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Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

socialfixer.com

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Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#91

Post by alextingle »

mattkruse wrote: post #83
JacobJans wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, content creators get to ask you to agree to a "Terms of Service" that gives you access to that content. If you don't like the terms of service, you could say they are "laughable," but that doesn't mean they don't exist, or have a specific meaning. It seems very clear to me that a page that promotes the removal of Facebook ads, via its software, fits squarely in violation of the agreement. Facebook seems ver…

Removal of ads isn't even something I "advertise" as a feature. It's a side-effect of being able to remove anything you want from the UI. And if they have a problem with that, surely they would have sued AdBlock Plus by now. Right?

As far as I can tell, they haven't sued you either. In fact, I don't think you've even received a letter from their lawyers. All that's happened is that someone at FB had threatened you.

Personally, I think they're full of it. I'd at least wait until you get an actual letter from their lawyers before making any decisions.

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#92

Post by captainmuon »

JacobJans wrote: post #72
javajosh wrote: post #38

This story should cause outrage among the users and developers (and any potential users and developers) of any software that is like Social Fixer, that is, any software that stores, manipulates, and presents proprietary data in ways that the "owner" (e.g. Facebook) of said data did not intend, for the use of a first party. The thing that makes the FB legal threats against Social Fixer different, and more troubling th…

You are absolutely right. The only alternative is to "stop using Facebook." The Facebook Terms of Service are an agreement that you can simply choose not to accept. You have every right.

I never accepted their agreements, and still I use Facebook (and many other sites). When I clicked on "accept", I lied.

Usually, I still follow those agreements - for fear of legal actions or them deleting my accounts. But that doesn't mean that I recognize, accept, or internalize those terms.

And "stop using Facebook" is just not a realistic option for me and many others, because it has become so important for me socially.

The real solution IMHO is to regulate Facebook, and to either have its terms put under some form of democratic control, or to force them to do federation with third party services.

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#94

Post by matwood »

jasonlotito wrote: post #13
pdonis wrote: post #9

From the article: every user I talk to now seems to think that Facebook is going downhill and increasingly making decisions that benefit their stock holders rather than their users Why would you expect them not to? Facebook is a publicly traded company; they have to make decisions that benefit their stockholders or they will go bankrupt. Also, Facebook's users are not customers; Facebook gets its revenue from ads, no…

> they have to make decisions that benefit their stockholders I wish the meme that this is the only thing a public company can do would die. It's not true in any way.

You're right in the way most people try to apply the meme, but the meme is true. What's best for the shareholders is supposed to have a very broad interpretation where nearly anything a company officer does short of fraud would count.

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#95

Post by pdonis »

mattkruse wrote: post #85
pdonis wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The BEST way to satisfy the stockholders is to create a fantastic product that users love, long-term. In other words, you agree with me that a publicly traded company must make decisions that benefit the stockholders. You just think that "benefit the stockholders" should be evaluated on a long-term basis, not a short-term basis. But there are two key points that you have not mentioned: (1) Creating a fantastic produc…

If Facebook created something that was so awesome that users would be willing to pay for it, they wouldn't need to rely on ads. They could have a much bigger and more stable revenue stream from people who actually wanted their service and were willing to pay for it. I would buy into this model. Not everyone would, no. But I imagine enough would that it could change their focus. Maybe.

Maybe.

Exactly.

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#96

Post by fphhotchips »

mattkruse wrote: post #83
JacobJans wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, content creators get to ask you to agree to a "Terms of Service" that gives you access to that content. If you don't like the terms of service, you could say they are "laughable," but that doesn't mean they don't exist, or have a specific meaning. It seems very clear to me that a page that promotes the removal of Facebook ads, via its software, fits squarely in violation of the agreement. Facebook seems ver…

Removal of ads isn't even something I "advertise" as a feature. It's a side-effect of being able to remove anything you want from the UI. And if they have a problem with that, surely they would have sued AdBlock Plus by now. Right?

And any browser with developer tools...

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#97

Post by yason »

JacobJans wrote: post #74
yason wrote: post #54

This isn't a Facebook app. This isn't using Facebook API. It's effectively as if he had written a custom browser that displays the Facebook page in a way he likes: a script like that is basically a functional rather than visual stylesheet. Facebook only gets to push some HTML, CSS, and JS to its customers. If I understood that correctly then Facebook has absolutely no say about that piece of software. Because if they…

> Facebook only gets to push some HTML, CSS, and JS to its customers. This is completely false. Facebook is a business. That means they have the legal right to do a lot more than transmit data. This is such a basic, obvious, fact that I find it difficult that so many people seem to not understand it. Facebook is not a data transmission service. They're a business. They have a product that they offer. If you want to u…

By the same token car makers should have the legal right to dictate which roads you can drive on, hardware makers should have the legal right to dictate what operating system you can run on the hardware you bought yourself, and I think at this point I pretty much should have the legal right to dictate how others must interpret what I write here. Or perhaps not?

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#98

Post by javajosh »

JacobJans wrote: post #72
javajosh wrote: post #38

This story should cause outrage among the users and developers (and any potential users and developers) of any software that is like Social Fixer, that is, any software that stores, manipulates, and presents proprietary data in ways that the "owner" (e.g. Facebook) of said data did not intend, for the use of a first party. The thing that makes the FB legal threats against Social Fixer different, and more troubling th…

You are absolutely right. The only alternative is to "stop using Facebook." The Facebook Terms of Service are an agreement that you can simply choose not to accept. You have every right.

>The only alternative is to "stop using Facebook."

Actually, no. That is one alternative. The other alternative (and the preferred one) would be for the courts to strike down as illegal Facebook's claim that they can limit what you do with your inbox on your computer for your personal use.

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#99

Post by gcb1 »

javajosh wrote: post #38

This story should cause outrage among the users and developers (and any potential users and developers) of any software that is like Social Fixer, that is, any software that stores, manipulates, and presents proprietary data in ways that the "owner" (e.g. Facebook) of said data did not intend, for the use of a first party. The thing that makes the FB legal threats against Social Fixer different, and more troubling th…

power users are probably not even on facebook.

the only way to win this game is not playing.

Re: Facebook Requires Social Fixer Browser Extension to Remove Features

#100

Post by SquareWheel »

angkec wrote: post #69
oneshotreply wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do something for the improvement of the human race instead. If you can't, please stop releasing idiotic extensions that bring individual human beings more suffering than benefit.

How do they suffer by reading reddit comments? Just curious.

Users or moderators obviously deleted their post for a reason. Restoring that post goes against their wishes.
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