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Comment by ArabGeek | Hacker News Reader

this means that facebook do not care about the fat of its users, as now thousands of activists in tyrant regimes might risk their identities be found and that means they will go to jail.

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Facebook is supposed to be a site where you use your real identity and therefore seems like a bad choice for activists trying to keep their identity hidden. Twitter seems like a better solution which is still mainstream and the public nature of it makes it easier to communicate with the outside world.

activists are using facebook pages to lobby behind causes they do not use their real names so they are not arrested by oppressive regimes. there are many pages with millions of fans run this way. all at risk now.

Why not work through a trusted intermediary using a more secure channel? I would think that Facebook isn't the most secure way to communicate, regardless of direct TOR access.

what exactly forces them to use Facebook instead of something remotely private and secure?

Traffic/Audience is everything.

The hive mind, unfortunately.

Because if you are trying to reach a mass audience, you have to go where the audience is. If no one sees your message, you are wasting the time and effort used to communicate that message.

Ah, the "if you don't like it - move to Russia" doctrine. Rather than racing to the bottom, why shouldn't the glaring problems simply be addressed?

Being grateful for health and freedom is one thing - being so grateful as to not put them to use, or let them slip away, is another. If Facebook has made a change for the worse, it's worth talking about.

Popularity.

If activists want a potential mass audience, facebook is an essential part of of that. Something private will not get to most people. Its the exact same reason it is hard to compete with facebook. Its is a virtual monopoly.

"Force"? No. But by using that word you are in the same disingenuous camp the "what have you got to hide" people. I mean, why bother about privacy at all, no one is "forced" to use the internet. Why bother about anything facebook does, no one is forced to use it.

I could go on, but I'm not forced to....

If activists want a potential mass audience, facebook is an essential part of of that.

Well, why not clear it through an individual that will put it up there so that the private dealings of everyone else won't leak?

This is a good idea. Perhaps an individual in a state that values freedom of expression more highly.

I imagine the very reason some people are using TBB is to browse sites like facebook which are blocked otherwise.

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