Facebook flags Linux topics as 'cybersecurity threats' — posts and users being blocked
Facebook flags Linux topics as 'cybersecurity threats' — posts and users being blocked
DistroWatch is one of the largest affected organizations.
Facebook is banning posts that mention various Linux-related topics, sites, or groups. Some users may also see their accounts locked or limited when posting Linux topics. Major open-source operating system news, reviews, and discussion site DistroWatch is at the center of the controversy, as it seems to be the first to have noticed that Facebook's Community Standards had blackballed it.
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DistroWatch says that the Facebook ban took effect on January 19. Readers have reported difficulty posting links to the site on this social media platform. Moreover, some have told DistroWatch that their Facebook accounts have been locked or limited after sharing posts mentioning Linux topics.
If you're wondering if there might be something specific to DistroWatch.com, something on the site that the owners/operators perhaps don't even know about, for example, then it seems pretty safe to rule out such a possibility. Reports show that "multiple groups associated with Linux and Linux discussions have either been shut down or had many of their posts removed." However, we tested a few other Facebook posts with mentions of Linux, and they didn't get blocked immediately.
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Addition to include the DistroWatch link: https://distrowatch.com/weekly-mobile.php?issue=20250127#sitenews
Turns out when Zuckerbot was talking about "allowing more speech on the platform", he just meant more slurs.
We kind of all knew that though, right?
James Lee was right.
Another reason to add to the pile in favor of citizen controlled media like the fediverse.
Oh well, it's only facebook and only linux.
There are far more important things to worry about and to do.
Linux, and libre software in general, is one of the few impactful tools available to maintain (or reclaim) the sovereignty of our communications, data, and access to the online world. Those things lie at the core of practically everything in our lives, from employment to education to laws to basic human necessities. Given how significantly freedom is being eroded lately, I can't think of many things more important in the long run.
Yes, but many foss is just created with those already in the know about what it does in mind.
FOSS has historically and continues to be unhelpful to many people coming into it. There's often no beginner level tutorials built in, no easily accessible communities that do not have at least one smug asshole that is utterly unhelpful saying things like "just fork it" or "it's not for you".
So if FOSS ever wants to actually position itself as helpful for the common person it needs a lot more people prepared to write these tutorials etc and build them into the software itself, not just assume internet access or that such things can be found online.
The biggest one is the terminal. As far as I'm aware it does not come with a tutorial built in ever on any distro. It does not on first opening it say "hey, here are the things you can do" because the developers do not consider that people might be entirely unfamiliar with such things and/or nobody wishes to write one or include it even if it is written.
So yes, foss is good for freedom but at the expense of having support built in to get people started, unlike many closed sourced software things. I don't therefore see how it is useful to people that have no clue how to get started with it, thus often sending them back to the very things FOSS says they should escape.
If they're doing this to Linux they're likely doing the same for other topics. And it's not just Facebook that's going downhill like this
Point well taken, thanks.
Hope you're being glib-- because censoring an open-source, more privacy-minded, and alternative operating system to Big Corpo is only an excuse and the continuation.
Well, my point was that it's funny that people who likely never lift a finger to help people in other ways suddenly come out of the woodwork when it's technology they like. But yeah, I see your point, it isn't great that folks won't learn about it on their walled garden social media and hopefully that might lead them to escape it.