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Facebook Plunges Again
Facebook demands social suicides cease and desist
... and I thought one online social suicide machine was enough, but I guess not: there's another site called Seppukoo and it's just been C&D'd by Facebook's crack team of lawyers.Facebook seems to be taking these 'virtual suicide' services rather seriously, and in a classic case of legalese-owns-you, Seppukoo is being smacked down for everything other than assisting suicide.
Soliciting users' Facebook login details, collecting content and information in an automated manner, using Facebook's intellectual property -- you'd think that Seppukoo is guilty of some heinous war crimes rather than merely helping people shuffle off the social mortal coil.
This whole situation -- instigated by Facebook's new privacy settings -- is obviously no laughing matter. Seppukoo and the Web Suicide Machine are inflicting direct damage to their primary revenue stream. The problem for Facebook, and thus for its users like you and me, is that they can't really stop us from unfriending people.
But this cease and desist illustrates the measures they are willing to take, the might and muscles it is all too keen flex, to keep their cash cup full to overflowing. It petrifies me to think of how big Facebook is getting, and how easily we could one day wake up to a police state.
Comments
20
Subscribe to commentskellermaverickJan 4th 2010 12:40PM
Funny that Facebook uses the very same tactics (soliciting users'...login details, collecting content and information in an automated manner...) to gain access to your email address book to solicit, eh, new Faces for their very own service.
Brian!Dec 30th 2009 12:21PM
After being spammed by more farmville updates yesterday, I think that it might be worth it to kill my facebook profile.
JordanDec 30th 2009 12:33PM
I just block all the idiotic ones.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 1:47PM
Yeah, the 'hide' option is invaluable!
JDec 30th 2009 12:25PM
The first part of the article was fine, but the last sentence was RIDICULOUS.
-1 for attempted fear-mongering.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 12:32PM
In your Internets, mongering fear!!1
No, seriously, it's not that I really care -- I just think it's an interesting development :)
SugarDaddyJan 4th 2010 11:46AM
yeah, what? I fail to see the connection between facebook and police state.
CrkniDec 30th 2009 12:27PM
"It petrifies me to think of how big Facebook is getting, and how easily we could one day wake up to a police state." Uh.... the police state is already here! Wake up now!
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 12:33PM
We're not quite there yet -- we still have some freedom of choice (and movement).
MimzyDec 30th 2009 12:30PM
A POLICE STATE?
I'm sorry, but I just can't take this blog seriously anymore. If I wanted blind paranoia, I would read FoxNews.com, not a so-called tech blog.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 12:31PM
What's wrong with Fox?
MimzyDec 30th 2009 12:46PM
Nothing's WRONG with Fox, per se. I get my news from it sometimes. But, as a conservative news outlet, it does tend to be unnecessarily paranoid about everything new. That's why I like to get news from some conservative outlets and some liberal ones.
But a blog about technology, in my opinion, should not--CANNOT, really--share this paranoia. Technology is new. That's the point. Why write about technology if you're clearly terrified of it?
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 3:04PM
Sorry, I was just goading you there on the Fox thing -- I'm well aware of its issues!
I'm not terrified -- I'm in awe of technology. There is a big difference.
Problem is, you can get away with a lot when everyone's standing and staring... :)
216Dec 30th 2009 1:45PM
Facebook turning us into a Police state? wtf. Nobody forces you to use Facebook (unless of course you have to in order to write articles about it and whatnot) .And yes I have a FB account myself, but I dont go around crying that FB is becoming a police state.
And wow i've never heard of these virtual suicide sites before
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 3:06PM
The fact that the sites exist suggest that something is going on -- even if it's just the beginnings of something larger.
The classic argument is 'you don't have to use Facebook, but if 90% of your friends use it... what other option do you have?'
jfjbDec 30th 2009 2:22PM
@ sebastian
if you keep coaching your own readers' comments with additional iterative sub-comments to your own article -- as I've seen a few times already -- you'll run the risk to look like one of those agents you just talked about.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 30th 2009 3:05PM
'Iterative sub-comments'... that sounds kinda sexy.
Cheers for the heads-up :)
not yayJan 2nd 2010 2:27AM
Clearly facebook wants their own variation of NOdaddy.com
not yayJan 2nd 2010 2:31AM
re comment 13
several:
* Only keep friends to the right of the iq bell curve peak
* Re-educate the socially challenged friends you do have
the best answer:
* use the service they used to signup to use facebook
shane_grimmJan 26th 2010 9:34AM
I think I'm a responsible Facebooker, once a day, keeping in contact with mostly family around the world. But after seeing this I want to take my network elsewhere.