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Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

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Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#11

Post by phaemon »

That was weird.

I stopped using Facebook a few years ago (don't remember when), because something trivial about the site annoyed me (don't remember what).

The author seems to have written many accounts of what a terrible company Facebook is, how LGBT people are treated appallingly by them, how they're starting in on refugees and how they're ruining privacy for everyone. And then jumped through every possible hoop in order to keep using their website!

Is she just confused about how boycotts work?

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#12

Post by hasenj »

phaemon wrote: post #11

That was weird. I stopped using Facebook a few years ago (don't remember when), because something trivial about the site annoyed me (don't remember what). The author seems to have written many accounts of what a terrible company Facebook is, how LGBT people are treated appallingly by them, how they're starting in on refugees and how they're ruining privacy for everyone. And then jumped through every possible hoop in…

Maybe she thinks using Facebook is a basic human right or something.

I say if you hate a website just don't use it. It's really simple.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#13

Post by 5ilv3r »

powera wrote: post #4
powera wrote: post #3

I'm sorry she had a bad experience (and if the situation was triggered by something she posted that's horrible), but from a security point of view, if the automatic security questions can't be answered and you can't provide an "official government ID", the only way that you should be able to get access back to your account is "from a favor from someone on the inside that knows that you are you". If there's any way th…

also: "de-anonymizing refugees usually precedes murder on a grand scale" - that's an aggressively outrageous claim. "Bad things happen in the world" does not mean "if we ignore the world, nothing bad can happen". And I can't even argue with someone who disagrees. EDIT: to people down-voting, how is her claim at all reasonable? there are lots of refugees that have been murdered in nameless graves. if anything, the who…

No that's pretty fair.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#14

Post by 5ilv3r »

hasenj wrote: post #12
phaemon wrote: post #11

That was weird. I stopped using Facebook a few years ago (don't remember when), because something trivial about the site annoyed me (don't remember what). The author seems to have written many accounts of what a terrible company Facebook is, how LGBT people are treated appallingly by them, how they're starting in on refugees and how they're ruining privacy for everyone. And then jumped through every possible hoop in…

Maybe she thinks using Facebook is a basic human right or something. I say if you hate a website just don't use it. It's really simple.

Public shaming _has_ proven to be very effective

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#15

Post by thothamon »

late2part wrote: post #2

I'm sorry to hear you don't agree with the Facbeook's policies. I agree with most of what you wrote, including the right to privacy. The Facebook is an advertising channel, and they make money by targeting ads. So, it's not surprising they want to know more about you. Solution: Don't use the Facebook.

I don't know. It feels like she's about as interested in suffering publicly for the cameras as she is in fixing the problem. If she really just wants her Facebook profile closed (as she says), that can probably be done with back-channel methods: no need for crying at all.

I don't think Facebook's failure to 100% accommodate all of the OP's demands is really a story. I'm sure Facebook has many problems, but this story is more about the author's problems than Facebook's.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#16

Post by iandanforth »

powera wrote: post #3

I'm sorry she had a bad experience (and if the situation was triggered by something she posted that's horrible), but from a security point of view, if the automatic security questions can't be answered and you can't provide an "official government ID", the only way that you should be able to get access back to your account is "from a favor from someone on the inside that knows that you are you". If there's any way th…

I suggest that the measures are largely security theatre to begin with. Consider the attached accounts of determined identity thieves (1,2). Facebook needs to inconvenience children, but also needs to acknowledge its own theatre in serious situations. Consider that many of the mechanisms that government issued ID use to prevent forgery are impossible to verify unless you're in physical possession of the ID.

It also needs to provide a mechanism by which it does not gain and store additional information during the process of someone trying to opt out of their privacy free zone.

1 - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-15/an-identit... 2 - http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/confessions-of-an-iden...

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#18

Post by morganvachon »

phaemon wrote: post #11

That was weird. I stopped using Facebook a few years ago (don't remember when), because something trivial about the site annoyed me (don't remember what). The author seems to have written many accounts of what a terrible company Facebook is, how LGBT people are treated appallingly by them, how they're starting in on refugees and how they're ruining privacy for everyone. And then jumped through every possible hoop in…

> And then jumped through every possible hoop in order to keep using their website!

I don't think you read the entire article. Her goal at this point is to delete her account[1], which she cannot do until she regains control of the account. She's at a stalemate right now.

[1]"But now I just want out. I want my account deleted. I want the bullshit, inaccurate pages Facebook creates about me without my consent gone, too, but that’s just a bitter little joke for the ages, isn’t it? Facebook is just going to do whatever the fuck it wants to me. And to you."

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#19

Post by trhway »

hasenj wrote: post #12
phaemon wrote: post #11

That was weird. I stopped using Facebook a few years ago (don't remember when), because something trivial about the site annoyed me (don't remember what). The author seems to have written many accounts of what a terrible company Facebook is, how LGBT people are treated appallingly by them, how they're starting in on refugees and how they're ruining privacy for everyone. And then jumped through every possible hoop in…

Maybe she thinks using Facebook is a basic human right or something. I say if you hate a website just don't use it. It's really simple.

a lot of people are gullible, naive, insufficiently informed, etc... This is why along with basic "buyer beware" policy most developed societies have strong consumer protection laws in place too. Facebook is just preying on such people as there are no laws to protect them from it.
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