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Should You Delete Facebook?
Ex-Facebook Executive Says Facebook Is No Longer The Place To Be
While it offers great benefits, the OVERLORD attitude is dangerous for users worldwide!
We do not know what information our Australian readers can see on our SCARS Facebook Pages, which is why we are reprinting this article here for their access.
“DELETE THE APP”
Former Facebook CEO unloads on the media giant’s sad decision to block news in Australia – and says Mark Zuckerberg is all about the money and the power
- Ex-Facebook Australia and NZ CEO Stephen Scheeler blasted the news ban
- He encouraged Aussies to delete the app to send a message to the company
- Mr. Scheeler said CEO Mark Zuckerberg is motivated by money and power
- Facebook from Thursday blocked Australians from reading and sharing news
By blocking and sharing news, also blocks sharing important crime prevention information. This blocks sharing not only from news sources but also from SCARS and this website.
Reprinted from the DailyMail
The former CEO of Facebook has slammed Mark Zuckerberg’s “sad” decision to block news in Australia while encouraging Aussies to delete the app out of protest.
The US social media giant has infuriated Australians after blocking them from reading and sharing local news in response to a world-first law to make tech giants pay media companies for the content they use.
From Thursday, when Australians went to reliable Facebook news accounts they were met with a message saying ‘no posts’ were available. Even overseas news was hidden.
Stephen Scheeler, former Facebook Australia and New Zealand chief executive officer, said Facebook’s controversial move ‘looks and feels ugly’ and blasted CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s motivations.
It shouldn’t have happened. But unfortunately it did. But there’s no good answers. If you’re Rio Tinto and you blow up an Aboriginal sacred site, there are consequences, people lose their jobs. But at Facebook nobody ever loses their jobs,” he told The Australian.
‘I’m a proud ex-Facebooker, but over the years I get more and more exasperated. For Facebook and Mark it’s too much about the money, and the power, and not about the good.
“Imagine if a Chinese company for example had done this, we would be up in arms. All Australians should be quite alarmed by this.”
Mr Scheeler, who resigned from Facebook in 2017, encouraged Australians to delete the app to send a stern message to the company.
If you wanted a glaring example of why Facebook needs more regulation, this is it’
Former Australia and New Zealand Facebook CEO Stephen Scheeler
He also fears the move could lead to a rise in ‘fake news’ and ‘misinformation’ on the platform.“I’m sad for Facebook in a way, but if you wanted a glaring example of why Facebook needs more regulation, this is it,” he said.
Mr Scheeler, who has since opened his own consultancy firm, said Facebook is now more powerful than the world’s greatest governments.
“There’s no ballot box where you can vote against Mark Zuckerberg. And in fact, even if you’re a Facebook shareholder, your vote carries no weight,” he said.
The Government’s proposed law which so unsettled Facebook would create an arbitration panel to set a binding price for news in cases where tech giants failed to reach deals with media companies whose original journalism they linked to.
Facebook executives feared giving in to the laws could set a global precedent where it was forced to pay to distribute news.
But now the news is banned altogether Down Under and media scholars fear disinformation will now run rampant on Facebook.
Google Threatened To Do It Too!
Google had also threatened to pull its search engine from Australia in response to the legislation. But the search giant backflipped in recent weeks, striking deals with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Nine Entertainment.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has insisted the government will not back down and said the publisher could either abide by Australia’s laws or leave the country.
The law passed the Australian House of Representatives on Wednesday night and looks set to pass the Australian Senate within days.
Mr. Scheeler, who resigned from Facebook in 2017, encouraged Australians to delete the app to send a stern message to the company
Scott Morrison on Thursday afternoon said the government won’t be intimidated by the tech giant.
“Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing,” he wrote on his own Facebook account.
“These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are as expressing about the behaviour of BigTech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them. “
“We will not be intimidated by BigTech seeking to pressure our Parliament as it votes on our important News Media Bargaining Code.”
“Just as we weren’t intimidated when Amazon threatened to leave the country and when Australia drew other nations together to combat the publishing of terrorist content on social media platforms.”
A release from the social media behemoth says:
“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content.”
“It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. “
“With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.”
It adds: “We were prepared to launch Facebook News in Australia and significantly increase our investments with local publishers, however, we were only prepared to do this with the right rules in place.”
Facebook said Australian users will not be able read or share news content on the platform, and Australian news publishers will be restricted from posting or sharing content on Facebook pages.
We do not know what information our Australian readers can see on our SCARS Facebook Pages, which is why we are reprinting this article here for their access.
Australia’s two largest over-the-air TV stations, Seven West Media and Nine Entertainment, have already reportedly struck deals with Google collectively worth $60million a year.
News Corp said it would receive “significant payments” from Google in its three-year agreement, which wraps in the Times and the Sun newspapers in the UK, the Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the US, and Sky News TV channel in Australia.
So, obviously, there is room to talk and deals can be reached!
Thursday’s news ban was spectacularly botched with organizations as diverse as health departments, domestic violence charities, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and the country’s main source of weather information, the Bureau of Meteorology, banned from posting. This could have led and perhaps did lead, to significant hardship and potential harm to people in Australia.
Facebook said that was a mistake – but blamed the broad definition of news in the forthcoming laws.
“The actions we’re taking are focused on restricting publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content,” a spokeswoman said.
To Learn What Is Going On
We recommend that you visit “The Australian” here: Facebook | The Australian
CHANGES TO NEWS IN AUSTRALIA
- Facebook has restricted publishers and social media users in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content.
- What does this mean for Australian news organizations?
- Australian news organizations will be restricted from sharing or posting any content on Facebook Pages
- Admins will still be able to access Page insights and Creator Studio on their Facebook pages
- Facebook said they will continue to provide access to other standard services, including data tools and CrowdTangle
- What does this mean for international news organizations?
- International news organizations can still post on Facebook but Australian users will not be able to see the content or share it
- What does this mean for Australian Facebook users?
- Australian Facebook users will not be able to view or share Australian or international news content
- What does this mean for international Facebook users?
- International Facebook users will not be able to view or share Australian news content on Facebook
If You Want To Delete Your Facebook Profile?
We recommend that you take these steps first!
- Do not delete your profile – suspend it. That way if things change you can restart it with nothing lost.
- Suspending your profile does almost the same thing politically as deleting it – it removes you from Facebook’s roles of “active users” – they see this as a loss of users, just like if they were deleted.
- Backup your profile – this is a feature under SETTINGS – it puts everything, including photos in a zip file that you can download.
- Remember – suspending or deleting your profile tuns off Messenger too!
A Better Idea
- Remove the Facebook app from your phone, and keep the Messenger app.
- Before you do – lock down all the privacy settings on your profile – make yourself invisible (“Only Me”)
SCARS Commentary
Obviously, this is just more “thuggery” by Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg. This only serves to emphasize the fact that all Big Tech needs to be regulated for the public good! We hope that the United States and Europe will follow the courage shown by Australia because this will help save community newspapers and local news reporting that are being systematically destroyed by Big Media too!
Whatever you decide to do, we wish you luck!
TAGS: SCARS, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Scams, Scammers, Fraudsters, Cybercrime, Crybercriminals, Romance Scams, Scam Victims, Online Fraud, Online Crime Is Real Crime, Scam Avoidance, Facebook Scams, Facebook Is The Problem, Social Media Scams, Big Tech, Fake Profiles On Facebook, Facebook Censorship
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By the SCARS™ Editorial Team
Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
A Worldwide Crime Victims Assistance & Crime Prevention Nonprofit Organization Headquartered In Miami Florida USA & Monterrey NL Mexico, with Partners In More Than 60 Countries
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Important Information for New Scam Victims
- Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
- Enroll in FREE SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
- Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
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