Mark Zuckerberg Is Dictator Of Facebook Nation; There's No Democracy Online: The Pirate Bay Founder (cnbc.com)

Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is the "dictator" of "the biggest nation in the world," says Peter Sunde, co-founder of the controversial website The Pirate Bay. Sunde, who appeared at The Next Web conference on Friday, added that there is "no democracy" online. From a CNBC report: "People in the tech industry have a lot of responsibilities but they never really discuss these things... Facebook is the biggest nation in the world and we have a dictator, if you look at it from a democracy standpoint, Mark Zuckerberg is a dictator. I did not elect him. He sets the rules," Sunde said. "And really you can't opt out of Facebook. I'm not on Facebook but there are a lot of drawbacks in my offline world. No party invitations, no updates from my friends, people stop talking to you, because you're not on Facebook. So it has real life implications."

Comments

Dictator???

[MightyMartian]

I'm not obliged to use Facebook. If people want to sell their brains to Mark Zuckerberg, that's their right, but it's hardly a dictatorship in any meaningful use of the word. When we're all forced at gunpoint to use Facebook, then the article may have a point.

Re:Dictator???

[Hylandr]

That rather nicely proved his point.

I deleted my facebook account. Best thing I ever did.

All Facebook really does is provide a place for everyone to go to have your conversations overheard by the entire world.

Boo freakin' hoo.

[ScentCone]

And really you can't opt out of Facebook. I'm not on Facebook but there are a lot of drawbacks in my offline world. No party invitations, no updates from my friends, people stop talking to you, because you're not on Facebook. So it has real life implications.

So start your OWN free-to-users social media platform. Figure out how to pay for that mammoth infrastructure and operations overhead while making it perfect for users like you who want nothing to do with any system that involves advertising or user profiles - and you'll have a millions of users instantly. It will be fascinating to see how you solve the problem that people at Google, Microsoft, and other fly-by-night operations haven't been able to solve (specifically, making people like you happy while not having the platform run at a financial loss).

If you actually care about social event invitations, etc., just set up a FB account, tell it to drop notifications to a burner mailbox, and never sign in using your normal every day browser sessions. Need to look at it? Fire up an incognito sessions, socially interact for 10 minutes so you don't miss that party you're whining about, then kill the session an go back to focusing on running that content piracy web site you're trying to keep alive.

Facebook as a Dictatorship?

[KermodeBear]

Let me know the next time Facebook:

Takes your property without your consent.
Prohibits you from leaving.
Stops you from saying what you wish to say.
Threatens your livelihood or your life.
Throws you in jail without a trial.
Forces you to interact with it against your will.
Executes your entire family for a political view.

Re:Facebook as a Dictatorship?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sunde's point probably is that Facebook has grown too large and have tentacles into everything, either directly or by buying up startups. Facebook's "gift of internet" to the poor in India that ended up locking in everyone in their walled garden is one example.

Within that walled garden (which is getting bigger and bigger) they do censor posts and people. They also prohibits you from leaving (as in erasing every information they have about you). As their tentacles dig deeper (or Facebook gets more successful, pick your view) being on their damned platform seems to be more and more important for certain jobs/roles.

And finally, they certainly DO force me to interact with them. Their fucking scripts and like-buttons are everywhere. I get that it is the businesses that chose to include that near-malware shit in their apps/on their web pages is responsible for being dumb, but that shit would not be there hadn't Facebook grown so large.

While I get that Facebook does whatever is good for Facebook, just like an amoeba does what is good for an amoeba, it does not mean it is good for the Internet/host of the amoeba. Competition and choice is awesome. Open standards are even better. Gardens without walls are great. Fuck Facebook (and Google).

Now, where are the barricades? I have a pitchfork to lift over my head while yelling something incomprehensible.

Re:Facebook as a Dictatorship?

[ScentCone]

Are you really this unclear on the situation? How does Facebook stop you from saying what you want to say? If you go on Google+ to say it, or your own blog, or print it up in newsletters, or launch a web site ... how is it that Facebook is stopping you from doing those things? Be specific.

And in what way is Facebook "taking your property without your consent?" Be specific. This should be entertaining.

Likewise, on "prohibits you from leaving." Again, be specific about how FB's provisions for you to delete your content and your profile/account are somehow hidden from you (and only you).

And do tell about how Facebook has threatened your livelihood or your life. Or do you mean that you've had repercussions from having posted stupid crap in a public place, and it's impacted your ability to get a job? Yeah, I see.

Real friends

[Aethedor]

No party invitations, no updates from my friends, people stop talking to you, because you're not on Facebook.

Perhaps you should try to find some real friends then.

It's not that bad not being a part

[damn_registrars]

People tell me that I am the last human on earth who is not signed up. I tell them I have enough things wasting my time without it. Sure, I don't know where my high school classmates are shitting this afternoon, or which starbucks beverage is the favorite amongst my cousin's colleageus, but I am fully certain that I can live without that information. In the outside chance that anything of any value is posted there, plenty of people I know in the real world can tell me about it.

I have a real world to experience, thank you.

Hello Captain Obvious

[DaMattster]

Facebook is a big data corporation aimed at monetizing your personal information.. Of course it's going to be a dictatorship. Since when are corporations not dictatorships? They want to tell people how to think, feel, and believe.