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

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

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Altieres Rohr <altieres () gmail com>
> Date: March 26, 2018 at 10:49:18 AM GMT+9
> To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Re Ask Slashdot: Is There a Good Alternative to Facebook?
>
> They may have dropped the Real Names policy, but the rest is still true.
>
> I think it was less than a year ago that a long-time internet acquaintance of mine lost his Google account.
> With it went his YouTube channel and all his Android app purchases, which I thought was criminal unless Google could 
> prove some wrongdoing on that front.
> The appeal process didn't help. And he says he still doesn't know why he was banned.
>
> Is it really fine that we treat the impossibility of talking to humans at these companies as a fact of life?
>
> Altieres.
>
> 2018-03-25 21:44 GMT-03:00 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.)
> > > > > Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now> | Modify
> > > > > <https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>
> > > > > Your Subscription | Unsubscribe Now
> > > > > <https://www.listbox.com/unsubscribe/?&&post_id=20180325151320:92F25C58-3060-11E8-B30D-B5215467BAF1>
> > > > >    [Powered by Listbox] <http://www.listbox.com>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --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
> >
> > Archives | Modify Your Subscription | Unsubscribe Now         



-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=18849915&id_secret=18849915-aa268125
Unsubscribe Now: 
https://www.listbox.com/unsubscribe/?member_id=18849915&id_secret=18849915-32545cb4&post_id=20180328161818:25393B34-32C5-11E8-B723-A0D761212466
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com