Facebook bans, sends cease-and-desist letter to developer of Unfollow Everything extension

[midian182]

What just happened? Given the rough couple of weeks Facebook has been through, the company could definitely use some good PR right now, so here's exactly the opposite: it's been revealed that the social network has permanently banned the creator of a tool that unfollows all connections automatically, potentially making the social network less addictive and depressing.

Louis Barclay, creator of the Unfollow Everything browser extension that lets users unfollow—not unfriend—all their friends, groups, and pages simultaneously (rather than individually), writes that his program has not been welcomed by Facebook.

Unfollow Everything essentially gets rid of your entire newsfeed, something highlighted as an addictive factor in keeping people on the service. "I still remember the feeling of unfollowing everything for the first time. It was near-miraculous. I had lost nothing, since I could still see my favorite friends and groups by going to them directly," Barclay writes in an article for Slate. "But I had gained a staggering amount of control. I was no longer tempted to scroll down an infinite feed of content. The time I spent on Facebook decreased dramatically. Overnight, my Facebook addiction became manageable."

Facebook responded to the tool by sending Barclay a cease-and-decease letter threatening legal action. It claimed he violated the site's terms of service through a program that automates user interactions. The company then "permanently disabled my Facebook and Instagram accounts" and "demanded that I agree to never again create tools that interact with Facebook or its other services."

Barclay notes that Switzerland's University of Neuchâtel expressed interest in using his software to study the news feed's impact on the amount of time spent on Facebook and the happiness of the platform's users, which may explain why the company wanted it removed.

The last few weeks have been Facebook's worst since it was rocked by the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. It began with leaked internal studies that showed the social network knows how damaging Instagram is for teenage girls' mental wellbeing. Mark Zuckerberg was then forced to deny claims he told Donald Trump that Facebook wouldn't fact-check politicians in exchange for less severe regulations. It's also been dealing with the FTC lawsuit, one of the site's worst outages in years, and a whistleblower testifying to US senators that Facebook prioritizes making money over doing what is good for the public, which most of us already knew.

Masthead credit: Alex Haney

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https://www.techspot.com/news/91650-facebook-bans-sends-cease-desist-letter-developer-unfollow.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Sounds like a good opportunity to purchase rights to unfollow and post it for all users to acquire .... then monitor Fakebook and prevent them from blocking it. That would send a little message like a shot across the bow .....

 

[Squid Surprise]

"and a whistleblower testifying to US senators that Facebook prioritizes making money over doing what is good for the public, which most of us already knew."

Well, to be fair, I don't think there are any laws that force a company to prioritize being "good" over making money... but I'd agree with all of the other allegations...

 

[Manuel Diego]

Let's hope the letter this guy got from Barclay was "cease-and-desist" rather than "cease-and-decease", which I find harsh...

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Another bully...maybe FB will disable all users of Unfollow Everything and, as a consequence, sink beneath the waves.

 

[wiyosaya]

Fakebook is a joke and a scourge on humanity, IMO. I've unfollowed everything by never joining that useless waste of time site.

 

[bluerevealer]

It's all downhill for Facebook from here

 

[SirDugglesworth]

Let's hope the letter this guy got from Barclay was "cease-and-desist" rather than "cease-and-decease", which I find harsh...

We all know Zuckerborg considers you among the dead if all your info does not belong to him. Cease and Decease is exactly what FB would want from someone trying to give the public a level playing field against FB's weighted algorithms.

 

[pawnd4]

Matrix (the protocol) and Element (one of its clients) are always there, you know?

 

[himindedlolife]

Facebook responded to the tool by sending Barclay a cease-and-decease letter threatening legal action.

Fourth paragraph, seems a little extreme lol. But then again this is Facebook we're talking about.

 

[captaincranky]

Seriously, boy boyz, gurl gurlz, boy gurlz, gurl boyz, and undecideds, the best way to "unfollow" Facebook, is to never join in the first place.

Facebook responded to the tool by sending Barclay a cease-and-decease letter threatening legal action.

I don't thin you can use "decease" as a verb anyway. .

For example, 'he then proceeded "to decease"', is garbage syntax.

It's far easier to say, "he dun up an died". (That being n the vernacular, of course).

 

[Tragic Ending]

I thought it was pronounced FaceCrook. My bad.

 

[Jack Deth]

So FB gets dragged through the mud by a fake whistleblower being coached by an old Obama croney, and is being represented by Psaki's old firm.

What a dirty political maneuver. All to smother political dissent.

Maybe FB isn't thr bad guy after all.

 

[ZiddersRoofurry]

You're not supposed to bootlick Trancers, Jack.

 

[captaincranky]

You're not supposed to bootlick Trancers, Jack.

"Trancers", really? Helen Hunt, has lead a hard life, constantly being mistaken for Jodie Foster. (At least by me).

Seriously though, I'm still trying to figure out if "Mr. Deth's" post was shilling or sarcasm. I say we ask him.

 

[captaincranky]

So FB gets dragged through the mud by a fake whistleblower being coached by an old Obama croney, and is being represented by Psaki's old firm.

What a dirty political maneuver. All to smother political dissent.

Maybe FB isn't thr bad guy after all.

Are you being sarcastic, or shilling for Facebook? Perspiring minds want to know.

 

[Floyd Walker]

Are you being sarcastic, or shilling for Facebook? Perspiring minds want to know.

One thing worth noting is that there are two kinds of people here in the US, those who get their "news" from FB and everyone else. The former tends to also get their information from "alternative" news sources which are also supported by advertisers which means their rage has been curated and indoctrinated by AI "engagement" algos to the point of January 6th.
short answer: "shilling"

 

[Guest907]

Exactly what Facebook should offer as a default setting. I quit FB 3 years ago and never looked back

 

[Thundarr]

"Trancers", really? Helen Hunt, has lead a hard life, constantly being mistaken for Jodie Foster. (At least by me).

Seriously though, I'm still trying to figure out if "Mr. Deth's" post was shilling or sarcasm. I say we ask him.

I too believe that Jodie Foster is the poor man's Helen Hunt or vice versa. Facebook is clearly not creepy, they just want what is best for you! C'mon guys. Plus we should all start preparing our foreheads for the Zuckerborg haircut.

 

[captaincranky]

I too believe that Jodie Foster is the poor man's Helen Hunt or vice versa. Facebook is clearly not creepy, they just want what is best for you! C'mon guys. Plus we should all start preparing our foreheads for the Zuckerborg haircut.

If you really want a "there but for fortune" moment, search pictures of Julia Stiles, and then an "erotic actress", under the names "Barbamiska", Barbariska", or "Trinity".

So what you're saying is that Zucerberg's grotesque hairdo, is likely to become the next, "Beatle cut"?

IMO, your hairdo won't matter as much as the "Facebook mind control crystal", to be planted squarely in the center of the forehead. The end of "Siri", and "Alexa", is nigh upon us. You will have the voices of all your Facebook "friends", always with you.

 

[Jpe1701]

I'm just glad I'm not the only one that thinks Helen Hunt looks like Jodie Foster.

 

[Jack Deth]

Are you being sarcastic, or shilling for Facebook? Perspiring minds want to know.

Must admit I spit out my coffee laughing at this conjecture on my behalf.

Read my post again gentlemen. Thought I was being clear.

What's interesting is google (and obviously youtube), apple, MSN, etc... are all taking steps to curtail so-called "misinformation," or "wrongthink."

FB is apparently isn't falling in line with ministry of propaganda to the extent they want. To set up what is clearly more kabuki theater, aka a bad actress calling for MORE censorship and less questions? You cannot help but wonder whose rhubarb they rubbed.

In most cases these rats are all same. FB is no exception. But sometimes - SOMETIMES - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

 

[Markoni35]

It's interesting that anything owned by Microsoft is lately being attacked. Now, who could stand behind those "totally spontaneous and unrelated" actions on all fronts? Competition? Noooo, they would never do that. "Don't be evil", right?

 

[Squid Surprise]

It's interesting that anything owned by Microsoft is lately being attacked. Now, who could stand behind those "totally spontaneous and unrelated" actions on all fronts? Competition? Noooo, they would never do that. "Don't be evil", right?

Um... anything owned by MS? Such as? Not sure your blanket statement is accurate...

 

[Markoni35]

Um... anything owned by MS? Such as? Not sure your blanket statement is accurate...

Well, Microsoft was hacked. Facebook was hacked, where M$ owns a lot of their stocks. Then stuff owned by FB. The entire conglomerate that has a specific owner structure is suddenly being hacked. And then FB was also attacked in media, and by so called "whistleblower" which was so vague in her accusations that it couldn't be more clear what's going on.

I've seen many times how it looks like when someone is attacked from all weapons for a fake reason. Because they don't wanna tell the real reason to the media. Why? Because if they told the real reason, the audience would say: "Oh, really? But that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing."

If the audience knew the real reasons, they would agree with FB, and not with the attackers. For example, on some social networks you're not allowed to say that vaccines killed a lot of people. Especially the covid vaccine. Even if that's true, you're not allowed. Such networks are "good". They implemented the automated censorship well.

But FB didn't. They are very very bad people, aren't they?