[LINK] With Now 400 Million Users, Should Facebook Qualify for a seat in the United Nations

Tom Koltai tomk at unwired.com.au
Mon Sep 21 20:33:59 AEST 2009



> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Craig Sanders
> Sent: Friday, 18 September 2009 12:15 PM
> To: link at anu.edu.au
> Subject: Re: [LINK] With Now 400 Million Users, Should 
> Facebook Qualify for a seat in the United Nations
> 
> 
> i know the subject line is tongue-in-cheek but, really, why 
> the hell should they?
> 
> they're a for-profit corporation. they have customers, not 
> citizens and they represent THEMSELVES, not their customers.
> 
> McDonalds has billions of customers...they're not entitled to
> a seat in the UN.  nor should they be.
> 

Well Craig, normally I would agree. Except that Facebook Games have done
something that I didn’t believe was possible. 
They have singlehandedly convinced millions of people to lower their
privacy barriers to enable everyone to achieve a common goal - that is -
get a higher game score.

There are players from all countries rubbing shoulders - REGARDLESS of
religious beliefs. I find that absolutely unique - in view of the sheer
numbers involved.  

I would be more impressed if the common goal was an end to famine or
global disarmament - but even the dismantling of the Berlin wall started
with a single jack-hammer.

In reference to your other comments hereunder - I think everyone in this
forum knows that any computer connected to a network of unknown peers -
is at risk of being probed, boarded and stripped.
One doesn’t have to connect to Facebook to be the target of that kind of
surveillance. (Besides - making certain ports one way only results in a
much safer Facebook experience).

Having worked internationally with several NGO's I am unaware of any
that have created an environment where 2 million members of the Islamic
faith can co-exist happily with 2 million members of the Jewish faith. 

So yes, the Title was tongue in cheek - but only just barely.


Tom

 
> On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 02:03:15PM +1000, Tom Koltai wrote:
> > Facebook has done more for détente and political stability than any 
> > other single group of individuals.
> 
> except, maybe, for the UN?  or Amnesty International?  or pretty much 
> any NGO or non-profit association.
> 
> > The Applications have encouraged perfect strangers to 
> extend trust and 
> > comradeship in the pursuance of a common goal.
> 
> the applications have been a means for thousands of companies 
> to track the internet usage, interests, and interpersonal 
> relationships of hundreds of millions of people all around the world.
> 
> 
> > It has given those users a platform to express themselves freely.
> 
> "freely" meaning subject to unaccountable censorship and/or 
> surveillance by facebook at any time.
> 
> craig
> 
> -- 
> craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au> 
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