Why I left Facebook (FB)

Censorship is openly practiced in many countries. Citizens of these countries have acquiesced for the most part in exchange for other capitalistic-like freedoms.

 Recently on a FB discussion about the value of understanding history, I simply wrote the following expression in a FB comment:    "Arbeit Macht Frei"

 No sooner had I hit the "enter" key and a message was sent saying that my account was now in violation of the FB Hate Crimes Standards and if repeated I would be banished.

 Obviously the brilliant technicians at FB did not bother to parse the entire conversation and had read the line completely out of context.  

 Had I entered this url -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbeit_macht_frei - the censors may have let it pass. Who knows? 

 Then I remembered that Chan Zuckerberg with her FB millions is underwriting a measure on the 2020 ballot in California which will be detrimental to many businesses.  Her foundation underwrote both versions. The first wasn't polling well, so another was written which obfuscates the measure's intent.

 https://www.naiopsocal.org/legislative-updates/important-split-roll-update/

 Of course, my meager FB account or the loss of such will make only a minuscule indentation in the FB bottom line, but there is always room for righteous principle. 

 The knowledge that every keystroke is monitored by an unprincipled host told me it is time to move on. 

 Check back here for pithy updates. 

 For reference:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_of_Facebook#Algorithmic_Censorship

Comments

  1. shJuly 11, 2020 at 10:47 AM

    Good explanation of forces at work...

    https://tomluongo.me/2020/02/22/dont-be-fooled-by-the-deplatforming-of-facebook/

    ReplyDelete
  2. CaMavenJuly 28, 2020 at 9:45 AM

    Thanks for acting and speaking out, Sheryl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. shJuly 28, 2020 at 7:24 PM

      Thanks. Please see my other blog commentary.

      Delete
  3. shOctober 23, 2020 at 8:08 AM

    Facebook has touted itself as a guardian of free speech. Yet the Menlo Park social media giant repeatedly censored voices of political dissent in Vietnam at the request of its authoritarian government. “I think for Zuckerberg the calculus with Vietnam is clear," a former Facebook advisor said. "It’s to maintain service in a country that has a huge population and in which Facebook dominates the consumer internet market, or else a competitor may step in." L.A. Times

    ReplyDelete
  4. shApril 4, 2021 at 7:38 PM

    533 million users' FB data breached...

    https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janis Roelofson WilliamsApril 24, 2021 at 12:49 PM

    Sheryl, I enjoy reading your writings!

    ReplyDelete

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