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Top-level
 People underestimate the threat of Big Social. Big Social has now spent decades following you around the Internet, collecting data about who you are and what you do. Sometimes they know more about you than you know about yourself. Now what happens when actual Fascists gain control of that data? We already know from history, and it’s not pretty. Yes, Nazi Germany is obvious. But we can also look as far recently at Myanmar—and the genocide that Facebook enabled. 14 comments
If you’re here on the Fediverse, you probably had a “come to Jesus” moment regarding the dangers of Big Social. So let me tell you mine. One morning, I woke up and checked Facebook. Immediately auto played in my feed was a man walking in a mosque and gunning down Muslims in New Zealand. After I saw this, I said, “Never again!” and I deleted my Facebook account. Never again will I allow Big Social to show me a mass murder because they believe it’s “relevant” to me. Every time Big Social enables genocide and mass murder, I hope one more person says, “Never again!” And then deletes their presence on Big Social. Because the only way “Never again!” can happen is if we strip Big Social of power. As for everyone who enables Big Social? Shame on them. @atomicpoet I’m always looking for an excuse to quit Facebook. But quitting Bird Site was so much easier for me.  @atomicpoet I just got curious of what this place was. I abandoned Twitter long ago because of what it is. I have no interest in Facebook/Instagram/Tiktok. I was just curious. @atomicpoet My situation wasn't as dramatic as yours, but my Twitter feed started becoming full of anti-semitic and anti-vax conspiracies, despite me never following people who post that nonsense. The sick part is that big social profits from this propaganda because it promotes engagement. I do not want to be a part of a system that benefits from directing hate at an innocent population.  @atomicpoet I'm here because a lot of people I follow are here and I don't want to miss out on what they talk about, not because I've "seen the light". I don't look at Internet tools in such categories. I'm also still on Twitter because I like being there despite all recent changes and there's still interesting content to read there. I'm even still on Facebook for yet another content (local/politics). I don't feel bad about it. Please don't assume that everyone sees things the same way you do. @atomicpoet the intelligence which orchestrates the events one needs to be aware of is as much at ease within Big Social as it is anywhere else in the cosmos... there's no escaping it, and it's a blessing... when mass murders occur, it is indeed relevant, and it is so to anyone who consider themselves a human being... it's so easy to forget that we're all in this together, that we're all leaves of the same branch... @atomicpoet one important lesson from history is the Netherlands - data on religious affiliation was collected from citizens for perfectly innocuous reasons, such as tax exemptions. In WW2 that data fell into the hands of the invading Nazis, and was used to find and round up the local Jewish population. So even "benign" data collection can end up in the wrong hands. Better not to collect the data in the first place.  @atomicpoet Don't forget the time that Facebook refused to remove the livestream of a murder because "it doesn't violate the company's community standards." https://money.cnn.com/2016/06/17/technology/facebook-live-shooting-death/index.html @atomicpoet "Now what happens when actual Fascists gain control of that data?" NAZI regime could only dream about having the power today's states have over individuals. If facebook was on during the WW2, resistance wouldn't be possible.  |
Gregory's Server
@atomicpoet
This is one of the reasons there are no photos of me on the internet, or my family. I also use an Alternative name on all social media.
(I only use Mastodon these days).
I wish people would read the facts of history, or talk to those that remember. Many would be shocked how much they put out everyday to be harvested for data points. This information can and will be used by bad people.
As my Mum always used to say, "It's all good until someone decides YOU are the enemy".