I’ve been a social media hermit for the past 3 years but recently I’ve given up and created a few accounts across different apps again. It’s unreal how strict the requirements are now.

  1. Give e-mail (ok)
  2. Give phone number (… eeh, ok)
  3. Use the new account for a while
  4. Account suspended, please upload selfie to continue (no thanks xi). There are also some verification promps where you have to record a video and rotate your face left to right

If this isn’t a message to move to indie web I don’t know what is

  • @[email protected]
    12•7 months ago

    Yep, Ghost Profiles.

    Though I’d love to see what they think they have on me.

    I’m old enough to well pre-date digital cameras, and of the photos I know I’m in, those people are unlikely to have uploaded pics (very few of those photos are with phones, and those people don’t share online with others much anyway).

    Genuinely very curious, since I’m such an outlier - it would be really insightful as to how effective FB is at piecing together disparate and tiny elements, including the tracking pixels, etc.

    I’ve never intentionally even been to the FB website - the first time a college kid in the family talked about it, I knew it was bad news, but couldn’t convince them.

    Maybe I’ll spin up a Linux machine off of usb, fire up a VPN, hit FB and see what I can find. I’m kind of curious now.

    • edricEnglish
      7•7 months ago

      Do you never join photos when in social gatherings and someone takes a group picture with their phone?

      • @[email protected]
        2•7 months ago

        Unless you mean “accidentally being somewhere in the background of a stranger’s photo”, yes. I usually opt out of being photographed, was never forced into this.

      • @[email protected]
        2•7 months ago

        Nope.

        I don’t remember the last time I was in a group taking photos. Family, years ago, but the older person taking the photo was using a digital camera, not a phone, and would maybe share via text.

        No one in my family really uses Facebook, and wouldn’t waste their time tagging anyone. Anyone looking at those photos would know who is who - no need to tag.

        The photo would have to be tagged by someone I don’t even know, like a sibling’s friend’s kid or something, and there’s no reason for them to be viewing these photos, let alone tagging them - they likely wouldn’t even be interested in the first place.

    • Pup Biru
      3•7 months ago

      remember that your searches for yourself feed them data too