'Freedom from Facebook' groups ask FTC to break up social network's empire

[midian182]

It seems that neither side of the political spectrum is a big fan of Facebook. While those with conservative views have long accused it of bias, there are now some on the left who want to break up the social network’s “monopoly.”

According to Axios, a team of progressive advocacy groups is set to launch a six-figure ad campaign today that will run on a number of platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook itself. The groups, which include Demand Progress, MoveOn, Citizens Against Monopoly, Open Markets Institute, and SumOfUs want the FTC to spin off Facebook-owned Instagram, Whatsapp, and Messenger into competing networks.

The ads will feature messages such as, “Facebook keeps violating your privacy. Break it up,” and “Mark Zuckerberg has a scary amount of power. We need to take it back.”

Additionally, the groups are asking the FTC for interoperability that allows all users to communicate across competing social networks. They’re also requesting the implementation of strong privacy rules.

The move comes just as the FTC gains a new chairman in Joseph Simons, who, along with four new commissioners, were all picked by President Trump. Simmons, an antitrust lawyer that has represented large tech companies like Microsoft, has indicated that tech firms could find themselves under the microscope for antitrust violations now he is chairman. The FTC is still investigating whether Facebook broke legal agreements as part of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

“Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have amassed a scary amount of power,” reads the Freedom From Facebook coalition’s website. “Facebook unilaterally decides the news that billions of people around the world see every day. It buys up or bankrupts potential competitors to protect its monopoly, killing innovation and choice. It tracks us almost everywhere we go on the web and, through our smartphones, even where we go in the real world.”

“The five members of the Federal Trade Commission, which is the part of our government tasked with overseeing Facebook, can make Facebook safe for our democracy by breaking it up, giving us the freedom to communicate across networks, and protecting our privacy. Together, we will make sure that they do.”

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/74718-freedom-facebook-groups-ask-ftc-break-up-social.html

 

[wiyosaya]

(y)

 

[TomSEA]

So dumb. You know - if a person doesn't like FB, or believe it has too much of your info, there's an extremely simple solution.

Don't use it.

 

[BGrant]

So dumb. You know - if a person doesn't like FB, or believe it has too much of your info, there's an extremely simple solution.

Don't use it.

it's not like that. We need education for everybody telling what this thing does and what it takes away from you.
Kinda like educating the population about drugs, drink and driving and so on. Most ppl just swallow whatever FB tells and roll with it completely oblivious of the consequences

 

[JaredTheDragon]

So dumb. You know - if a person doesn't like FB, or believe it has too much of your info, there's an extremely simple solution.

Don't use it.

it's not like that. We need education for everybody telling what this thing does and what it takes away from you.
Kinda like educating the population about drugs, drink and driving and so on. Most ppl just swallow whatever FB tells and roll with it completely oblivious of the consequences

It's exactly like that. Anyone who doesn't already know that Facebook is Langley's toy citizen-spying site is simply not paying attention; it's hardly news. It's been their baby since day one.

The "progressives" here are also ignoring this fact, and then claiming that Zucky has a scary amount of power. It's misdirection. It's a lie. They can't just say what Facebook is so they go the long way around, to make it SEEM like a legitimate enterprise. It's not. It's spyware and that's all it is.

 

[Trillionsin]

“Mark Zuckerberg has a scary amount of power. We need to take it back.”

I mean, common, I'd rather have Mark over here with the power... lmao

We need to take it back.

I mean... I guess depending on who exactly "we" is....

Additionally, the groups are asking the FTC for interoperability that allows all users to communicate across competing social networks.

wtf is going on!? like a trillian instant messenger?! lmao

 

[Trillionsin]

So dumb. You know - if a person doesn't like FB, or believe it has too much of your info, there's an extremely simple solution.

Don't use it.

it's not like that. We need education for everybody telling what this thing does and what it takes away from you.
Kinda like educating the population about drugs, drink and driving and so on. Most ppl just swallow whatever FB tells and roll with it completely oblivious of the consequences

It's exactly like that. Anyone who doesn't already know that Facebook is Langley's toy citizen-spying site is simply not paying attention; it's hardly news. It's been their baby since day one.

The "progressives" here are also ignoring this fact, and then claiming that Zucky has a scary amount of power. It's misdirection. It's a lie. They can't just say what Facebook is so they go the long way around, to make it SEEM like a legitimate enterprise. It's not. It's spyware and that's all it is.

It's not JUST spyware though... lol

 

[regiq]

Thumbs up!

 

[regiq]

Additionally, the groups are asking the FTC for interoperability that allows all users to communicate across competing social networks.

wtf is going on!? like a trillian instant messenger?! lmao

Like an email or sms (decentralized and interoperable) but with all the bells and whistles. Client side encryption should be obligatory too.

EDIT: it's called federation. The base technology is already there, FB messenger was originally based on XMPP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMPP

 

[axiomatic13]

The racists, the religious, and the russians can keep facebook. I will never go back.

 

[havok585]

The racists, the religious, and the russians can keep facebook. I will never go back.

The russians? lmao, they dont even use facebook, they have their own social network, called Vkontakte.

 

[treetops]

Iv never heard of anyone who wants to break up Facebook..... I don't really care for it but like Tom said if you don't like it..... I have a Facebook account, when my brother was in the hospital some of his long time friends contacted me asking me where he was at and what was going on. He was unconscious, I have to admit Facebook really came through that day.

 

[wiyosaya]

So dumb. You know - if a person doesn't like FB, or believe it has too much of your info, there's an extremely simple solution.

Don't use it.

it's not like that. We need education for everybody telling what this thing does and what it takes away from you.
Kinda like educating the population about drugs, drink and driving and so on. Most ppl just swallow whatever FB tells and roll with it completely oblivious of the consequences

It's exactly like that. Anyone who doesn't already know that Facebook is Langley's toy citizen-spying site is simply not paying attention; it's hardly news. It's been their baby since day one.

The "progressives" here are also ignoring this fact, and then claiming that Zucky has a scary amount of power. It's misdirection. It's a lie. They can't just say what Facebook is so they go the long way around, to make it SEEM like a legitimate enterprise. It's not. It's spyware and that's all it is.

Here we go again. More politically oriented blather.

Duck does not have any power. People give him their power on the left and on the right. But fakebook controls what is on their site.

As I see it, you might as well try to educate ignorance even though there are those who will still choose ignorance. Knowledge comes from experience, and if those using fakebook have not learned yet, they probably never will - unless - of course, their identity is stolen through fakebook - then they will learn.

However, if you eradicate the parasite...