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Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

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Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#71

Post by betterunix »

patrickaljord wrote: post #60
yuvadam wrote: post #41

The privatized 'public' space makes an inevitable move. Facebook can no longer stake any preposterous claim to "help people connect better". It is a business entity - always has been - and does not give half a damn about "making the world a better place", or whatever corporate marketing catchphrase they use right now. Related to recent events or not, the privatized internet is continuing to backlash with severe conse…

> Facebook can no longer stake any preposterous claim to "help people connect better". Why not? Facebook does help billions of people connect better. Yes, it is a business entity and what's wrong with that? Does this make it inherently evil? Do non business entity do a better job at "making the world a better place"? Look at the latest NSA scandal to get an idea. At least we're not forced to pay Facebook with our tax…

Yes, however will Facebook fight spam without blocking Tor...

http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#73

Post by cpncrunch »

eli wrote: post #20
mooism2 wrote: post #3

Has anybody tried asking Facebook why they've done this? Possible reasons: 1. One or more governments (which ones?) have told Facebook to block Tor or else. (Or else what?) 2. A manual security review revealed more hacking attempts via Tor than legitimate use, so Facebook decided to block Tor. 3. After a sustained hacking attack via Tor, an automated Facebook security system automatically blocked Facebook access from…

Option 2 or 3 seem pretty likely. I'm pretty sure wikipedia blocks edits from Tor IPs because a huge number of them are malicious.

Yes, and we block tor as well for this reason. It's mainly used by spammers and trolls on our site. Unfortunately tor doesn't/can't do anything about its spam problem (unlike hidemyass who will kick off trolls). This means it's pretty much useless for anyone wanting to use it legitimately because eventually some asshole will get you blocked.

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#74

Post by hammerzeit »

yuvadam wrote: post #41

The privatized 'public' space makes an inevitable move. Facebook can no longer stake any preposterous claim to "help people connect better". It is a business entity - always has been - and does not give half a damn about "making the world a better place", or whatever corporate marketing catchphrase they use right now. Related to recent events or not, the privatized internet is continuing to backlash with severe conse…

Can you elaborate on a few of your claims here?

First, you seem to imply that a privately-owned public space is a bad thing. What alternatives do you envision? Wouldn't a space regulated and controlled by governmental entities or NGOs be just as liable to abuse?

Second, when you speak about "Facebook," what do you mean? Do you mean that the people who work there don't care about helping people connecting there? That Mark Zuckerberg personally doesn't care? Or that the corporate entity of Facebook has some sort of conscious will of its own separate from the will of its employees?

Third, you seem to imply there's an obvious reason why Facebook blocked TOR that furthers their business interests. Can you elaborate on what that is?

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#75

Post by lambada »

untog wrote: post #68
wyck wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're missing the point TOR isn't about encryption, it's about anonymity. If you're in a situation which can threaten your life, the latter is clearly more important.

But in that context, using Tor to sign into Facebook kind of removes that 'anonymity' angle.

Yes, unless the Facebook account has only ever been accessed via Tor, and the personal information (name, age etc) faked.

I'm unsure if Facebook blocked signups from Tor however.

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#76

Post by paganel »

adventured wrote: post #63
yuvadam wrote: post #41

The privatized 'public' space makes an inevitable move. Facebook can no longer stake any preposterous claim to "help people connect better". It is a business entity - always has been - and does not give half a damn about "making the world a better place", or whatever corporate marketing catchphrase they use right now. Related to recent events or not, the privatized internet is continuing to backlash with severe conse…

It's a lot more than just a business entity, unfortunately. The government tends to look out for and protect its biggest corporate partners, particularly those that play a strategic role (think: Boeing). The major Internet services companies are now protected government sponsored entities, just like Verizon and AT&T. The Feds can never risk the potential that the massive orgy of data that Facebook makes possible - bo…

> just like Verizon and AT&T.

As an European I never understood what is the "strategic" interest of Washington to protect the telecom companies. This might have made sense 20 years ago, but now that these companies tend to become like any other utility companies I don't see why the Government would care if they break up or if new (possibly foreign) competitors appear.

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#77

Post by unreal37 »

yuvadam wrote: post #66
patrickaljord wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Facebook can no longer stake any preposterous claim to "help people connect better". Why not? Facebook does help billions of people connect better. Yes, it is a business entity and what's wrong with that? Does this make it inherently evil? Do non business entity do a better job at "making the world a better place"? Look at the latest NSA scandal to get an idea. At least we're not forced to pay Facebook with our tax…

Throwing millions of legitimate users, who require Tor for their safety, under the bus is evil, yes. Facebook has plenty of ways to fight spam besides blacklisting Tor exit node IPs, exactly as it has done up until now.

"Millions" of people use Tor? You can make an argument for anonymity without resorting to hyperbole.

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#78

Post by unreal37 »

rayiner wrote: post #37

Why the hell would someone using TOR use Facebook?

Before the downvote brigade comes out in full force, stop and think a second. The US government is building its own map of all our social connections for everyone worldwide, not just suspects but everyone. It will know the names of everyone you know, how well you know them, even down to the date that you met them and dates that you were in the same location together.

Why WOULD anyone who cares about their anonymity use Facebook? I am wondering why I use Facebook even.

Re: Facebook is Blocking Connections from Tor Network

#80

Post by numbsafari »

ArabGeek wrote: post #36
k-mcgrady wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook is supposed to be a site where you use your real identity and therefore seems like a bad choice for activists trying to keep their identity hidden. Twitter seems like a better solution which is still mainstream and the public nature of it makes it easier to communicate with the outside world.

activists are using facebook pages to lobby behind causes they do not use their real names so they are not arrested by oppressive regimes. there are many pages with millions of fans run this way. all at risk now.

Why not work through a trusted intermediary using a more secure channel? I would think that Facebook isn't the most secure way to communicate, regardless of direct TOR access.
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