Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't understand why they have this option. Why would anyone toggle this on?
Maybe to minimize bots scraping your info.
If bluesky ever becomes popular boots will just scrape the firehose directly.
Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
281–290 of 360 posts
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#282Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why we really need some kind of non profit or maybe two "social media" sites made with the public good in mind. One could be officially government sanctioned and funded (sort of like Voice of America but internal to the US more so) and have a strict organisation verification policy for local police / government and other quasi public entities (say like transportation systems and energy companies - etc)
So HTTP and IP
I think if you think that technologies which were around for decades before social media took off are equivalent to social media, then it's actually on you for missing what the difference is.
See HN classics of "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame" and "you can replicate dropbox with webdav"; at some point you have to stop thinking that it's everyone else who is wrong and work out what they want which you're missing, which is convenience.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#283I used Twitter for over 10 years without an account then suddenly in 2022 that was completely disrupted and no longer an option. Reddit is now this way too. But I find it ridiculous that Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. get used by government agencies and local businesses to post announcements and these sites are increasingly if not completely unusable without being logged in (and in some cases requiring an app inst…
There is a browser addon https://github.com/tom-james-watson/old-reddit-redirect to view Old Reddit without an account.
A workaround that will surely be patched in the next site update.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here in the Netherlands, WhatsApp has the defacto communication tool. Everyone is expected to have it installed, not just by friends but also municipals and companies. Same level as having an e-mail address. It's a missed opportunity for the digital soverignty the EU says it so badly needs. The code for a government backed WhatsApp competitor is there, in multiple instances even. Launch a WhatsApp clone and put all g…
The problem is that an EU-mandated digital communicating tool would look like the Minitel. Anyone remembering the French minitel?
I think it was quite good for the 1980s, it just got stuck there.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why we really need some kind of non profit or maybe two "social media" sites made with the public good in mind. One could be officially government sanctioned and funded (sort of like Voice of America but internal to the US more so) and have a strict organisation verification policy for local police / government and other quasi public entities (say like transportation systems and energy companies - etc)
This is Mastodon, and there are instances such as https://ec.social-network.europa.eu .
Exactly, we don't need any more closed silos when there are open options that governments can adopt.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#286Earlier quoted context omitted.
Communications/announcements from the government can easily be posted on the government's website or, if really needed, sent as an SMS
Too expensive, bad idea.
This is how you get the Andy Burnham "don't use disposable BBQs" announcement sent via the emergency system.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cell Broadcast yes, SMS no.
Isnt the one just "mass usage" of the other? Like Cell Broadcast just duplicates the SMS on carrier level?
Nah, Cell Broadcast has a lot less overhead since it does not have to do any routing or delivery confirmation and such. The load does not scale based on recipients which makes it far more reliable during an emergency.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#288Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wholeheartedly agree on every point. I've felt this way for years. It's scandalous. Many companies also rely on socials as their only effective means of customer service. If you have a problem or want to provide feedback but you don't use social media then you are SOL.
Or you sue them and (if they did something wrong) they're SOL. But you won't. And they know you won't. Not even small claims.
...because the overhead of even small claims is bigger than what you can possibly recover in most regular disputes. There needs to be something like a class action for small claims - government regulators where you can submit complaints with evidence to and if enough people complain about a company the government has to look into it.
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#289Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here in the Netherlands, WhatsApp has the defacto communication tool. Everyone is expected to have it installed, not just by friends but also municipals and companies. Same level as having an e-mail address. It's a missed opportunity for the digital soverignty the EU says it so badly needs. The code for a government backed WhatsApp competitor is there, in multiple instances even. Launch a WhatsApp clone and put all g…
I think my main communication is probably the last tool that I want to be government backed tbh.
I think the lessons of 2026 must be:
- the dangers of fascism are very real
- technological choices won't save you from the snatch squads, although grassroots use of tech by communities can help
- fascism is extensively promoted by some corporations and their owners
- a non-captured government that is willing to push back is much better than relying on corporations
- anything headquartered in America is potentially subject to arbitrary sanctions against non-US users
- just because we don't like the solution doesn't mean the problem isn't real (see age verification debate)
Re: Twitter Viewer – View Twitter Without Account
#290I used Twitter for over 10 years without an account then suddenly in 2022 that was completely disrupted and no longer an option. Reddit is now this way too. But I find it ridiculous that Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. get used by government agencies and local businesses to post announcements and these sites are increasingly if not completely unusable without being logged in (and in some cases requiring an app inst…
In the EU, EU-Alert exists. They can push alarms to any phone with that system.
Which is appropriate only for the extremest of extreme situations like an imminent open war our natural catastrophe.