only do I not trust Facebook, I think people that use Facebook (outside of old ppl trying to connect with lost relatives and friends), are a bunch of clowns.

I logged into Facebook a few months ago to download all my photos/videos and I scrolled through the feed and it’s just the dumbest posts:

“Omg I am SOOOOO grateful for all my friends, thank you SO SOOOO MUCH for making my birthday AMAZING”

This is what a 30 year old wrote. It’s so cringe but clearly for attention as she had an additional 50 comments saying “happy birthday beautiful” from a bunch of men who have no chance with her.
Newbie
Dec 14, 2017
60 posts
65 upvotes
codex119 wrote: At least Google and Amazon never interfered with elections and allowed a third party to mess with your aunt's subconscious through their platform. They're all guilty but one was clearly far worst than the rest.
YouTube was absolutely abused to spread political messages. Same as FB/Twitter/Reddit. Their algos are easier to abuse and it's much easier to get seen by your intended audience, even without microtargetting tools for ads. Google also still took political ad money and allowed targetting based on political stance as well (not to the same level as FB's microtargetting though).

Obviously FB has a massive amount of room for improvement, but to say Google's tools weren't leveraged is straight up wrong.
Jr. Member
Dec 2, 2012
181 posts
206 upvotes
codex119 wrote: At least Google and Amazon never interfered with elections and allowed a third party to mess with your aunt's subconscious through their platform. They're all guilty but one was clearly far worst than the rest.
Google absolutely did all those things. Every notice how Google seems to know what you are searching for before you even type the search in? I also have an Android phone with Google assistant turned off and other privacy related settings set to max. I do not have any other Google products yet it sure seems like Google has a hot mic listening to me and those search suggestions seem to highly match in person conversations I am having.

Amazon is definitely up to some shady stuff too. They have needed to publicly confirm that they have actual humans listening to the Alexa systems to "improve responses". They also use fairly aggressive cookies to track everywhere you go on the Internet.

At least Facebook is mostly limited in scope to its own platform and how you interact with it. As I have said before if you are concerned about your privacy you would be staying completely offline, using only pen and paper for notes, etc. Buying your research materials in hard copy with cash, etc.

In the current society it is more a question of what level of privacy you are willing to give up. Also if your political vote is that easily swayed that some sock pockets can push you around you have bigger issues to deal with.
DaVibe wrote: Btw the portal TV unit allows you to cover the monitor and mute the mic

I'm looking to get Portal so my son can video chat on the television screen with his grandparents. Trying to think of a way around it without spending $200 (cast screen?) but a sale would help.
Think of it this way, the Portal TV is a fairly good webcam at the $129 price with support for motion tracking. As others has suggested cover the lens, mute the mic and disconnect it from power when not in use. Not really any different that any other connected camera/mic setup out there.
Pandamonger wrote: Why exactly? I hear this sentiment a lot (or similar) but never really a good explanation as to why. What does FB do with your data (that Google doesn't) that makes such a big difference.
All the big companies are monetizing your data in some way. To say that one is significant worse than the others is just being plan ignorant for the facts. Think about this Google owns YouTube and setup GMAIL to basically harvest data from your emails for marketing purposes.

As I have said they are all shady and there is no escaping that. If you care about privacy so much you want to trash one company on this thread go right now and disconnect your internet connection permanently instead.
Member
User avatar
Dec 9, 2014
244 posts
219 upvotes
Pandamonger wrote: Why exactly? I hear this sentiment a lot (or similar) but never really a good explanation as to why. What does FB do with your data (that Google doesn't) that makes such a big difference.
Bad PR, so Facebook inadvertently acts as a tech-industry scapegoat, but also armchair activism, because truly caring would mean eschewing Microsoft, Amazon, Google and all the other bad players, which in turn would be inconvenient and would provide no more self-gratification than virtue signalling against Zuckerberg's soul grinder. This deal is fine in and of itself for those that don't care about or have abandoned any sort of stand against the panopticon, but it's getting downvotes because many need to reinforce their self-imposed illusions (or should that be delusions) with regards to privacy and identity ownership. Same mentality of token action that we're all guilty of, you and I included, and which plagues environmentalism, human exploitation, politics and all other fundamentally human issues.
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User avatar
Nov 23, 2008
4018 posts
2517 upvotes
Halifax
blackston3 wrote: No Facebook
No DNA genealogy service

I see those two, I hard pass
The DNA genealogy service is not for you, the DNA genealogy service is for your stupidest family member. Once it is in the database, your DNA will be compared to this database, and you lose anyway.

I would like to get a DNA genealogy service for the lols. Use a pet for the swab sample, and see the results.
Sr. Member
May 29, 2017
649 posts
507 upvotes
Pandamonger wrote: YouTube was absolutely abused to spread political messages. Same as FB/Twitter/Reddit. Their algos are easier to abuse and it's much easier to get seen by your intended audience, even without microtargetting tools for ads. Google also still took political ad money and allowed targetting based on political stance as well (not to the same level as FB's microtargetting though).

Obviously FB has a massive amount of room for improvement, but to say Google's tools weren't leveraged is straight up wrong.
People trying to abuse a website's algorithm is very different than FB deliberately allowing cambridge analytica to access FB user's private data and conduct high level of social engineering and psychological manipulation on them. Not to mention the manifestation and funding of of fake news with their full knowledge.

FB were partners in crime, and that's a big difference.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Nov 16, 2004
26683 posts
15290 upvotes
Toronto
Any deals on 2 anymore? I guess they ended that when the price dropped.

I'm guessing there might be sales after the holidays ... Mid-2020 but I don't want to wait that long.
Unplugging the unit for the paranoia seems fine to me.
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Jr. Member
Dec 2, 2012
181 posts
206 upvotes
DaVibe wrote: Any deals on 2 anymore? I guess they ended that when the price dropped.

I'm guessing there might be sales after the holidays ... Mid-2020 but I don't want to wait that long.
Unplugging the unit for the paranoia seems fine to me.
If the comments on this thread are a strong indicator I think Portal as a product line might get completely canned after the holiday season.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Nov 16, 2004
26683 posts
15290 upvotes
Toronto
coryboehm wrote: If the comments on this thread are a strong indicator I think Portal as a product line might get completely canned after the holiday season.
Maybe, but they may have sold a lot as well with the commercials featuring the Muppets in heavy rotation.
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Sr. Member
Feb 20, 2006
700 posts
568 upvotes
I don't think the current market can support more than 2 players in this area. Only Amazon and Google will survive in this smart home industry.
Sr. Member
May 29, 2017
649 posts
507 upvotes
coryboehm wrote: Google absolutely did all those things. Every notice how Google seems to know what you are searching for before you even type the search in? I also have an Android phone with Google assistant turned off and other privacy related settings set to max. I do not have any other Google products yet it sure seems like Google has a hot mic listening to me and those search suggestions seem to highly match in person conversations I am having.

Amazon is definitely up to some shady stuff too. They have needed to publicly confirm that they have actual humans listening to the Alexa systems to "improve responses". They also use fairly aggressive cookies to track everywhere you go on the Internet.

At least Facebook is mostly limited in scope to its own platform and how you interact with it. As I have said before if you are concerned about your privacy you would be staying completely offline, using only pen and paper for notes, etc. Buying your research materials in hard copy with cash, etc.

In the current society it is more a question of what level of privacy you are willing to give up. Also if your political vote is that easily swayed that some sock pockets can push you around you have bigger issues to deal with.
In google's case its used for commercial ads from what is known. FB on the other hand where using it for much worst.

And FB monitoring isn't limited in scope to its own platform unfortunately, the cookies that their website installs on your browser was found to have been monitoring all of your web activity outside of FB. Not to mention that their apps (Insta, Whatsapp, and Messenger) are suspected of monitoring your phone's mic/cam along with your phone activity.

I am not here to defend google or anything, but there's a clear distinction that FB are absolutely evil compared to the rest.
Sr. Member
May 29, 2017
649 posts
507 upvotes
craigsatchison wrote: Are you just going to ignore the post with the video of the Google Executive directly saying they manipulated election results and are working to make sure they do it again in 2020?
You posted a link for WSJ with a news that has nothing to do with election manipulation or misuse use of personal data, a link to a tabloid with an out of context quotes made to seem other than what they meant, and finally a link to a fake news website as if you couldn't top the tabloid with something more stupid.

I could clearly sense the intention to turn this into a whataboutism and left vs right wing crap from that post.

I don't care about your conspiracy theories and this is not about left vs right crap. Go cry about how the media is "unfair" to Trump and him being impeached somewhere else.

Good day boomer.
Sr. Member
May 29, 2017
649 posts
507 upvotes
craigsatchison wrote: I suppose that a video of a Google Executive is 'fake" sure. To which, the executive spoke out about the video and tried to backpedal: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9373135/g ... tion-2020/

You're the problem with the misinformed world. You can't accept something visible right before your eyes.

Also I'm in my twenties, far from a 'boomer'.
In the video she says they want to make sure that what happened in the 2016 election does not happen again. Your tabloid and fake news links were trying to make it seem that she said they are trying to stop your boy from being reelected. There's a big difference between the two and it's clear to anyone with a brain.

Sure bud I'm the problem, cause nothing says that you have an argument for whatever you're saying like telling the other person "You're the problem".

Again, I don't care about your conspiracy theories and left vs right crap, go cry about Trump somewhere else.

And by the way, boomer is a mentality, bye.

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