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Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

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Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#101

Post by semitones »

justbored123 wrote: post #91

So, the author is surprised that a private business doesn't let him use their free platform to promote their competition at the same time that they trash them... The level of delusion and entitlement of some people is simply to hard to understand for me.

Facebook isn't just a "private business" or just a "free platform", they're a gigantic global entity that have integrated their product into the lives of billions of people.

If it was a free service by a mom and pop shop with "use at your own risk" in the agreement, then yes, it would be entitlement.

However, there exist people, for whom 90% of their communication happens via Facebook or social media. And it's not even by choice, kids are born into it being the status quo, and if 100% of your friends are using it while you're growing up, chances that you won't use it too are slim to none.

Thus, the company needs to hold responsibility for providing open communication. Censoring posts about their competitors goes against that.

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#102

Post by smolder »

spoonjim wrote: post #92
stncls wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, Facebook's upper management is definitely not freaking out about Mastodon. However, from my own experience working at a large, somewhat ethically-challenged organisation (not fb), it would not surprise me in the least if they gently yet actively pushed down a competitor, provided it can be done discreetly.

Mastodon is a “competitor” to Facebook the way a grandma doing middle school tutoring in her backyard is a competitor to Harvard.

Yes, of course, at least now. Yet, it does present a non-negligible risk, in the same way that some startups can become unicorns, or some college kids web project can become a global giant.

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#104

Post by amelius »

Here's an idea. If everybody who dislikes Facebook removed their profile picture, then it would quickly become a dull place and people would flee the platform.

Alternatively, instead of removing one's profile picture, one could replace it by the Mastodon logo to make a statement.

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#105

Post by Lio »

spoonjim wrote: post #92
stncls wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, Facebook's upper management is definitely not freaking out about Mastodon. However, from my own experience working at a large, somewhat ethically-challenged organisation (not fb), it would not surprise me in the least if they gently yet actively pushed down a competitor, provided it can be done discreetly.

Mastodon is a “competitor” to Facebook the way a grandma doing middle school tutoring in her backyard is a competitor to Harvard.

If that were so, why censor mentions of it?

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#106

Post by yaacov »

flatline wrote: post #93
whimsicalism wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doubt it, not worth the liabillity risk.

What liability? A few million dollar fine? Look at what Microsoft did to numerous competitors over decades: Borland, Mozilla, etc. FB squelching Mastodon is minor league.

Yes, Microsoft has famously never had any major issues with antitrust

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#107

Post by utunga »

I've been censored in the exact same way for linking a friend to relevant government legislation. I think it's a combination of the tone / wording coupled with something about my posting behavior (I took a break for a while then came back). I dunno but it was annoying as heck (though somewhat understandable) that there was no way to appeal.

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#108

Post by whoknowswhat11 »

Imnimo wrote: post #8

I doubt anyone at Facebook is freaking out about Mastodon and setting out to censor all mention of it. It's probably just a keyword or link that tends to co-appear with other, actually rule-breaking content, and some automated system has learned to block it. Still, it does seem like the sort of thing that could get Facebook in trouble with a regulator if you squint at it.

What is the violation? I'm serious. If I post a link to a target product page on walmart it will be taken down. I'm sure amazon does the same. Do business have to allow you to promote their competitors?

Such a weird thing for regulators to be chasing - there seems to be so many more obvious issues than this. Is this a political winner - in other words, does the average person think I can put of Burger King flyers in a McDonalds store?

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#109

Post by Eighth »

whoknowswhat11 wrote: post #108
Imnimo wrote: post #8

I doubt anyone at Facebook is freaking out about Mastodon and setting out to censor all mention of it. It's probably just a keyword or link that tends to co-appear with other, actually rule-breaking content, and some automated system has learned to block it. Still, it does seem like the sort of thing that could get Facebook in trouble with a regulator if you squint at it.

What is the violation? I'm serious. If I post a link to a target product page on walmart it will be taken down. I'm sure amazon does the same. Do business have to allow you to promote their competitors? Such a weird thing for regulators to be chasing - there seems to be so many more obvious issues than this. Is this a political winner - in other words, does the average person think I can put of Burger King flyers in…

Sounds anti-competitive in the UK. Using dominant market power to censor.

Re: Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon

#110

Post by loeg »

whoknowswhat11 wrote: post #108
Imnimo wrote: post #8

I doubt anyone at Facebook is freaking out about Mastodon and setting out to censor all mention of it. It's probably just a keyword or link that tends to co-appear with other, actually rule-breaking content, and some automated system has learned to block it. Still, it does seem like the sort of thing that could get Facebook in trouble with a regulator if you squint at it.

What is the violation? I'm serious. If I post a link to a target product page on walmart it will be taken down. I'm sure amazon does the same. Do business have to allow you to promote their competitors? Such a weird thing for regulators to be chasing - there seems to be so many more obvious issues than this. Is this a political winner - in other words, does the average person think I can put of Burger King flyers in…

I doubt Facebook even thinks of Mastodon as a competitor.
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