The Appleseed Project
I have no reason to distrust Facebook. Others apparently do. I sort of understand that, although no one who expressed their suspicions of Facebook could give an actual example of how the social network has done them harm.
- Data Privacy, Data Ownership and Who You Trust
by Hutch Carpenter
Having met Mark Zuckerberg and observed his explanation of what Facebook is and what it does, I’m just as qualified as any cynic to tell you he’s not your friend (no moreso than Tom, no moreso than the spammer who friended you to post ads on your profile). He would sell you out in a heartbeat if he hadn’t already. He’s in it for the money, and that’s why he built Facebook.
So, just as you can trust that piece of rope to do what rope is good for – maybe you could’ve lashed something together or hoisted a load with it – there’s only one thing it’ll do for you once it’s tied the way hangmen tend to tie things and placed around your neck. The problem with a noose: it doesn’t hurt when it’s knotted, it doesn’t hurt around your neck, and it doesn’t hurt when it snaps your spine.
A pessimistic prediction – human terrain mapping is founded on the notion that “The population is the battlefield…” and social networking sites provide an immediate self-organizing, self-updating system which allows law enforcement to crash parties and generally enable the kill chain however they deem fit (while military organizations move to limit their exposure).
This won’t end well for those with their necks out – the app-happy, Twitter-ing, social networking guinea pigs – the users.
Problem: Only Trust Business To Screw You
I don’t want Facebook tracking everything I do and making some of it available without my knowledge. It makes me uncomfortable. I want to be the only one deciding what is put out there about me. I simply don’t trust Facebook to protect my personal information when they actively profit off of sharing that information.
- Why I quit Facebook and you should too
by Cyde Weys
Solution: An Open, Distributed Network
Distributed Open Source Social Networking
Eventually, Myspace and Facebook, no matter what fancy features they may add, will seem as archaic as Compuserve and Prodigy do now. The acceptance of a distributed social networking model is, as the internet has shown, an inevitability. All proprietary walled gardens have given way to distributed models, and social networking is the next frontier. And just like open, distributed protocols before it, social networking requires an open API in order to function properly. Since many walled gardens are based on amassing as many users as possible, in order to maximize ad revenue, adopting a distributed model goes against their business plan. Therefore, it’s up to the open source community to come up with a real distributed social networking solution.
- The Future of Social Networking
by Michael Chisari
Appleseed Developer
Was thinking about rolling one from scratch but this provides a better place to start (deconstruct, analyze, rebuild).
There are many problems to be solved with a distributed model. These problems are insignificant when compared to the problems of allowing a third party to manage every last detail of your lifestyle and social interaction.
Problem: We’re deluded narcissists
First, Facebook preys upon the self-involvement of young people, and encourages us to pretend we know who we are.
Everyone say this out loud right now—I am not my profile picture. I am not my status. I am not my favorite movies, books or bands. My Facebook profile is not me.
. . .
Second, on a related note, Facebook is an exercise in narcissism and self-promotion.
- Quit facebook before you become it
by Russ Caditz-Peck
One problem at a time, please.