VCDL removed from Facebook?

[Aguila Blanca]

All you need is a crappy ancient laptop to run as your own server, the software required is dirt simple, we used to do it all the time back in the day.

If it were that simple, I would have my own web site. What you are overlooking is that running a web site requires that your server be connected to the Internet with a static IP address. When you just get "Internet" from your phone company or cable company, you don't get a static IP, you get a dynamic IP. That means every time you reconnect, their system assigns a new IP at random. When your IP changes, the Internet can't find you.

You can get a static IP, but it's more expensive, and it may require some arguing to get it. I have a friend across town who has his own server -- and he's in IT, so his server isn't an old laptop, it's a rack of redundant servers in his basement. He was stuck with a very slow DSL connection for years because the cable company that has the monopoly to serve our town couldn't (or wouldn't) do a static IP. They finally came around and just last year he was able to switch to the cable company and get better speeds. But ... to get a static IP connection he had to buy a commercial account -- they won't do static IP for a residential customer.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I think that you are conflating the number of guns with the number of gun owners.... current US population is about 332 million, so it's unlikely that we have 300 or 393 million gun owners. Regardless, gun owners probably make up a significant percentage of Facebook users, but I am not one either.

I'm not conflating anything -- I'm citing numbers I found in on-line sources.

That said, it is possible (perhaps even probable) that the authors of those articles conflated the number of firearms with the number of owners.

 

[fan_of_flux]

I think FB is beginning a very slow and methodical purge; Join MeWe. It seems to be more friendly to 2A groups and conservative ideals.

 

[KyJim]

Some of you may be familiar with UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh who has a blog called the Volokh Conspiracy and is generally friendly to the 2A. He recently had an online, moderated discussion with Santa Clara Law Professor Eric Goldman. Basic information and the embedded YouTube video at https://reason.com/volokh/2021/02/1...ight-to-control-content-moderation-decisions/. In addition Professor Goldman summarized the discussion at https://blog.ericgoldman.org/archiv...-services-state-actors-or-common-carriers.htm.

Professor Volokh posits the possibility that large, near-monopolistic platforms like Facebook might be subject to some content regulation by government based on a "common carrier" theory. The video discussion is informative without being overly-technical. It is worth a watch if you have any interest on the topic.

 

[hdbiker]

We just had a By-Sell-Trade reloading group removed from Face Book, no explanation Was up less than a week with over 60 members already. hdbiker

 

[ghbucky]

One very disturbing aspect of FB is the reliance on it by public entities for emergency communication.

I was trying to track a wildfire close to a friend of mine a couple of years ago and the FD was posting updates to FB, and FB would not let me see those updates without an account.

If that doesn't call for regulation, I don't know what does.

 

[44 AMP]

If that doesn't call for regulation, I don't know what does.

Ok, regulation of whom?

A private company that doesn't let you use their services without an account??

Or the FD who "relies" on posting on a private company's website to inform the public because "everybody is on it.."??

 

[mehavey]

One very disturbing aspect of FB is the reliance on it by public entities for emergency communication. I was trying to track a wildfire close to a friend of mine a couple of years ago and the FD was posting updates to FB, and FB would not let me see those updates without an account.

If that doesn't call for regulation, I don't know what does.

A private company that doesn't let you use their services without an account??

We're on dangerous ground, in uncharted waters (to coin a phrase), akin to a drug dealer giving out freebies until everyone (including public services ) is irrevocably hooked

...then he starts to squeeeeeeeze.

 

[ghbucky]

It has crossed the boundary into monopoly of public communications and needs to be regulated as such. Ma Bell was broken up, private utility companies are tightly regulated.

FB is not different. It needs to be regulated.

 

[WyMark]

Not sure why, but I find the whole "government regulation is good and we need more of it" argument to be so hilariously ironic.

 

[ATN082268]

I would remind everyone that Facebook is a private entity, and not the US government, so various "First Amendment" protections of free speech DO NOT APPLY.

I completely agree. Any lawsuit against any of the big tech companies, like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc will likely have to come from one of two ways (perhaps both). First, there may be issues with monopoly/collusion regarding actions of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Second, there also may be issues with section 230 and whether Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc are publishers or platforms regarding their legal protections.

 

[44 AMP]

It has crossed the boundary into monopoly of public communications and needs to be regulated as such. Ma Bell was broken up, private utility companies are tightly regulated.

I realize its your opinion, but you'll have to do some explaining to convince me that Facebook has a monopoly/is a monopoly of public communications.

I think it is a much different situation than Ma Bell, or, for that matter Standard Oil.

I don't see where anyone is forced to use Facebook. The fact that they CHOOSE, to because of ease, or the features provided is a choice.

Convince me otherwise, if you can..

 

[Mainah]

One very disturbing aspect of FB is the reliance on it by public entities for emergency communication.

I was trying to track a wildfire close to a friend of mine a couple of years ago and the FD was posting updates to FB, and FB would not let me see those updates without an account.

If that doesn't call for regulation, I don't know what does.

So we need to regulate a service that you don't think is important enough to sign up for?

The FD was managing a crisis, and they opted for the cheapest and fastest way to communicate to the public. And they certainly had some type of government website they could have used. I suspect they didn't have the time or resources to use their own platform effectively. That's hardly a ringing endorsement of more government control over the private sector.

 

[stinkeypete]

Aguila- my ISP provides a static IP address. I am not speaking theoretically, I used to host my own content from a laptop server I set up in my basement office. In my case, I was hosting 3D gaming content.

Practically- I am telling you I really did it. To learn how to run the hosting software took me a couple of days to figure out and I am not a computer science major.

Your post is like saying one can’t reload their own ammunition because you need to buy the right powder and when you grab stuff at random off the shelf it’s always the wrong stuff.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Aguila- my ISP provides a static IP address. I am not speaking theoretically, I used to host my own content from a laptop server I set up in my basement office. In my case, I was hosting 3D gaming content.

Practically- I am telling you I really did it. To learn how to run the hosting software took me a couple of days to figure out and I am not a computer science major.

Your post is like saying one can’t reload their own ammunition because you need to buy the right powder and when you grab stuff at random off the shelf it’s always the wrong stuff.

I'm unclear what your point is. I didn't say that nobody can host their own web site. I just said it's not as easy as just waking up one morning and deciding to install a web site on your home computer.

If it were that simple, I would have my own web site. What you are overlooking is that running a web site requires that your server be connected to the Internet with a static IP address. When you just get "Internet" from your phone company or cable company, you don't get a static IP, you get a dynamic IP. That means every time you reconnect, their system assigns a new IP at random. When your IP changes, the Internet can't find you.

You can get a static IP, but it's more expensive, and it may require some arguing to get it. I have a friend across town who has his own server -- and he's in IT, so his server isn't an old laptop, it's a rack of redundant servers in his basement. He was stuck with a very slow DSL connection for years because the cable company that has the monopoly to serve our town couldn't (or wouldn't) do a static IP. They finally came around and just last year he was able to switch to the cable company and get better speeds. But ... to get a static IP connection he had to buy a commercial account -- they won't do static IP for a residential customer.

The biggest sticking point is the static IP address. When I was on a DSL line, the telephone company would have charged significantly more for a static IP -- and, even then, it wouldn't have really been static. I worked for a small firm that hosted its own site. Any time there was a power outage accompanied by loss of telephone service, when the power and phone service came back our IP address had changed. The IT guy would then spent an entire day -- on average -- on the phone with the telco getting the IP reset to what it should have been as soon as the power came back on.

And, as I wrote, now that I'm on cable for Internet a static IP is not available to a residential customer. The cable company will do it, but they will only do it if you upgrade to a commercial account.

What you originally wrote, and what I initially responded to, was this:

All you need is a crappy ancient laptop to run as your own server, the software required is dirt simple, we used to do it all the time back in the day.

In short, a crappy ancient laptop is not "all you need."

 

[ghbucky]

The static IP isn't really that big of a deal. There are services available that can match up your current IP address (even floating) with your hostname and propagate the DNS records so you hostname will continue to work.

I'll confess, I don't really see where this is going. If someone seriously thinks that you can spin up a website on a home laptop and provide competition to FB, well... good luck with that.

When serious competition showed up to twitter, Amazon, Apple and Google closed ranks to shut it down.

 

[44 AMP]

When serious competition showed up to twitter, Amazon, Apple and Google closed ranks to shut it down.

This seems to be the part where a case for monopoly can be made. However, it's a matter of what can be proven and what the laws actually say.

Is this another case of people thinking the law requires or should require Pepsi to include a bottle of Coke in every six pack??? in order to be "fair"????

I also find it somewhat ironic that some people who want the govt to be hands off our guns seem in favor of the govt being hands on our social media accounts, phones, computers, and other things.

I don't get that.

 

[ghbucky]

Parler was removed from the Apple and Android stores for violations of TOS. They cited various violent posts on the Parler and hence Parler was dropped from the stores within 24 hours of each other and Amazon web services shut them down the next day.

OTOH, Twitter and Facebook are alive and well on both Apple and Android right now, despite the numerous documented instances of terrorists using their platforms. Usually it takes days or weeks for the platforms to take action to shut down the flagged accounts.

Parler was killed in a 24 hour period.

 

[ghbucky]

Oh, hey... about those emergency services using FB to communicate important news?

Well, sorry about that if you happen to live in Australia, because facebook just censored the entire country.

In response to Australia’s proposed new Media Bargaining law, Facebook will restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content.

But its a private company and can do whatever they like?

 

[JERRYS.]

for true emergencies or vital updates you should be able to go directly to the .org/.gov ect web page, not social media. if you can't you should re-access where you get vital/emergency information.