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Facebook Blocks Users From Mentioning BugMeNot.com

ThinkingInBinary writes "The other day, I was trying to mention bugmenot.com in my Facebook status, and I discovered to my horror that Facebook blocks the phrase 'bugmenot.com' as "abusive" in status updates, messages, and presumably any other communications on the site. Facebook isn't even listed on BugMeNot, as they requested that logins for Facebook be blocked. This is pretty ridiculous, as I can't even send my friends a message mentioning bugmenot.com!"

21 of 448 comments (clear)

  1. That is ridiculous by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

    On Slashdot, I can mention [abusive language filtered] or even [abusive language filtered], why can't I do it on [abusive language filtered]?

    Total [abusive language filtered], I say.

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    1. Re:That is ridiculous by pilgrim23 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Years ago I recall a tracking system at a place I worked where the text field was parced as code. It saw the word "in" apearing in the sentence in text as an INSERT and the word preceeding it as a variable in which it would insert the word following, then truncate everything else.
          Thus the phrase

        THERE IS A FIRE IN THE BUILDING! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES
        would show as

      THERE IS A THE.

      Later this was repaired and the designer went on to work developing web design at
      Facebook....

      --
      - Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
    2. Re:That is ridiculous by mweather · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well at least he's only doing web design. Glad to hear he's not programming anymore.

    3. Re:That is ridiculous by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Anyone remember [expletive deleted], circa Watergate?

      Yes, it's been updated to "redacted" for the current administration.

      The difference is, now all the swear words are left in, but the facts are covered up.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. Yes you can by Hatta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is pretty ridiculous, as I can't even send my friends a message mentioning bugmenot.com!

    Of course you can, you just can't use Facebook. Which is probably for the best anyway.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    1. Re:Yes you can by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Indeed. I'm trying very hard to get incensed here, but I just can't work up a reason to care. Oh noes! I must say "Bug Me Not website" when talking about BugMeNot! Horror of horrors! Shocker of Shockers! Quick, make a comparison to Nazi totalitarism! Facebook is like... Hitler, that's it!

      Conspicuously absent is any mention of negative actions taken by Facebook. They didn't close his account, they didn't sue him, they didn't kick his dog. They didn't do anything other than remove a link to a site. Whoop de do. Try typing a URL into Youtube comments sometime and see how far you get.

    2. Re:Yes you can by Net_fiend · · Score: 5, Funny

      Why does a dog always have to be kicked? Why can't it be a cat or a rabbit?

      Now, I understand why it wouldn't be a snake or a lizard. One a snake would a)slither away or b)bite the bejesus out of you and a lizard would probably just flick its tongue and scamper off.

      But can we just leave the dogs out of it? This message is not brought by PETA.

      --
      "When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty."
    3. Re:Yes you can by amRadioHed · · Score: 5, Funny

      Quick, make a comparison to Nazi totalitarism! Facebook is like... Hitler, that's it!

      Oh sure you joke about it, but if you read anything written in Germany while the Nazis were in charge you'll find that bugmenot.com is missing from all those writings as well.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    4. Re:Yes you can by Irish_Samurai · · Score: 5, Informative

      Uhhhh, the 1st only applies to what the US Government can't do, not to what a private company can do with it's free service.

      With that, I hope you were being sarcastic.

  3. Re:That's impossible by halivar · · Score: 5, Funny

    30 seconds is the different between (Score:5, Funny) and (Score:-1, Redundant).

    I think moderation should switch to (Score:Gold Medal) and (Score:Silver Medal) so late punsters don't feel so bad.

  4. Good point, parent by Kludge · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Allowing a single corporate entity to control your communication is a bad idea. I suggest this new thing called "email", which is offered by a large number of different providers, and not censored by most.

  5. Re:honestly by Osurak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course they *can* do it. The issue is whether they *should* do it.

  6. Re:I have the workaround! by 42forty-two42 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's quite simple actually. Go to wikipedia's article on spaces and copypaste U+2060 ('word joiner') into the middle of the domain. Then carefully remove the brackets around it (you will be able to tell it's there because you will have to use left/right arrow keys twice to get past it). Now the resulting text won't trip facebook's filter.

  7. Re:Slashdotted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thanks for the update. I was really concerned there for a moment.

  8. Re:That's impossible by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, but do we take away the (Score: Gold Medal) from the Chinese posters who lied about their karma bonus?

    --
    Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
  9. Re:honestly by Jay+L · · Score: 5, Funny

    I, personally, agree 100% with circletimessquare when he says:

    there is no reason why they cannot do this. it is their website, their policy.

    But some would beg to differ. For a counterpoint from a simpler era, let's turn to a user named "circletimessquare", back in early September, 2008, who wrote:

    shun chrome. i don't care if its the best thing since sliced bread. the problem is what it represents in terms of power and dominance in the hands of one company. that's bad for everyone

    Clearly, the debate over corporate dominance has bitterly divided friends, families, and even individuals.

  10. Re:another "Do more evil" clone? by Bieeanda · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Since when has Facebook been about anything but data mining and user tracking?

  11. WARNING hidden IFrame in the bugmenot link by onlysolution · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Did anyone else notice the little iframe in the bugmenot page? That links back to the ttuttle.com site the original blog post is on? According to Chrome's nifty element inspector it's pointing back to http://www.ttuttle.net/396jdw.php, though it's obviously slashdotted by now so I have no idea what it's supposed to do or if that address is unique.

    1. Re:WARNING hidden IFrame in the bugmenot link by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Interesting
      The URL of the story poster (http://www.ttuttle.net/) and BugMeNot.com are owned by the same people.

      What's going on is that the people that run BugMeNot "astro-turfed" Slashdot, who when they read "censorship", immediately wet their pants all over the non-story without checking it out. Note that a number of Facebook users have said that they had no issues at all with Facebook and BugMeNot?

      Very good effort on BugMeNot's astro-turf effort. A+ in fact.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  12. Re:Fuck Godwin by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 5, Informative

    Whether or not the mention pertains to the discussion is irrelevant. Also, there is not a negative connotation about Godwin's Law, as many people believe. So many people misinterpret Godwin's by thinking if what they say is true or fits the situation somehow, it isn't Godwin's. It still is, you just don't know the actual law. So here it is:

    Godwins Law
    "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

    That is the entirety of it.

    --
    "But this one goes to 11!"
  13. Re:Fuck Godwin by Quartz25 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And by extension, the probability of misusing Godwin's Law approaches two.

    Wait....

    --
    Most people don't get why the integral of "e to the x" is so funny. Most math majors don't have a sense of humor.