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I don't claim to know anything about their interests, but I'm fairly certain that hosting political dissent of any sort on Facebook is not in anyone's interest

by mayank 16y ago

I don't claim to know anything about their interests, but I'm fairly certain that hosting political dissent of any sort on Facebook is not in anyone's interest (well, except the authorities and the people you're um...dissenting against). Why do I feel that way? Because dissent, by definition, pisses some people off. If you are the authorities or the majority, it wouldn't really be dissent. If you're not, then you're essentially putting your Facebook members at risk, whether the information is gained by diplomatic pressure, subpoenas, or with the little keylogging Javascript monkey that the Tunisian government most recently tried.

jdp23 16y ago
> I don't claim to know anything about their interests, but I'm fairly certain that hosting political dissent of any sort on Facebook is not in anyone's interest a) the second half of this sentence contradicts the first: you're claiming you know something about their interests b) you're wrong. Facebook is an extremely effective tool for activists in general, even in repressive regimes. in the Tunisian protests, it's been used to share vidoes, update people on news from Al Jazeera and other outlets that aren't controlled by the government, get word out about protests, and see the final status message of Mohamed Bouazizi -- the guy who killed himself in Sibi Bouzid and touched off the revolution. tens of thousands of people are putting their lives on the line by going out in the streets where police are firing live ammunition -- over 60 have died in the protests. by those standards posting something on their Facebook profiles isn't risky at all.
- mayank 16y ago
  > tens of thousands of people are putting their lives on the line by going out in the streets where police are firing live ammunition -- over 60 have died in the protests. by those standards posting something on their Facebook profiles isn't risky at all. When you're going out on the street, you're putting yourself at risk. When you use a service like Facebook for dissent, you're also putting family and friends at risk (and likewise if your family or friends use it). The specifics may vary according to the situation, but the principle doesn't.
  - jdp23 16y ago
    when somebody is photographed at a street action, they're putting their friends and family at risks. everybody knows it. as you say, it's a general principle: repressive regimes will target the friends and families of anybody who gets their attention sufficiently. but the risk profiles are very different: - go out in the street: risk getting killed, or bashed with a nightstick, or photographed (in which case you wind up on a list and they may target you, your friends, and your family - share a link on Facebook: risk winding up on a much much longer list (so they're less likely to have the resources to target everybody on it, let alone their friends and families)

by mayank 16y ago

jdp23 16y ago

> I don't claim to know anything about their interests, but I'm fairly certain that hosting political dissent of any sort on Facebook is not in anyone's interest a) the second half of this sentence contradicts the first: you're claiming you know something about their interests b) you're wrong. Facebook is an extremely effective tool for activists in general, even in repressive regimes. in the Tunisian protests, it's been used to share vidoes, update people on news from Al Jazeera and other outlets that aren't controlled by the government, get word out about protests, and see the final status message of Mohamed Bouazizi -- the guy who killed himself in Sibi Bouzid and touched off the revolution. tens of thousands of people are putting their lives on the line by going out in the streets where police are firing live ammunition -- over 60 have died in the protests. by those standards posting something on their Facebook profiles isn't risky at all.

mayank 16y ago
> tens of thousands of people are putting their lives on the line by going out in the streets where police are firing live ammunition -- over 60 have died in the protests. by those standards posting something on their Facebook profiles isn't risky at all. When you're going out on the street, you're putting yourself at risk. When you use a service like Facebook for dissent, you're also putting family and friends at risk (and likewise if your family or friends use it). The specifics may vary according to the situation, but the principle doesn't.
- jdp23 16y ago
  when somebody is photographed at a street action, they're putting their friends and family at risks. everybody knows it. as you say, it's a general principle: repressive regimes will target the friends and families of anybody who gets their attention sufficiently. but the risk profiles are very different: - go out in the street: risk getting killed, or bashed with a nightstick, or photographed (in which case you wind up on a list and they may target you, your friends, and your family - share a link on Facebook: risk winding up on a much much longer list (so they're less likely to have the resources to target everybody on it, let alone their friends and families)