29 ms·

Facebook bans, sends C&D letter to developer of Unfollow Everything extension

• sedatk 5y ago
  Here's the first-hand account of the extension's author: https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every...
• MR4D 5y ago
  Is there a GoFundMe page we can donate to for legal defense Yet?
• wrboyce 5y ago
  I received a C&D from Facebook many moons ago. I was a young man and absolutely shit myself, to the extent that I don’t even have the source code anymore. All I did was publish some CSS to make Facebook look a little less shitty.
  • ben_w 5y ago
    Eesh. Ironically enough I was thinking recently about how, content aside, Facebook’s UI is as bad now as it was in 2010.
• annadane 5y ago
  One of the worst things that could have happened to Facebook is the whole Cambridge Analytica thing; now they can always just hide behind the veneer of "we disable scripting/API access to x degree because something something hand waiving black magic user safety third party developers and do you want another scandal like we had with CA" even when they may be completely different situations
• akersten 5y ago
  A ban? Fine, whatever, their house their rules. A cease and desist for making a browser extension that automates a process that any user could themselves do with no special "hacking" required? Absolutely absurd, I hope there is no legal basis for this threat.
  • NotPractical 5y ago
    If there is a legal basis for this threat, I guess most browser extensions are at risk.
  • e9 5y ago
    It’s probably because extension was recording usage of Facebook. They are cracking down on any type of user data collection even with user consent. Which is ironic but in some way makes sense to avoid another Cambridge Analytica. Edit: to clarify confusion, author of the extension worked with university to collect user data to use for study: https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every...
    • ARandomerDude 5y ago
      Facebook is an ad platform. The guy wrote a plugin that removes their ability to display ads. Now he's banned. It's pretty straightforward.
    • akersten 5y ago
      With the disclaimer that I haven't looked too closely into it - that does make things sound a little sketchier from a user privacy perspective. I probably wouldn't use the extension myself. I'm still curious how Facebook has standing just because data is being recorded about the user's browsing which happens to include (maybe exclusively) their website. Most browser extensions are capable of exfiltrating page content - are they all in target for FB to say "nah, we don't like that" on behalf of someone who goes to facebook.com with the extension installed? I would think (hope) not.
    • lowkey_ 5y ago
      I imagine it's more so, at least according to the article as well, that this extension is automating user interactions. As an example of automated user interactions: It's clearly not allowed to use an extension that will automatically follow on Instagram in order to increase your follower count. Sadly, although this extension should morally be categorized differently, it falls into the same category per their rules — automatically following is treated the same as automatically unfollowing. (In fact, a common feature of automatic follower bots is to automatically unfollow afterwards).
• jessaustin 5y ago
  This piece by the actual developer, linked within TFA, seems better: https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-every...
  • fotta 5y ago
    Discussed yesterday too https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28788821 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28788821
• londons_explore 5y ago
  Neither the techspot nor the slate article link to the tool the entire article is about. Here is a direct link to the tool: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unfollow-everyone-on-face/pijkodjelolnmbehifeokihlodnajela?hl=en https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unfollow-everyone-... Why do news organisations resist linking users to the source of news so heavily?
  • burkaman 5y ago
    That's a different extension. They can't link to Unfollow Everything because he was forced to take it down.
    • jessaustin 5y ago
      That seems pretty bad. They used the threat of a lawsuit to govern his use of a completely unrelated platform owned by a different firm. I'm sure the courts just love this shit, but that would only show how fundamentally unjust the courts are. Is there something wrong with the linked extension? Is its existence contingent on FB lawyers not identifying the developer?
  • barbazoo 5y ago
    This doesn't seem to be the same tool. The letter cites "Unfollow everything for facebook"
• anonu 5y ago
  The threat of a lawsuit when the big guy has infinite resources is a scary proposition. Dealing with this can easily cost the developer $10s of 1000s. Basically, corporate bullying. Its not right...
• 0x4d464d48 5y ago
  Zuckerberg mentioned how much pride he and the team at Facebook take in their products. I wonder how much pride they take in users saying the experience is enhanced by orders of magntiude when they unsubscribe from their feeds...
  • busymom0 5y ago
    That's why I never watch those hearings or read whatever empty words these people say. Only care about actions. The hearings have pretty much become a way for politicians to grandstand for cameras and partisan politics while the CEOs get to lie and make untrue claims without any consequences. Actions > Words.
    • sharklazer 5y ago
      True, but has this ever not been the case? Pols and Execs alike want great (or at least not bad) sound bites. They perform on an act on a stage.
      • busymom0 5y ago
        I think it has accelerated in the last 5-10 years because of Twitter and other social media. I do not think the hearings such as the Church Committee Hearings are possible now a days.
  • eddiezane 5y ago
    ~10 years ago when I still had Facebook for campus events I remember installing this extension and loving it. Glad to see it still exists. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kill-news-feed/hjobfcedfgohjkaieocljfcppjbkglfd?hl=en https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kill-news-feed/hjo...
  • magicroot75 5y ago
    This is like saying that a restaurant owner should consider that his patrons would be happier if their meals were all free. One can take pride in a product while also placing stipulations on it's use.
• tzm 5y ago
  FB also demanded a list of every single domain the developer owns. Seems egregious.
  • busymom0 5y ago
    That demand sort of tells me FB is "reaching" too much and may not have much teeth. In the recent 2020 ruling for VAN BUREN v. UNITED STATES, Supreme Court states that: > "An individual “exceeds authorized access” when he accesses a com- puter with authorization but then obtains information located in par- ticular areas of the computer—such as files, folders, or databases— that are off-limits to him." https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-783_k53l.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-783_k53l.pdf To me this means that as long as OP's extension is only doing stuff which their authorized cookie/token etc is authorized to do, they should be fine. Also it's not the OP who's doing these actions, it's the end user who's using the extension to achieve authorized activity. So I don't see how OP's extension is in the wrong. Only valid claim FB might have is about using trademarked data and any data collection maybe. But the end user using the extension to perform authorized actions (even if automated) should be okay imo. Btw, link to FB's letter for those curious: https://louisbarclay.notion.site/Unfollow-Everything-cease-and-desist-letter-from-Facebook-ea219169421b457bb7ce010b7bf9ce1f https://louisbarclay.notion.site/Unfollow-Everything-cease-a...
• standardUser 5y ago
  I manually unfollowed almost every friend and every page I followed a couple years ago. My feed is now a very limited selection of gaming and media posts that I enjoy immensely. No politics at all and almost nothing in my feed from actual individuals that I know. I ended up enjoying Facebook again, even if in a very different way. It was a tedious process and a tool like this could help a lot of people find their own value in the platform by getting a fresh start. Sadly, FB has no interest in that and would rather corral us in ways as to maximize their own benefit, not ours.
  • majani 5y ago
    I did the same thing a few years ago, but my usage of FB dropped off a cliff after I cleaned up my feed. I am no longer even a daily active user. I can see why they want it to be an endless quagmire of mental junk. There's definitely a correlation between that and time spent on the site
  • cronix 5y ago
    > has no interest in that and would rather corral us in ways as to maximize their own benefit, not ours. I'm trying to think of a for-profit business that does not do that and coming up short.
    • standardUser 5y ago
      There's lots of ways to make a profit and some companies have found ways to make user choice and transparency key selling points that endear their customers and keep them coming back. Or at least show some restraint and not engage wholesale in dark patterns, even if only for reputational purposes. Look at GoDaddy, a near-universally despised company that has managed to become a dominant player by engaging in anti-user practices. But there's plenty of other players that profit in that same space while maintaining really positive relationships with their customers. So while I'm sympathetic to the viewpoint that for-profit businesses always and only act like for-profit businesses, there's still some room to maneuver. Facebook has clearly chosen to manipulate and data mine every single user to within inches of their lives in what amounts to a scorched earth policy.
  • 5y ago
• oauea 5y ago
  First facebook tries to take down the entire internet with their bgp spam, and now this?
• javajosh 5y ago
  I went looking for the (Chrome) Extension and found: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unfollow-everyone-on-face/pijkodjelolnmbehifeokihlodnajela https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unfollow-everyone-... It's called "Unfollow Everyone" though. Is it the same thing? The only clue about the developer identity is the email address, 'easwarismyname@gmail.com' and the developer is "TMP". I'm curious -- if FB pressures Goog to delist the extension, would this open them up to anti-trust action? Also I wonder if the Everyone -> Everything was a mistake, or an intentional misdirect to avoid a Streisand effect?
  • burkaman 5y ago
    That's a different one. Unfollow Everything has been taken down.
  • zhengyi13 5y ago
    > would this open them up to anti-trust action? IANAL. I understand anti-trust regs to work at a market level. FB asking for an extension that interacts solely with their wholly-owned, private platform doesn't affect the larger social media market at all.
• outside1234 5y ago
  Regulate Facebook now
• toomuchtodo 5y ago
  The developer should let the FTC know.
  • heavyset_go 5y ago
    I've made a post here[1] about getting in touch with the FTC, the US Dept. of Justice, and states' Attorneys General offices when it comes to companies like Facebook stifling innovation and competition. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27924908 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27924908
• marstall 5y ago
  I unfollowed everything manually a couple years ago - on Facebook and twitter. still use both tools, but I feel it's much more under my control. Haven't looked back or missed anything. What possible basis would Facebook have for preventing people from managing their own account in this way, improving their lives? Insanity.
• StatsAreFun 5y ago
  Is there a chance the EFF might defend this solo developer?
  • asdff 5y ago
    Even EFF can't take down goliath
• lightsurfer 5y ago
  This company is worst than Exxon by at least an order of magnitude. Exploiting humanity and consciousness. What a level of audacity. Eventually MZ will be removed to rebrand.
• threatofrain 5y ago
  Big prior discussion from yesterday. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28788821 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28788821
• barbazoo 5y ago
  The timing of this is interesting. The letter is dated July 1, is this a repost or has this been reported earlier already?
• TravisHusky 5y ago
  The cease and desist seemingly has no real legal basis, but I mean you can send a cease and desist for anything you want. My mom was building a shed on her property, some neighbors didn't like it so they had a lawyer send a cease and desist with no legal basis. My mom ignored the C&D and is enjoying her new shed. The only problem is Facebook is huge and is willing to drag out lawsuits they won't win just to destroy people's lives because they can afford to hold out much longer than everyone else. It's complete abuse of process, and really should be dealt with more harshly than it is.
  • JadeNB 5y ago
    Even more ominous than a cease & desist is a cease & decease, which is how the article (presumably inadvertently) describes it.
    • ineedasername 5y ago
      Stop it & die! It would be an appropriate way for Facebook to phrase their C&D considering the forms that cyber-bullying take on the platform
  • walrus01 5y ago
    Give the source code to the extension to a developer located in an impossible legal jurisdiction like Afghanistan. Let them publish it. Good luck to Facebook hiring a lawyer and trying its luck in the Taliban's court system. Even before the collapse of the previous government in Kabul it would have been a near impossibility.
    • Eikon 5y ago
      And then, where to publish it? On a website based in an American jurisdiction? On some browser extension store? Great idea.
      • walrus01 5y ago
        Individual civilian afghans are not embargoed by US law - it's not Iran. The Taliban are, of course, embargoed and listed in various things like the OFAC list. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Afghans have gmail accounts, many companies use google workspace or office365, etc. For example.
• neither_color 5y ago
  Anyone have the source so we can build it ourselves?
• cproctor 5y ago
  I have been thinking about the difference between human users and computational agents. There is a widespread pattern of enforcing that only human users may interact with a service, not computational agents. Running a user-installed extension is one example; additional examples are CAPTCHAs, account verification by phone number, or services which refuse to provide API access such as banks. Sometimes the reason is to protect users (e.g. banks), sometimes to protect the service from abuse. But often the reason is to ensure value can be extracted from users (e.g. serving ad impressions) or the power that can be exerted over users. Regardless, I believe this comes down to power: computer scientists understand that acting through a computational agent is fundamentally more powerful than acting directly as a human user. Computational agents can operate at scale, they provide virtualization (e.g. throwaway identities), and thereby conserve the ultimate scarce resource: our attention. Many systems seem to have computational power asymmetry as their fundamental principle: as little human contact on the system's side as possible; as much human contact on the user's side as possible. If there's any path ahead that avoids a totalitarian nightmare resulting from asymptotic concentration of power, it depends on cultivating a more widespread understanding of computational power and developing new social norms and policies. As a CS educator, this is one of my top priorities.
  • ddingus 5y ago
    Thank you. That is good work.
  • wussboy 5y ago
    I haven’t thought about it like this before. Thank you.
    • MarcoZavala 5y ago
  • userbinator 5y ago
    Knowledge is power... and they don't want you to have too much. Imagine if almost everyone knew that they could use things like userscripts and stylesheets to enhance their browsing experience. Or that DRM can often be cracked by changing a single byte. This is why the war on general-purpose computing started. There are some things they don't want you to know because they'd lose control.
• AlexandrB 5y ago
  Contrast this action with this paragraph from Zuckerberg's statement 2 days ago: > At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being. That's just not true. For example, one move that has been called into question is when we introduced the Meaningful Social Interactions change to News Feed. This change showed fewer viral videos and more content from friends and family -- which we did knowing it would mean people spent less time on Facebook, but that research suggested it was the right thing for people's well-being. Is that something a company focused on profits over people would do? This ban is the answer the rhetorical question in the last sentence: Yes, this is exactly something a company focused on profits over people would do. Whatever corporate-speak tweaks Facebook makes to the news feed, the one thing it can't abide is people actively choosing what they experience on the site.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • asdff 5y ago
    I can barely stand reading any quotes from that man. So blatanly two faced. >Is that something a company focused on profits over people would do? This is like BP patting themselves on the back for barely cleaning up an oil spill they themselves caused, and saying "see, we aren't evil, we did the bare minimum necessary to get some puff pieces in the press for us"
• throwawaysea 5y ago
  How can this C&D have any legal basis? This person is providing an extension that is just a piece of software for a browser. The user can choose to 'violate the terms of service' or not. But browser automation isn't something Facebook has the standing to block, I would think. Also how do they feel about Social Book Post Manager (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/social-book-post-manager/ljfidlkcmdmmibngdfikhffffdmphjae https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/social-book-post-m...), an extension that lets people delete their Facebook history selectively (like all your video views), in bulk? This seems like a basic feature any trustworthy social media platform or technology company in general should provide. But since Facebook doesn't, someone made an extension that helps users out. Unfortunately this extension is out of date and doesn't work in 2021 because it doesn't have '2021' as an option in their date filter, and because Facebook's continual UI changes to the activity log seem to be designed to break this extension, since they certainly provide no benefits to users. Can some hacker here who has the skills please make a tool to help lay persons clear their posts/comments/likes/etc. one by one for Facebook, Instagram, and the rest?
  • cyral 5y ago
    C&Ds often have questionable reasoning to back them up. Any lawyer can write something that sounds scary to get you to stop. Whether they are actually interpreting the law correctly is up to the courts, and Facebook knows most people give in because they don't want to chance it or spend money fighting it.
  • jerf 5y ago
    One trick they can pull out in the future is to write into the terms of service that you can't use the service to develop extensions manipulating the service. Then they change something, anything to make the extension not work. If the extension gets fixed, clearly someone broke the terms of service. Watch for a terms of service update from facebook. I had a company fire this at me back in 2000 or so. It worked, in that it wasn't worth dealing with the issues and I stopped. It didn't work in the sense the company is long gone anyhow....
• voodootrucker 5y ago
  I just did this manually in protest.
• christoz 5y ago
  I'd tried to unfollow as many as I could by tapping, at some point after 50 taps Facebook blocked me form further tapping, I don't even remember how I got to the list of all individuals - groups - pages, I am using mobile web version. Clearly Facebook won't make your life easy in this
• nvr219 5y ago
  Here is where you can download the extension Here's the extension zip files that were archived from the Chrome Store. You can get all versions back to 1.0. https://extensions.crxcavator.io/ohceakcebcalehmaliegoenkliddajoo_0.0.12.zip https://extensions.crxcavator.io/ohceakcebcalehmaliegoenklid... https://extensions.crxcavator.io/ohceakcebcalehmaliegoenkliddajoo_0.0.13.zip https://extensions.crxcavator.io/ohceakcebcalehmaliegoenklid... https://extensions.crxcavator.io/ohceakcebcalehmaliegoenkliddajoo_0.0.14.zip https://extensions.crxcavator.io/ohceakcebcalehmaliegoenklid... They are CRX (Chrome Extension) files, some manual steps needed to unpack, or change .zip to .crx and open with Chrome. https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollow_everything_developer_banned_for_life/hfus51x https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollo... Install Instructions: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollow_everything_developer_banned_for_life/hful17d https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollow_everything_developer_banned_for_life/hfu2182/ https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollo...
  • spiderfarmer 5y ago
    I didn’t know about this extension but now I do. Thanks FB lawyers.
    • leeoniya 5y ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
      • riffic 5y ago
        I didn't know what Barbra Streisand's Malibu residence looked like, but now I do.
        • ludamad 5y ago
          Ah yes, the Streisand Streisand effect, the effect of being the Streisand referred to in the Streisand effect and having your private details brought up in metaconversations
• stackedinserter 5y ago
  Understandable, because (anecdotally) it turned out to be the most effective way to get rid of Facebook. Over a couple of weeks I unfollowed all the friends and communities, and ended up with clean page that asked me to add more friends. Since the place turned to barren land with no life, I simply stopped coming there.
• mlboss 5y ago
  It would be nice to have the extension source code on github.com. We can all create and install the extension locally.
• bsd44 5y ago
  Why is this worthy of media attention? As much as I despise social networking websites, I don't see anything wrong here.
  • annoyingnoob 5y ago
    What makes this browser plugin illegal software that is worthy of a ban? What else can Facebook demand that its users use or don't use?
    • krapp 5y ago
      > What makes this browser plugin illegal software that is worthy of a ban? It isn't illegal. Facebook isn't a legislative body or a court, it can neither create nor adjudicate law. And you can read Facebook's case via their cease and desist letter linked in the article. > What else can Facebook demand that its users use or don't use? Outside of their platform? Nothing, obviously. They're not going to break into your house and burn your books or anything.
      • annoyingnoob 5y ago
        Exactly, Facebook cannot dictate what software one can make or run. They can claim a terms of service issue and ban you from their service but they cannot stop you from developing software. If it were me, I'd be tempted to martyr myself just to show how fucked up Facebook really is. What is the worst that can happen? The guy goes bankrupt. Life goes on.
        • krapp 5y ago
          >They can claim a terms of service issue and ban you from their service but they cannot stop you from developing software. They can stop you from developing software for their platform or using their API or brand, which is what Facebook has done. They haven't demanded the developer of Unfollow Everything cease developing software altogether, only that they cease developing software for Facebook. Also, Facebook is nowhere near unique in having similar terms for developers.
• mdoms 5y ago
  It seems like this guy straight forwardly violated their terms of service.
• wesleywt 5y ago
  I guess C&D and ban is another way to treat your Facebook addiction.
• rglover 5y ago
  Can anyone who works at Facebook speak anonymously about what's going on over there? They seem like they're in full authoritarian meltdown mode...
  • bridgestanding 5y ago
    Typically these are done because the author was caught scraping data from users of their extension, or this was a significant risk that they would be able to. Then the developer goes to news to create outrage to get their extension re-approved. Basically to prevent Cambridge Analytica from happening again.
• fullshark 5y ago
  Seems so short sighted, if some subset of users prefer another version of FB, give it to them to make sure they don't leave. The value of FB is the network, keep it healthy instead of doing whatever you can to increase ad real estate.
• unobatbayar 5y ago
  Interesting that people still use Facebook, even after everything that has happened and happening.
• hwers 5y ago
  Great ad for the extension, I wanna try this now.
• SMAAART 5y ago
  Long time ago I took the time to unfollow 99% of my "Facebook Friends" and get out of groups and pages that were of no interest to me. So now I follow a handful of friends and a few pages of interest to me, it's quite interesting.
• VieEnCode 5y ago
  In a similar vein, I've been using News Feed Eradicator: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator/fjcldmjmjhkklehbacihaiopjklihlgg?hl=en https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicat...
  • jordwest 5y ago
    Creator of NFE here. Given this news I feel it's just a matter of time before we go the same way as Unfollow Everything. So many users tell me they avoided deleting Facebook thanks to News Feed Eradicator, so killing it would really be shooting themselves in the foot for a short term gain, but it would not surprise me one bit.
• smashah 5y ago
  How come Teller API is (apparently) 100% legal and has massive VC backing but there is possibility of legal grounds for this blatant bullying? Just shows that tech is more scared of Facebook than massive established institutions.
  • warkdarrior 5y ago
    For banking specifically, you have the Open Banking initiatives around world, including the PSD2 directive in Europe, which requires that APIs for banking should exist and be offered to all. There is no regulation or other government directives requiring social media companies to provide APIs open to all.
    • smashah 5y ago
      I know about PDS2 which is why I specifically bring up the example of Teller. They literally use mobile clients and reverse engineer banking protocols manually then expose them as APIs to their customers. https://www.producthunt.com/posts/teller-api?comment=483805 https://www.producthunt.com/posts/teller-api?comment=483805 I support teller in this endeavour.
• TheRealDunkirk 5y ago
  Everyone who says they've done the same thing is probably guilty of the cardinal sin of social media: linking to accounts you really have no business linking to. The underlying problem is connecting to everyone you recognize and everyone who asks. On Facebook, I only befriend people who are actual, real-life friends. (Currently a paltry 148.) Life changes and moves on. People who fall off my radar get unfriended. It's pretty simple. And, of my friends, I mute those whose posts I find annoying and/or spammy. The people who are "friends" with thousands of people? That makes ZERO sense for anyone, and you have only yourself to blame for a news feed that is nutty and bizarre. I get it. We're all still working out how to live with an antagonistic service that we can't live without, but I have settled into this approach, and I can promise it works much better than gaming your number of contacts.
• noasaservice 5y ago
  I logged into FB with chrome (normally use ff). Got the plugin, and ran the unfollower. Now, my FB feed is empty. It's pretty nice and now tamed. I don't see the usual inflammatory garbage Fb always tries to entice me with.
• randall 5y ago
  Fwiw I have adhd and (by necessity of my job) spend a lot of time on fb. Newsfeed eradicator has been very useful for me.
• tonetheman 5y ago
  Glad Facebook is really working to make their platform more safe. I mean this is clearly worse than the treason, sedition, antivax and genocide normally seen on their platform.
  • justapassenger 5y ago
    I'd assume that ~trillion dollar company can walk and chew gum at the same time. Especially, if you look at Facebook history, siphoning data from there (that this extension was also doing) brought them one of the biggest scandals (cambridge analytica).
• eigengrau5150 5y ago
  Isn't this basically a prelude to a SLAPP lawsuit?
  • dredmorbius 5y ago
    Who is SLAPPing whom? If FB were retaliating to a lawsuit against it with actions of this sort, yes. As it stands, no, this is simple intimidation and coersion on the part of FB.
• goldenManatee 5y ago
  Oh look, Facebook trying to make themselves more popular with us this week.
• Karawebnetwork 5y ago
  > a tool that unfollows all connections automatically, potentially making the social network less addictive and depressing. Having done this manually, I can attest to the increase in the quality of my feed. Every now and then, I need to do the manual work again. I'm glad that Facebook has streisand effect this extension, I'll look into installing it.
  • rytill 5y ago
    As someone who doesn't have Facebook, what actually appears on your feed at all when you've unfollowed all connections? Wouldn't your feed be empty?
    • Karawebnetwork 5y ago
      Groups, pages and family members that I have not blocked. Some of the posts Facebook shows to everyone and the ads. The video widget list that shows what is pretty much embedded Instagram videos. And quickly enough, the "you've reached the bottom" message and end of scroll. I can't remember its exact wording, but the way it's displayed makes it seem like a bug or glitch. It shows that they did not expect users to get there.
      • rytill 5y ago
        Ah, so it’s like “unfollow by default” instead of “follow by default”
• NackerHughes 5y ago
  So... where can I download the extension?
  • mort1merp0 5y ago
    See nvr219 comment above
    • NackerHughes 5y ago
      Thanks! For any others as unobservant as me: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollow_everything_developer_banned_for_life/hfu2182/ https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/q3smfr/unfollo...
  • quickthrower2 5y ago
    Ha ha. Streisand Effect!
• 29athrowaway 5y ago
  "This is so upsetting. I am going to continue to use Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, then buy an Oculus VR headset. That will teach them" - Average Facebook user
  • annadane 5y ago
    I don't like this line of reasoning and you see it all the time on Reddit: "Oh, you dislike Facebook but I bet you still use Instagram lol!" The existence of a company being scummy shouldn't lead to consumers being blamed. This is ridiculous. If anything it should be a GREATER cause for regulators to break them up immediately
• baoha 5y ago
  Someone should create a gofundme page for the guy to fight this nonsense in court.
• 1vuio0pswjnm7 5y ago
  If Zuckerberg had not ignored a C&D letter (from the Winkelvosses lawyer), there would be no Facebook. Once Mr Barclay is no longer using Facebook, then whatever "browsewrap" agreement was created between Barclay and Facebook is arguably no longer in effect. Whatever provisions survive do not include a prohibition on using automation. The Terms state "If you delete or we disable your account, these Terms shall terminate as an agreement between you and us, but the following provisions will remain in place: 3, 4.2-4.5." The prohibition on automation is provision #2. Even if you believe that Facebook can bind non-users to these Terms, then you also have to consider that most courts have refused to enforce browserwrap agreements to begin with. For websites trying to enforce browserwrap, there is a recurring problem with the question of consent. Generally, the website has the burden of proving the user read and understood the Terms. But let's assume Facebook can get past this hurdle. Let's consider the "automated means" provision. Is it enforceable. It is unlikely a provision like this one in a browsewrap agreement has ever been reviewed by any court. Facebook's provision is extremely vague and ambiguous. What is "automated means". It is the essence of a computer. If browser extensions are banned, why not state this explicitly. For example, Facebook-approved web browsers without any extensions all use automation to request image and JavaScript resources. Users do not manually request those resources. The clause itself states "You may not access or collect data from our Products using automated means (without our prior permission) or attempt to access data that you do not have permission to access." But the UnfollowEverything extension does not access nor collect data. It is arguable that (a) for any ordinary user, using UnfollowEbverything does not violate the Facebook Terms and (b) that it is only the usage of this extension by researchers who were otherwise gathering behavioural data that triggered the C&D letter. We already know that Facebook fears researchers studying the effects of its (scripted, automated) website on users.^1 1. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806191005/https://www.wired.com/story/facebooks-reason-banning-researchers-doesnt-hold-up/ https://web.archive.org/web/20210806191005/https://www.wired... In the Facebook Terms, Facebook itself admits to using automation: "And we develop automated systems to improve our ability to detect and remove abusive and dangerous activity that may harm our community and the integrity of our Products." It is 2021, and courts in Northern California are well-aware that automation is useful, for everyone. They would also understand that unfollowing friends results in no loss to user privacy. Nor does it interfere with any ads. But let's assume Facebook can overcome these hurdles and a court in Northern California agrees with the ridiculous arguments Facebook's lawyers would have to make. Imagine (a) Facebook manages to affirmatively prove Barclay consented to the browsewrap that no one ever reads and (b) he understood that using UnfollowEveryone was a violation of the Terms. What would Facebook claim as damage/loss for Barclay's alleged "breach". As an aside, this bit in the Terms is amusing "We do not control or direct what people and others do or say, and we are not responsible for their actions or conduct (whether online or offline) or any content that they share (including offensive, inappropriate, obscene, unlawful and other objectionable content)." It is easily arguable that Facebook does seek to control/direct what users do as it forced Barclay to spend hours in order to unfollow each of his friends by pointing and clicking. Facebook attempts to control and direct what users see and do when using the website, rather than allowing users to make their own choices. That seems beyond question.
• Ajay-p 5y ago
  This seems like it would fall under Anti-SLAPP if taken to actual court.
  • dredmorbius 5y ago
    SLAPP is specifically an action in response to a civil claim or other public criticism. The extension itself isn't such a public participation action. Facebook's C&D isn't a SLAPP. Facebook and Perkins Coei's letter are simple intimidation. Quite arguably monopoly abuse as well, which might interest the US FCC, US FTC, and CA State AG. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_publ...
    • Ajay-p 5y ago
      What if Facebook sued? Then would it be SLAPP?
• iainctduncan 5y ago
  FWIW, I just do this by never going to the feed. Ever. I open FB on my messages, check my handful of groups (who I sure wish were on forums, but aren't...) and never see the crack flavoured candy. Also, a wonderful tool is Stylebot. You can make CSS overrides to hide auto suggestions, "you might need this dopamine rush", "other addicts got addicted to this" and all that crap. Makes reddit actually usable.
• CosmicShadow 5y ago
  What I want to know is how do we keep making things worse for Facebook?
  • quickthrower2 5y ago
    Well we could all tell everyone we know about the extension. Chuck it in your slacks #random Edit: I chucked elsewhere on social media and will slack it on Monday.
• m0zg 5y ago
  Reminds me of how many years ago I advised a guy who was being sold a real shit instrument at a musical instruments store that what he's about to buy is a waste of money and he shouldn't buy it. I also explained why that is. Things got heated and I was asked to leave, as well. :-)
• gdsdfe 5y ago
  This maybe why the no-code low-code movement, if can call it that, maybe be very useful. If one can easily create such an app and run it for themselves, what Facebook are gonna do ban everyone from their platform?
• Ansil849 5y ago
  Facebook engineers lurking on HN reading this: you are complicit in things like this by developing the technical infrastructure that makes it all possible. If your motivation is money, you can absolutely find that employment elsewhere.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • shepherdjerred 5y ago
    The responsibility lies with the company, not the cogs who are there for a paycheck.
    • slickrick216 5y ago
      Nah everyone has a choice. Facebook engineers choose theirs. Don’t infantilise them.
      • shepherdjerred 5y ago
        What country do you pay taxes to? Has that country done anything morally wrong since you lived there? If so, why do you still pay them taxes?
        • slickrick216 5y ago
          The justice system holds a gun to my head. Threatening my life and liberty and that of my family.
          • chii 5y ago
            The economic system holds a gun to my head. Threatening my life and financial liberty and that of my family.
            • cloogshicer 5y ago
• grumblestumble 5y ago
  This is the kind of malware I can get behind.
• Danielsauck 5y ago
  Ok
• quotemstr 5y ago
  HN: "How dare Facebook ban this extension! All it does is let a computer do automatically what a user could already do on his own. Ridiculous!" Also HN: "automated facial recognition is bad"
• 8note 5y ago
  If you are banned by Facebook, does that mean they will stop tracking you?
  • dredmorbius 5y ago
    No. "What’s a Facebook shadow profile, and should you be worried about it?" You can thank anyone who allowed Facebook to scan their mobile phone contacts through the “find friends” feature. When someone uses this feature, Facebook downloads all of a phone’s contact data to its own servers. This includes mostly emails and phone numbers. At the same time, Facebook is also collecting harder-to track data on how you and all your friends and friends of friends are connected to each other. That’s how it finds people to recommend for its “people you may know” feature. The company’s mobile app even tells you it will do this... https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/facebook-shadow-profiles-privacy-faq/ https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/facebook-shadow-profiles-pr...
• eyeareque 5y ago
  If they ban you does this mean that they stop tracking you and saving data about you? Sounds like a win.
  • dredmorbius 5y ago
    No: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28806504 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28806504
• indianhippie 5y ago
  I wrote a custom script for myself about two years ago to do the exact same thing! It’s still publicly accessible in my GitHub gists. I had no idea that others will find it useful. I unfollowed everyone. Then I added a selective few to follow. I have tweaked who I follow and who I unfollow over the last two years to give me a balanced news feed that I enjoy. Basically twitter behavior but on FB.
• lilSebastian 5y ago
  Delete all accounts, block all social media endpoints at DNS level. Nuke the site from orbit...
• streamofdigits 5y ago
  We have a serious information overload problem and the level of control provided by that extension is infinitesimal to what should be routinely available to all users.
• gitowiec 5y ago
  I don't get it, what is cease-and-decease letter? I'm not from US
  • dragonwriter 5y ago
    A letter asking someone to stop doing something, usually from a lawyer, and typically with an explicit claim that the act is illegal and either explicit or implicit threat of imminent legal action if the request is not complied with.
  • dredmorbius 5y ago
    https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-is-a-cease-and-desist-letter.html https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-is-a-cease-and-... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cease_and_desist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cease_and_desist
• ubermonkey 5y ago
  Is there a way to do the same thing in Firefox? BC I don't really want to run Chrome.
• GuB-42 5y ago
  I am actually curious about the need for such an extension. What's the point of reading your Facebook feed if you don't want to follow anything? Just don't read your feed. I kind of like the fact that my feed is so terrible, it makes me want to leave quickly and not come back. Facebook is good to get in touch with friends, it is excellent to organize events, mostly because of its popularity. But when it comes to the feed, for some reason, for me, it has a signal to noise ratio close to zero. Even content coming from real friends I hold in high regard is terrible, as if Facebook makes the worst out of people. The best I can hope for are moderately funny jokes and memes, beside that, nothing is salvageable.
• spurgu 5y ago
  I used to use custom friends lists to achieve the same effect (although I've been off Facebook for maybe a year now), I only saw content from explicitly whom I chose to add to those lists. Now however when I just checked I can't seem to find a way to browse those "custom friend" feeds anymore. They're located under Friends -> Custom Lists but that only takes me to editing them (seemingly without a purpose). Does anyone happen to know if it's possible to actually use (browse using) those lists or if FB has discontinued the functionality?
  • spurgu 5y ago
    I'm still able to create a new list and there it says "Create a list of people so you can easily share with them and see their updates in one place.". Weird.
• shimonabi 5y ago
  This is exactly what I did to all my "friends" a few months ago, but only manually. The algorithm then went crazy and proposed my country's "Melinda Gates/McKenzie Scott" as a friend.
• Lamad123 5y ago
  Now I want to know everything about this person and this thing!
• nstart 5y ago
  As much as this sucks, I can’t say that I’m surprised. I made a script to unfollow everything 2 years ago (and I did the same to Twitter). Shared the script on GitHub gists so the few people who were willing to open the console and paste the code in would do so. Several people asked me to make an extension. It would have been trivial but I refused because I figured that would put me on FB’s radar and get me banned. Just running the script was nerve wracking in case I triggered some detection mechanism (I inserted random times between actions to avoid it if possible). If I was this person I’d have done this as anonymously as possible. What’s more sucky though is that at least with Twitter I was able to use the api for this. FB has locked down their APIs for personal use which resulted in having to script browser actions :-/
• LudwigNagasena 5y ago
  I still can’t believe that there are so many people supposedly adult enough to drive, vote, manage money, etc that get tricked into some sort of addiction by Facebook algorithms. Really makes you lose faith in democracy.
  • anaganisk 5y ago
    People were tricked since the dawn of human intelligence, algorithms are just a way. How else do you think cults or even hitler rose to power. How do u think Putin is still a president. How else do u think people are more attached to lines on a map, rather than living in a global brotherhood.
• godmode2019 5y ago
  I did this a few years ago to make Facebook boring, unfollowing is not enough you also need to add and follow random people from groups you have no interest in. Spanish rap groups for example, then like every post by these people. It worked really well, when ever I went on by habbit there was complete random stuff in a language I didn't understand. Also try and follow only males for obvious reasons and disable people being able to find you and write to you wall. This completely broke facebook and broke the habbit. Over the years of going on once a month I starting getting to know these random people. This male model from Pakistan who posted duck face photos, nice guy. I would like something to delete all comments i have ever made, one by one if anyone knows the script.
• sabujp 5y ago
  you can do it using this script : https://gist.github.com/renestalder/c5b77635bfbec8f94d28 https://gist.github.com/renestalder/c5b77635bfbec8f94d28 , login, go to your news feed settings -> unfollow -> scroll down all the way to the bottom of the list (it won't work unless you do this!), then copy paste the script into the developer console. UPDATE: I had to run it a few times, somehow even though it logged that it had unfollowed all of the items, there were still ~40 left the 2nd time, 3 the 3rd time, at which point i just unfollowed the remaining friends/pages manually.
• amin 5y ago
  He could counter-sue Facebook to at least get back on the platform, if he wants. A Dutch politician recently won a lawsuit against LinkedIn, which banned his account for posting sensational nonsense about COVID. The Dutch judge ruled that LinkedIn was within the law to remove his posts, but also that a lifetime ban was disproportional.
• zeruch 5y ago
  That's going to escalated quickly. The Streisand Effect at "web scale"
• notananthem 5y ago
  Damn I downloaded and ran the unfollow everything extension and my timeline is BARE. It is amazing and now I'm just wavering on deleting it entirely. Thanks for highlighting this cool extension.