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Comment by webwanderings | Hacker News Reader

> We can use an alias on Facebook

I'm not following. How does one use alias on Facebook?

Just change your name to a fake name. There's no magic.

As long as you don't trip any of the automated checks to see if you are using a fake name or get manually flagged as using a fake name. The automated stuff is pretty stupid at the moment thankfully, but it's not something you can do if you care about not getting your account closed.

They don't close your account, they just deny the name change IIRC. And judging by the states of some of the names on my list, you don't have much to worry about.

Ah yes, that's true. I was thinking of signing up a new account with a fake name.

Well then Facebook doesn't really work or does it? Facebook works best if you keep it confined to your friends and family, the people you know in-person. Having a fake name would defeat that purpose.

Facebook works best when you don't use it :) I prefer in-person discussions. If that's not possible, calling > texting > email > physical mail. every other solution is irrelevant to me.

I don't know about you but I have many family members who have practically given up on using email for important announcements like wedding, birth etc. People use Facebook for such communication needs because it is lot more convenient than email.

Also, not sure if you noticed but Facebook messaging provides a "return receipt" feature by default. So you know if and when your message (email) is picked up. Try doing that with the free email accounts like gmail, hotmail etc.

"I don't know about you "

I'm in the fortunate situation where people in my social circle still prefer phone and email to facebook and twitter :)

"announcements like wedding, birth etc"

I don't know about your social circles, but in mine those announcements demand in-person discussion or phone calls. Even email feel crass for announcing a birth.

"Also, not sure if you noticed but Facebook messaging provides a "return receipt" feature"

I've never used facebook messaging heh.

I have this in my /etc/hosts:

  127.0.0.1  www.facebook.com
  127.0.0.1  facebook.com
  127.0.0.1  connect.facebook.net
  127.0.0.1  facebook.net
  127.0.0.1  ads.facebook.com
  127.0.0.1  ads.ak.facebook.com

Anyone know of any others?

Run your own resolver on 127.0.0.1, and your own authoritative nameserver on 127.0.53.1, and configure the resolver to ask the nameserver (returning NXDOMAIN) for

  * facebook.com
  * doubleclick.net
  * google-analytics.com
  * su (abuse)
  * 2o7.net
  * any others you want; get ideas from the MVPS hosts file

Since facebook domains (fbcdn.net, facebook.net, etc.) are all serviced by facebook.com nameservers, returning NXDOMAIN for *.facebook.com will thereby sabotage all facebook related queries. This way you won't have to play whack-a-mole with future facebook tracking hosts, so long as they use facebook.com nameservers.

Or hell, just create a list of prefixes announced & owned by AS32934, Facebook, and block all. Just to be sure.

From this file: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.txt

127.0.0.1 ads.ak.facebook.com

127.0.0.1 creative.ak.facebook.com

127.0.0.1 creative.ak.fbcdn.net #[textads]

If you are ok with losing FB content, I also have

    127.0.0.1 static.ak.fbcdn.net
    127.0.0.1 www.static.ak.fbcdn.net
    127.0.0.1 login.facebook.com
    127.0.0.1 www.login.facebook.com
    127.0.0.1 fbcdn.net
    127.0.0.1 www.fbcdn.net
    127.0.0.1 fbcdn.com
    127.0.0.1 www.fbcdn.com
    127.0.0.1 static.ak.connect.facebook.com
    127.0.0.1 www.static.ak.connect.facebook.com

It's not like your friends would suddenly not know who you are anymore. You do also talk to your friends in person right? I use a fake name on FB and so do lots of my friends. Like the OC says; there's no magic.

I also use an alias email address. Together you can use FB apps without spreading too much easy data around.

The point is, facebook is tracking your location via IP address. They are most definitely not interested in knowing your real name, so your fake name is as good as anything else. They are dumping relevant Ads on you based first of all on where exactly you're located at. They'd then attempt to dump relevant Ads based on how you (the fake or real name) interacts with the facebook site. They are watching your eyeballs and you can't escape the moment you make a single move.

I don't think he's worried abotu the ads. He's just saying he's getting away with most of Facebook features without having to tell them his exact name and personal information.

Facebook doesn't care about exact name and personal information except to target their Ads effectively. Its no big deal if you don't tell them your real name, they will jump over to the next field. Sooner or later they're going to connect the dots to provide you effective advertisements. It starts with them tracking your location via IP address.

The original opinion piece of this thread notwithstanding, but for the majority of the Internet users, the issue is not if and why the state is tracking you (because people at the large scale are not criminals trying to hide from the state), but the issue is whether we should give up liberties in order for the corporations to serve us effective advertisements. The old fashioned TV box was effective only because it had no competitor. The same is not the case on the Internet.

PS: the only reason Facebook requires real name (or the reason it has built its social network as a walled-garden) so each person stays unique and does not infiltrate or corrupt the data by signing up multiple times via pseudo-identities. Again, look at it from the advertising perspective. Do we think advertising works effectively if one person shows up as multiple? It doesn't.

(Almost) all my friends have got fake names as well. It's very much de rigueur.

When you use Facebook, you are always implicitly friends with Mark Zuckerberg and whomever he chooses to share your information with.

Too late for most people.

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