America - The Official Thread

[pokemonfan58]

Democrats in 2016: SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES INTEREFERE IN ELECTIONS THAT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL

Wait a minute. I thought it was the Russians interfering the 2016 elections to get trump elected not Facebook or Twitter. Do you even pay attention to politics at all? If not I’d suggest you stay out of the thread and do some research first.

 

[McLaren]

Clearly this board has selected for people with similar ideologies over time and few (or zero) who agree with me remain.

This is less to do with having different ideologies and you just talking out your ass.

 

[Yard_Sale]

There's a difference between "something they don't like" and being "offensive" towards a representative. Something they don't like could be telling your friend you like mild salsa over the phone. Telling AT&T's phone rep you're going to kill his dog is not the same thing. Am I wasting time by explaining this? Are you guys even trying here or just don't like what I'm saying and trolling?



I edited the post like 10 seconds after I looked at the usernames. I just saw the letter P and a white picture as I scrolled and thought it's the same user.

Anyway it has nothing to do with abortion, just saying the accumulation of corporate power is behind the fall of your government and rights over time. And yet you and the others here are advocating for more power to social media companies...

Democrats in 2016: SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES INTEREFERE IN ELECTIONS THAT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL

Democrats in 2020: SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE PRIVATE AND SHOULD NOT BE INTERFERED WITH

You’re wasting your time in here buddy. It’s a stacked room against you.

On a related note, I’ve always wondered what these regular posters do for a living and where they live. Their perception of the world, and real life republicans (not the politician types) is pretty comical at times.

Good luck in the trenches my man 👍🏼

 

[McLaren]

Their perception of the world, and real life republicans (not the politician types) is pretty comical at times.

A commiefornian* trying to tell me how real Republicans are here in deep-red Texas?

Hysterical.

*joke

 

[pokemonfan58]

Clearly this board has selected for people with similar ideologies over time and few (or zero) who agree with me remain. Each board has a vibe around certain topics. I'm okay with that and don't mind taking on all of you all on my own

If that was the case, then I am very sure GTPlanet would have banned me when I made that profile post back in 2020 when Biden first got elected and I said Biden cheated and I don’t like cheaters and I thought the election was rigged which I’m sure Tex and Joey here might still remember. As to whether or not I still hold that belief that’s a conversation for another day.

 

[Yard_Sale]

A commiefornian* trying to tell me how real Republicans are here in deep-red Texas?

Hysterical.

*joke

How many republican friends do you have? And the normal kind… not the fringe types.

Myself, but have probably a 60/40 spilt of liberal friends to conservatives. Most my conservative friends are people I work with, and most my liberal friends are outside of work. Some fringe types on both sides. But all great people in person.

Fwiw, I like everyone here, despite our differing opinions on things. If any of ya’ll are ever in San Diego or Los Angeles, hit me up and we’ll have a beer!

 

[McLaren]

How many republican friends do you have? And the normal kind… not the fringe types.

Myself, but have probably a 60/40 spilt of liberal friends to conservatives. Most my conservative friends are people I work with, and most my liberal friends are outside of work. Some fringe types on both sides. But all great people in person.

Fwiw, I like everyone here, despite our differing opinions on things. If any of ya’ll are ever in San Diego or Los Angeles, hit me up and we’ll have a beer!

It's realistically 70/30. The conservatives are of varying degrees though whilst my liberal friends are pretty much on the same page. All of them are nice, though it's quite clear a couple of the conservatives get hostile around politics & have bought into false talking points/memes. Thankfully, most of them are also work people, so there's a certain level of professionalism that keeps political talk friendly, but their online presence typically shares their full opinions for better or worse.

 

[Joey D]

They're "selling" an essential service/utilty not flavored ice cream. I don't understand why so many can't see it. Your arguments were made when telephone companies were founded and were quickly shut down as horse crap like 100 years ago.

Phones aren't essential and haven't even been remotely useful for at least 10 years. I use the phone roughly once a week when I call my parents, all other voice chats I have are done over the Internet.

The funny thing about that is that they've CHANGED their TOS after they successfuly established a monopoly on what became an essential service. Gotta love bait and switch.

You're free to cancel your account then if you don't agree with the new TOS. There also isn't a monopoly on phones or social media. For a phone, there are at least 5 major carriers I can choose from plus a bunch of smaller ones. Also, almost every TOS has something in it about certain things changing without notice. However, almost every major company will notify you if the TOS was updated. I got a notification today when I jumped on Twitter that their TOS has changed. I couldn't be arsed to read it though, but I also know Twitter has my data which is why I don't post certain things on there.

If you're not offered an option to opt out prior to using the service, the phone company should be shut down.

That's not how it works. You either agree to the terms they've put forth or you don't use the service. It isn't complicated.

I find the irony quite sad and not amusing at all. Do you consider anti trust laws "government meddling in private business" as well?

Yes, absolutely. It's not the government's job to dictate the economy.

On a related note, I’ve always wondered what these regular posters do for a living and where they live. Their perception of the world, and real life republicans (not the politician types) is pretty comical at times.

I work in healthcare and I live in Utah, which is the second most Republican state after Wyoming. It's safe to say I have a pretty good idea of what the average Republican is like and while they all don't support an authoritarian-style government, an alarming number of them do. Hell, Utah alone is a theocracy run by people who believe in Christian fanfiction.

 

[Yard_Sale]

The problem these days is that A LOT of people get hostile with politics. its unfortunate really


I have a theory...

Organized religion has been on a steady decline for the past 30 years. Maybe more. Yet, history has proven over thousands of years time and time again, that Humans need something to look up too. Worship if you will (for lack of a better term, and its a gross overstatement... I know). Politics has been filling the void that the absence of religion has left in people's life's. Its in our human DNA to believe in something greater than oneself.

Politics has become so tribal and so reminiscent of religion....only amplified by the social media age.... and now on Cocaine because of the Trump era. Politicians have lost their minds. Society has lost its mind. It sucks.

 

[Yard_Sale]

I work in healthcare and I live in Utah, which is the second most Republican state after Wyoming. It's safe to say I have a pretty good idea of what the average Republican is like and while they all don't support an authoritarian-style government, an alarming number of them do. Hell, Utah alone is a theocracy run by people who believe in Christian fanfiction.

Here's the crazy thing. I watch as much CNN/MSNBC as I do Fox News. Both sides say THE EXACT SAME THING ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE. Just in different context. Just dangling red meat to their viewers for ratings. As with most things, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle.

I've always assumed that all sides are lying to me when it comes to politics and the like. And its up to me to figure out the facts best I can, and gain my vantage point from there

This day in age, lies and fake news are thrust in front of your eyes. Yet the truth, still, is always at your fingertips if you're willing to do the work. 30 years ago, I got an encyclopedia bertanica (spelling?) from my grand parents when I was 8 years old. 20 years ago, I still researched for my papers in libraries by looking through books or articles. Last week, I bought my 8 year old nephew an iPad for his birthday

 

[Chris30]

I haven't voted in 5 years, all it is is a war. The Democrats vs the Republicans. That's why I steer clear from it, and there are dangerous people around, remember the riot at the White House a year ago where they were shooting at the staff. Trump wouldn't even help his friend Mike Pence. Here's an article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_States_Capitol_attack

Or you can look it up on Google. It took place January 6th, 2021.

 

[GBO Possum]

I haven't voted in 5 years, all it is is a war. The Democrats vs the Republicans. That's why I steer clear from it, and there are dangerous people around, remember the riot at the White House a year ago where they were shooting at the staff. Trump wouldn't even help his friend Mike Pence. Here's an article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_States_Capitol_attack

Or you can look it up on Google. It took place January 6th, 2021.

The attack on the Capitol is exactly the reason why voting is important. Unless you want your future in the hands of those people who would overthrow our government.

PS the Capitol is not the same as the White House

 

[Chris30]

Well, thanks for explaining that. The capitol and the White House are two seperate buildings, like the Pentagon I assume. Been a long time since we've been to Washington D.C.

 

[GBO Possum]

From a Fox News* national survey taken September last year …

 

[NotThePrez]

Doesn't mean anything. Clearly this board has selected for people with similar ideologies over time and few (or zero) who agree with me remain.

There is (at least) one regular member here who has demonstrated to be fully onboard the Conservative hype train (and has on multiple occasions tried to excuse and/or downplay several of the authoritarian measures attempted by the GoP) who has not been banned, nor has there been any reason (as far as I'm aware, as I'm not a mod) for them to be banned in the first place. There are also (at least) 2 other regular members who, while I wouldn't describe them as Conservative, are definitely much more right-leaning than most other regulars here, and have been active in this subforum for quite a number of years.

You're implying that this subforum is an echo chamber, and it's anything but, though there have been a couple of low points over time. In my own observations, it's usually the expectation of actual discussion and holding people accountable for what they say that generally drives users away, rather than solely the difference in ideology. I personally don't think that's a bad thing, as it keeps the quality of discussion relatively high, and stops the site from potentially being a platform for people with legitimately dangerous ideals.

On a related note, I’ve always wondered what these regular posters do for a living and where they live. Their perception of the world, and real life republicans (not the politician types) is pretty comical at times.

I live in West Florida. At the current moment, my state is attempting to infringe on the 1st Amendment Rights of an American company and its employees, and (up until recently) was attempting to re-draw its voting lines so that the one district of mostly black voters that's run by a Democrat would be split, which would give Republican votes much greater representation in this state. Keep in mind, even though Florida is considered a swing state, it's typically been a pretty solid safe heaven for Republican voters for quite some time. I'm also a Black person, work retail in a small independent store, and attempt to keep a keen eye on the political and educational happenings due to having friends and family that are/have been involved in local government and education.

With that, I think I can safely say I have an idea of what "real life republicans" are like here. Like @Joey D said, while a lot of Republicans in this state don't necessarily support authoritarianism, a very concerning number of them do, even though the majority of them are actually pretty nice people all things considered. Again, my state is being run by a man going after the constitutional rights of a lot of American workers because he didn't like what their CEO said about a recent education law (a law that in of itself infringes on others 1st Amendment rights, and at one point was shaping up to infringe on peoples rights to privacy), and a significant number of voters here are loving it. These people aren't "fringe," they're a significant percentage of the voting populace.

I haven't voted in 5 years, all it is is a war. The Democrats vs the Republicans. That's why I steer clear from it, and there are dangerous people around, remember the riot at the White House a year ago where they were shooting at the staff. Trump wouldn't even help his friend Mike Pence. Here's an article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_States_Capitol_attack

Or you can look it up on Google. It took place January 6th, 2021.

The Capitol attack is the reason why voting is important. Abstaining from voting give people like the ones who attacked the Capitol (as well as the politicians who represent them) more room to secure their power. That day was just a taste of what could happen to this country if we let things go too far without accountability.

 

[Yard_Sale]

There is (at least) one regular member here who has demonstrated to be fully onboard the Conservative hype train (and has on multiple occasions tried to excuse and/or tone down several of the authoritarian measures attempted by the GoP) who has not been banned, nor has there been any reason (as far as I'm aware, as I'm not a mod) for them to be banned in the first place. There are also (at least) 2 other regular members who, while I wouldn't describe them as Conservative, are definitely much more right-leaning than most other regulars here, and have been active in this subforum for quite a number of years.

You're implying that this subforum is an echo chamber, and it's anything but, though there have been a couple of low points over time. In my own observations, it's usually the expectation of actual discussion and holding people accountable for what they say that generally drives users away, rather than solely the difference in ideology. I personally don't think that's a bad thing, as it keeps the quality of discussion relatively high, and stops the site from potentially being a platform for people with legitimately dangerous ideals.

I live in West Florida. At the current moment, my state is attempting to infringe on the 1st Amendment Rights of an American company and its employees, and (up until recently) was attempting to re-draw its voting lines so that the one district of mostly black voters that's run by a Democrat would be split, which would give Republican votes much greater representation in this state. Keep in mind, even though Florida is considered a swing state, it's typically been a pretty solid safe heaven for Republican voters for quite some time. I'm also a Black person, work retail in a small independent store, and attempt to keep a keen eye on the political and educational happenings due to having friends and family that are/have been involved in local government and education.

With that, I think I can safely say I have an idea of what "real life republicans" are like here. Like @Joey D said, while a lot of Republicans in this state don't necessarily support authoritarianism, a very concerning number of them do, even though the majority of them are actually pretty nice people all things considered. Again, my state is being run by a man going after the constitutional rights of a lot of American workers because he didn't like what their CEO said about a recent education law (a law that in of itself infringes on others 1st Amendment rights, and at one point was shaping up to infringe on peoples rights to privacy), and a significant number of voters here are loving it. These people aren't "fringe," they're a significant percentage of the voting populace.

The Capitol attack is the reason why voting is important. Abstaining from voting give people like the ones who attacked the Capitol (as well as the politicians who represent them) more room to secure their power. That day was just a taste of what could happen to this country if we let things go too far without accountability.

Good stuff!

While admittedly, I agree with half of what you’re saying. It’s important people get to know one another so we can better understand their lens in which they view society through.

The short of me. White, non-college educated, blue collar…. (Stereotypes anyone ). Been a fireman for almost 19 years. Was a smoke jumper for my first 2 years. Spent the last 16 on Skid Row and in South Central Los Angeles. Recently transferred to East Los Angeles so I can at least have a chance of a couple hours of sleep at night. The Mexican mafia runs everything in East Los, so gang activity is relatively low. I just run calls on old people and run of the mill dummies after midnight now 😎



Oh yea…, disclaimer. My views and opinions are my own and do not reflect that of my employer, or so on and so forth. In other words, I’m genuinely a good guy 👍🏼

 

[Danoff]

Both sides say THE EXACT SAME THING ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE. Just in different context. Just dangling red meat to their viewers for ratings. As with most things, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle.

It's a mistake to assume that just because both sides say the same thing about the other side, that means that both sides are equally correct. It's important to actually listen and think carefully about what's being said, and really think critically about it. It's not enough to just gauge Fox and CNN and assume the truth lies in the middle.

I'm a registered libertarian, and don't particularly align well with either "side". But there is a deep authoritarian movement in the US right now that is actively undermining the constitution and democracy itself. That authoritarian movement is currently the backbone of the GOP, and it's anything but conservative. It's trying to dismantle US institutions, like elections, rights, personal freedoms, and separation of church and state. Roe vs. Wade was 50 years old, it was conservative.

The authoritarian movement isn't a conservative or liberal thing, it's been growing over the past few decades and it is something else entirely. It's essentially authoritarianism vs. democracy and there are a surprising number of Americans (given that America is a democratic nation) who oppose democracy.

 

[Tornado]

I still can't get over the assertion that social media is an essential service.

 

[R3V]

Wait a minute. I thought it was the Russians interfering the 2016 elections to get trump elected not Facebook or Twitter. Do you even pay attention to politics at all? If not I’d suggest you stay out of the thread and do some research first.

Interfering by buying ads from a private business? I thought you wanted to let private companies do private company things without government interference

If that was the case, then I am very sure GTPlanet would have banned me when I made that profile post back in 2020 when Biden first got elected and I said Biden cheated and I don’t like cheaters and I thought the election was rigged which I’m sure Tex and Joey here might still remember. As to whether or not I still hold that belief that’s a conversation for another day.

I didn't say anything about banning. If the majorirty have a certain opinion, it'll push away those with a minority opinion. This is normal. Not eveyone is willing to entertain differing opinions online and spend a chunk of his/her personal time doing so.

Out of curiosity, you said he cheated in the general or primaries?

Phones aren't essential and haven't even been remotely useful for at least 10 years. I use the phone roughly once a week when I call my parents, all other voice chats I have are done over the Internet.

So internet voice chats replaced phone calls. There ya go, proved my point

There also isn't a monopoly on phones or social media.

Yes, absolutely. It's not the government's job to dictate the economy.

Are you a libertarian or something? If you don't believe in anti trust or think it's okay for monopolies to exist, we're just wasting each other's time.

Really, this isn't even a left-right issue. For capitalism to work in any way, you need to have competition. Google should've never been allowed to buy youtube, and Facebook should've never been allowed to buy WhatsApp. Just two simple examples.

Also, almost every TOS has something in it about certain things changing without notice.

This isn't a legal argument, and it's irrelevant because you can't change the terms overnight to say "by continuing to use this, we now possess your house". Companies and their lawyers can say and make you sign whatever the hell they want.

That's not how it works. You either agree to the terms they've put forth or you don't use the service. It isn't complicated.

"That's not how it works" is a non-argument here.

Slave: I want to be free
Slave owner: That's not how it works. The law is on my side.

I live in Utah

Best race track in North America btw 👍

There is (at least) one regular member here who has demonstrated to be fully onboard the Conservative hype train (and has on multiple occasions tried to excuse and/or downplay several of the authoritarian measures attempted by the GoP) who has not been banned, nor has there been any reason (as far as I'm aware, as I'm not a mod) for them to be banned in the first place. There are also (at least) 2 other regular members who, while I wouldn't describe them as Conservative, are definitely much more right-leaning than most other regulars here, and have been active in this subforum for quite a number of years.

As I said above, I was not talking about bans or party affiliation. That's a simplistic interpretation of what I said.

You're implying that this subforum is an echo chamber, and it's anything but

Most communities end up being echo chambers over time. This isn't hard to accept. If you or anyone is on a forum to validate one's opinion or anything like that, I'm sorry.

I mean, 50% of this sub forum's members voted "no way" god exists. It's safe to assume that most users are American (as is the case on most English speaking websites). That number is not at all a control group for America.

Also on this very topic, my opinion is actually pretty widely accepted (at least more so than it is here). I'd hate to quote a grifter like Andrew Yang, but even he and many of his supporters are for your data being your private property.

stops the site from potentially being a platform for people with legitimately dangerous ideals.

Do you personally think that my opinion is dangerous by any chance? Me calling for social media companies with a significant percentage of a population and/or market share to be regulated as utilities/phone companies.

I still can't get over the assertion that social media is an essential service.

Do you consider cellular phones or landlines essential or not? We can start there.

 

[Pupik]

You can't sign your human rights away by "agreeing" to some ******** ToS. Social media companies are the digital version of phone companies. Anyway enjoy fascism.

Just tell us which returning banned member you are and save us the trouble.

 

[TheCracker]

The problem these days is that A LOT of people get hostile with politics. its unfortunate really


I have a theory...

Organized religion has been on a steady decline for the past 30 years. Maybe more. Yet, history has proven over thousands of years time and time again, that Humans need something to look up too. Worship if you will (for lack of a better term, and its a gross overstatement... I know). Politics has been filling the void that the absence of religion has left in people's life's. Its in our human DNA to believe in something greater than oneself.

Politics has become so tribal and so reminiscent of religion....only amplified by the social media age.... and now on Cocaine because of the Trump era. Politicians have lost their minds. Society has lost its mind. It sucks.

I don't think that politics has become a proxy for a declining interest in religion. I think in the US, where religion is still relatively popular compared to many other western nations, the increased hostility between Republicans and Democrats and all this recent rights backtracking by DeSantis and Abbott etc, is largely fuelled by deep held north vs south, civil war era beliefs that these largely red states just don't want to be governed by Washington and never have done. Sure, those states are probably more religious than the 'blue' ones, but i don't think religion really has anything to do with the current GOP vs Democrat issues as both sides still have plenty of religious influence, thats not withered away to insignificance.

 

[R3V]

Just tell us which returning banned member you are and save us the trouble.

Wait, you're a mod? The guys above were just saying you don't ban based on opinion (which I wasn't even implying) and now you're implying you actually do that? Does this mean members who had shared the same opinion as I did got banned for it? Am I understanding your question correctly?

 

[McLaren]

If you’re a returning member who got banned before, you’d be banned for circumventing the previous ban.

 

[R3V]

If you’re a returning member who got banned before, you’d be banned for circumventing the previous ban.

That is a hilarious assumption to make given the discussion above, though.

 

[Famine]

Wait, you're a mod?

No.

The guys above were just saying you don't ban based on opinion (which I wasn't even implying) and now you're implying you actually do that?

No.

Does this mean members who had shared the same opinion as I did got banned for it?

No.

Am I understanding your question correctly?

No.

 

[merseyxshore]

As I've already said elsewhere on this board, in my opinion politics in the US (and now the UK since we imported the culture wars) is now basically a sport. While the left certainly has it's adherents, this is mostly on the right. You pick your side and support it faithfully no matter what. I'm convinced many people on the right don't care about policies or making the world a better place, it's just about winning. For example, many of those on the right in both of our countries would rather actively vote against their interests and the interests of those around them in order to "own the libs" or "destroy the lefties".

I could be wrong, but it's just the way I see it these days.

 

[TheCracker]

As I've already said elsewhere on this board, in my opinion politics in the US (and now the UK since we imported the culture wars) is now basically a sport. While the left certainly has it's adherents, this is mostly on the right. You pick your side and support it faithfully no matter what. I'm convinced many people on the right don't care about policies or making the world a better place, it's just about winning. For example, many of those on the right in both of our countries would rather actively vote against their interests and the interests of those around them in order to "own the libs" or "destroy the lefties".

I could be wrong, but it's just the way I see it these days.

I do blame social media and the rise of unashamedly biased news media for this. There's always been a left vs right divide, but previously those with opposing views were either actual neighbours or a vague concept of 'those in positions of power' - Washington or Westminster, or those that financially influence them and the faceless sheep that follow them. Human nature as it is, if you actually meet one to one with someone who has opposing views to yourself, you generally act civil, agree to disagree or have a relatively courteous exchange of opinions. But now, once you're hiding behind the veil of anonymity and fuelled by that media bias and a mob mentality, it's a gloves off battle of us verses them.

 

[R3V]

As I've already said elsewhere on this board, in my opinion politics in the US (and now the UK since we imported the culture wars) is now basically a sport. While the left certainly has it's adherents, this is mostly on the right. You pick your side and support it faithfully no matter what. I'm convinced many people on the right don't care about policies or making the world a better place, it's just about winning. For example, many of those on the right in both of our countries would rather actively vote against their interests and the interests of those around them in order to "own the libs" or "destroy the lefties".

I could be wrong, but it's just the way I see it these days.

I don't think you're wrong but it's also not exclusive to a political leaning or party. Nuanced discussions are hard and lengthy. Most just go by their "gut feeling" and pick a team.

I'm still quite amused that presenting a dissenting opinion here automatically warranted "you must be a returning banned member". I've been here 5 years and never shared an opinion on this thread and yet this is how I'm greeted. Well, after all the laughing gif for saying something that has been increasingly getting support.

 

[Danoff]

I don't think you're wrong but it's also not exclusive to a political leaning or party. Nuanced discussions are hard and lengthy. Most just go by their "gut feeling" and pick a team.

I'm still quite amused that presenting a dissenting opinion here automatically warranted "you must be a returning banned member". I've been here 5 years and never shared an opinion on this thread and yet this is how I'm greeted. Well, after all the laughing gif for saying something that has been increasingly getting support.

This is social media. Do you think you have a right to say whatever you want on this site? Do you think it is essential? That is why people are reacting the way they are, because what you're saying is nonsense.

 

[Famine]

Well, after all the laughing gif for saying something that has been increasing getting support.

The gifs are because the points you are advancing are risible.


Facebook is not a "necessity". A necessity is something that, if denied to a regular person, will inevitably result in their death: it is necessary for their survival. Thing like water*, food*, shelter*, and sleep* are necessities.

Sometimes, some people require things in order to survive that regular people do not, and this becomes a necessity in their case. Insulin is a terrific example, as regular people make their own but those with a biological inability to do so will die if they do not have a synthetic replacement. By definition, "insulin" is a necessity (but you make it yourself), but "synthetic insulin"* is not; however, most societies recognise that it ought to be classified as one simply because, for a lot of people, denying it results in death.

Of course that leads into questions about why more general healthcare isn't a necessity, and why most societies aside from the USA (generally speaking) classify it as one anyway. That's for other threads.

An electricity supply* is also not, by definition, a necessity. It's super-neat, and enables lots of conveniences for modern life, like changing the temperature of stuff. Refrigeration and cooking (and also heating your shelter) really do help with the whole "surviving" thing, and there's also communication and entertainment.

If your power goes off for a couple of days, you probably won't die unless you live in Antarctica (though the old propane burners and backup generators will fill in that gap), and plenty of people live without an electricity supply - preppers and people who want to live "off grid" as good examples. Still, it's something most societies regard as an expectation - along with a clean water supply and, these days, the internet.


Facebook is neither water nor insulin nor electricity. In fact it's not any of those things, nor is it even close to one. It's a specific, single service (among many) that people elect to use for convenience for something they like to do - in this case the convenience of being connected to friends and staying up to date with gossip without the hassle of going outside and meeting people.

If communication was a necessity (it isn't) then Facebook would be to communication what McDonald's is to food. It's a thing you elect to use for convenience, and extremely popular, but not necessarily the best (or even a vaguely sensible) way to access the necessity.


Since its original incarnation as a way of rating how hot girls at Zuck's college are, it's somehow become an even more heinous monster than that, providing the service of... your data. Facebook's users are not the customer, they are the product.

It can only sell your data because you agree to it as a condition of using the service. You agree to an elective set of terms and conditions, just as you did when you joined GTPlanet, enabling it to do so. It cannot unilaterally change that agreement; each time it changes its terms and conditions, it is legally required to inform you and ask you to agree again.

You are correct to assert that terms of service cannot break the law... but harvesting data in this manner is not a breach of law. If they said Facebook could kill your firstborn, then that would be unenforceable because it is a breach of law (you actually cannot legally agree to being killed either, at least in the UK).

The fact that Facebook is many orders of magnitude larger than GTPlanet isn't actually relevant to the fact that in both cases you agree to a terms of service that allow for content you submit to be moderated in any way that the moderation staff see fit. Both GTPlanet and Facebook can legally alter, censor, and delete the content you submit, and can terminate your ability to use the site(s) at any time, pretty much on a whim.

I can tell you that nobody on GTPlanet has ever had their posts altered/censored/deleted (actually removed from public view, but that's not important right now) or been banned on a whim nor will be - but our TOS says we can. I have no idea what Facebook's TOS allows, nor how its moderation staff behave, because I don't have and have never had a Facebook account and have never agreed to their TOS... but that's ultimately not relevant to the fact that, as a Facebook user, you agree to it.


Now... whether you think the TOS here or on Facebook is fair or reasonable is an entirely different question (although not a very interesting one; if you agree to them, then you do think they're fair or reasonable... unless you are absolutely barking mad). They are, however, legally appropriate and do not require you to sign away something you cannot legally sign away - and if you agree to them (and by using the site(s) you agree to them) they can and will be used to define your user experience in the manner to which you agree.

A bilateral agreement on a terms of service is a contract, and contracts are not fascism. Fascism is the unilateral imposition of will.


*There is a much deeper discussion beneath this regarding rights; something that someone else has to give you is not a right, because it requires that they surrender their bodily autonomy to you. You do not have the right to someone else's body (and therefore their work) - that's slavery.

For example, clean water is a necessity, but provision of clean water is not a de facto right, even though it seems incredibly uncomfortable to say that; cleaning water is a complex process that requires other people's work (particularly on a large-scale basis, such as those in major cities) and you don't have a right to someone else's work.

However most societies are entirely aware of the fact that clean water is a necessity and is something to which everyone bloody well should have access, and it is legally recognised as such (as it should be). The humans who provide the work to provide it are compensated for their work at a level that employer and employee accept; a terms of service, if you will...