Re Ask Slashdot: Is There a Good Alternative to Facebook?

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
> Date: March 25, 2018 at 8:18:27 PM EDT
> To: Tom Goltz <tgoltz () QuietSoftware com>
> Cc: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] Ask Slashdot: Is There a Good Alternative to Facebook?
>
>
> Unlike on Facebook, where a "real names" policy still is in force,
> Google dropped Google+ real name requirements and associated account
> actions long ago. That's called learning from your mistakes, something
> Facebook seems to be incapable of accomplishing. And Google never
> sells your personal information to third parties. Nor do they permit
> third parties to buy their way into priority positions or into your
> feeds.
>
> I am, frankly, much more interested in how these firms operate today
> as opposed to how they operated years ago.
>
> --Lauren--
>
>
> > On 03/25 20:03, Tom Goltz wrote:
> > Going to Google+ to avoid Facebook is jumping from the frying pan into
> > the fire.
> >
> > When Google+ first started up, one of the prominent policies was that
> > they required "Real Names".  As they originally interpreted that policy,
> > I was in violation of that policy if I created a profile with the name
> > of "Tom Goltz" because that is not my legal name.  While I was
> > *probably* OK, it rapidly became clear that the policy was being
> > unevenly and inconsistently applied.  Worse yet, if the Google+
> > ban-hammer came down on your account, it didn't just take out your
> > ability to use Google+, but your entire Google account.  This meant that
> > my Gmail account would stop working, my Android phone would be badly
> > crippled, Google Drive would stop working, and my ability to access
> > Google Docs would be severely curtailed.
> >
> > There was no documented or usable appeal process, and it was also almost
> > impossible to reach a human to appeal a ban by the faceless army making
> > these arbitrary decisions.  I decided that it simply wasn't worth the
> > risk to use Google+ and deleted my profile.
> >
> > Google is also in the same business as Facebook: They're gathering as
> > much information as they can about people and using that data to sell
> > advertising.  Given the amount of data they already receive from the
> > Google services I do use, I don't think it's a good idea to add the
> > "social" data currently on Facebook into that pot.
> >
> > > On 3/25/2018 3:13 PM, Dave Farber wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Begin forwarded message:
> > >
> > > > *From:* Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com <mailto:lauren () vortex com>>
> > > > *Date:* March 25, 2018 at 3:11:26 PM EDT
> > > > *To:* nnsquad () nnsquad org <mailto:nnsquad () nnsquad org>
> > > > *Subject:* *[ NNSquad ] Ask Slashdot: Is There a Good Alternative to
> > > > Facebook?*
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Ask Slashdot: Is There a Good Alternative to Facebook?
> > > >
> > > > https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/03/25/0039218/ask-slashdot-is-there-a-good-alternative-to-facebook
> > > >
> > > >    Lauren Weinstein believes Google has already created an
> > > >    alternative to Facebook's "sick ecosystem": Google Plus.
> > > >    "There are no ads on Google+. Nobody can buy their way into
> > > >    your feed or pay Google for priority. Google doesn't
> > > >    micromanage what you see. Google doesn't sell your personal
> > > >    information to any third parties..." And most importantly,
> > > >    "There's much less of an emphasis on hanging around with those
> > > >    high school nitwits whom you despised anyway, and much more a
> > > >    focus on meeting new persons from around the world for
> > > >    intelligent discussions... G+ posts more typically are about
> > > >    'us' -- and tend to be far more interesting as a result."
> > > >    (Even Linus Torvalds is already reviewing gadgets there.)
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>
>
>
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein (lauren () vortex com): https://www.vortex.com/lauren 
> Lauren's Blog: https://lauren.vortex.com
> Google Issues Mailing List: https://vortex.com/google-issues
> Founder: Network Neutrality Squad: https://www.nnsquad.org 
>         PRIVACY Forum: https://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
> Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: https://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
> Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
> Google+: https://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
> Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800



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