It's time for Facebook to go the way of Myspace and Friendster.

Yeah, before Facebook came everyone was so perfect, and then Facebook created racism, sexism, and everything else that is bad.

I really wish Facebook would stop making so much offensive original content, and forcing a billion people to log on and read it all every goddamn day. Not to mention, Russia using it to literally force people to vote for Trump.

But what can you do?

Teddy, if you like a billion-dollar corporation selling all of your personal information to other billion dollar corporations under the guise of helping you connect with your "friends", so be it.

Facebook isn't even willing to take responsibility for being a media company, which they most definitely are.
Can you think of a bigger platform spreading fake news stories than Facebook?

Seriously Teddy, if you can't see the problems with Facebook then you're an even bigger moron that I thought you were.

Facebook was not the first social media platform, and it does not have to be the last.

@3: Hey, I am on your side, I hate how Facebook hacked into everyone's personal files, stole all their data, and is selling it to advertisers!

But how can we stop them from doing this?

Teddy, stop being such a troll.

You know as well as I do that mining people's data and selling it is Facebook's business model.

They didn't hack anything, they are very upfront about what they do, although they like to pretend that the service is "free" because a lot of people don't understand how valuable their personal information is.

I noticed that you didn't answer the question about fake news. Could it be because you know that Facebook spreads more fake news two more people than any other media outlet in the world?

How do we stop them?
Easy. Stop using Facebook.

Maybe there are some smart coders out there that realize there are other ways to monetize a social media platform.

To not two.

Speech-to-text is getting better, but there is still room for improvement.

The Democrats did not shove forth a shitty establishment candidate who nobody likes or trusts for president. Admitting THAT would necessitate some, like, inner reflection and tinkering with the machine. So, nay! Nay, I tell you! We lost because of Facebook. And mah Russiuh. Now, obviously we know nobody actually could ever possibly believe that heap of lies we're pretending to sell, no matter how often we repeat it, and yes - in fact it will push people further away because it proves what everyone already knows, which is that we're full of absolute shit - but hey, it's so much easier. Who needs to just barely be able to possibly compete in an election against an orange clown, anyway?

What's creepy is that we now have private corporations controlling our digital commons... the spaces where people can interact online. When we had the Usenet News, it was pretty free. There wasn't even moderation in most newsgroups. But we also didn't have piles of adolescent assholes polluting Usenet, doxxing and deathreating as they do now.

So now that a precedent has been set that a private corporation can remove someone's platform (eg. Daily Stormer), we are now on a slippery slope. We are going to let private corporations decide what is 'fake news' and what isn't? What is ok and what isn't?

I'm no fan of hate groups, the little stormtrouplettes[sic] can go suck rocks for all I care, ...but we want corporations telling us what is ok to read, see and hear?

And you trust this is going to go your way?

Really? You fucking trust Facebook? Zuck is a douchebag, and the internal culture of FB is tained with his douchebaggery. You want white, male, entitled douchebags governing online speech? you crazy.

Did anyone hear that lefty news site Alternet's traffic dropped off after Google changed their algorithms? Alternet is partisan, clearly, but they are hardly spreading misinformation (unlike InfoWars). Nothing wrong with partisan, right? That's what local & regional newspapers were well known for, before the mantle of "objectivity" was used to cloak larger papers' biases (E.g. NYT, "Go War!").

Ok, sure, Facebook shouldn't accept ads from fake accounts (!), but do you really want to put the power to censor information into their hands? I mean, too late, but is this really a good idea? Money always colludes with power, and any voices challenging either will likely be ... casually shunted to the side... given less visibility in search rankings... promoted less in your FB or Twitter feeds. And this will be voices on both the left and the right.

Just like how Christians blindly try to pass laws allowing for their "religious freedom" to deny employee healthcare options, or discriminate against whoever they want.... they tend to forget that there are other religions out there, who can --and will-- use those same laws to discriminate against them. When they do, Xtians are shocked.. shocked that this would happen.

@8 Oh shut up.

Why would I want to watch an old geezer rant about stupid shit. He's probs getting Alzheimers. Put his old fool ass in a home. rant about that!

@5: Oh, you mean people willingly gave all that data to Facebook? And people actually choose to post things on Facebook and read them? You mean people just need to stop reading and giving data to Facebook and stop blaming the software?

HOW CRAZY. YOU HAVE BLOWN MY MIND.

@8: you sound so disappointed in the Dems. it's like you want to vote Dem so bad, but they just won't do what you tell them to. you have no choice but to punish them!

@Teddy

Yes Teddy, people chose to use Facebook.
Yes Teddy, people can choose to stop using Facebook.

It's funny that all you want to talk about is data farming.
The biggest problem with Facebook is they take no responsibility for the content posted on their website.
Facebook is a media company, and it should be held responsible for its contents, just like every other Media company in this country.

I never said people need to stop blaming the software.
Facebook needs to stop pretending that software is the problem.
They need to actually invest some of the billions they receive in revenue on actual human beings to review content.

I know your mind is easily blown Teddy, but it's not too much to ask corporations to be responsible for their products.

Look, it’s not hard.

Facebook and Twitter already stop bots and Nazis in Germany.

They make a profit there.

How to check: change your country to Germany and all those things disappear.

Facebook is rapidly becoming a site for old people and shut-ins, and the products that old people and shut-ins use. (believe me - I know a lot of old people and shut-ins). It's time in the sun is ending.

@11 old geezer rant?" Lazowska is a major force in computer science and engineering in the United States. He has Bill Gates and Paul Allen on speed-dial. He has worked his ass off to help create one of the best departments in the country - public OR private. He has helped to fund, not one but two buildings to house computer science and engineering.

What have you done in your life? You are an idiot.

@14 Facebook takes no responsibility, well neither does the Stranger. It is full of misleading or fake news, cherry picked facts and plain old made up stories as well.

Hank Levy is the Chair (actually, the Director) of UW CSE.

Ed Lazowska was once The Chair, and now is A Chair (i.e. an endowed faculty position, the Bill and Melinda Gates Chair of something something).

https://www.cs.washington.edu/contact