“I can confirm that life is very good without Facebook and that we would live very well without Facebook,” Le Maire added. “Digital giants must understand that the European continent will resist and affirm its sovereignty.”
The pair were responding to comments in Meta’s annual report published Thursday, warning that if it couldn’t rely on new or existing agreements to shift data, then it would “likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe.”
Don’t threaten us with a good time, Zuck.
Apparently Zuckerburg doesn’t realize how many people would like to see them go away. The US would get on fine without them too.
I find it funny that ten years ago Apple was promoting Facebook integration with IOS but today Facebook’s reputation has fallen so much that even Facebook themselves are distancing themselves from their own name.
https://www.theverge.com/2012/6/11/3077502/facebook-ios-integration
I have so many friends who tell me how happy they have become having weaned themselves off FB, Instagram, Tik Tok and other social media platforms.
So Meta won’t follow through on that threat because they know the risk is huge versus a trivial reward. Imagine if Meta blocked a region long term, and people decided they are happier and weren’t coming back? The news would spread like wildfire, and authorities that normally cower in the dark corners would grow an attitude!
I have heard anecdotal stories that Meta permanently lost many users in Australia when it locked them out of news feeds, but why the users left is not clear.
Death to doomscrolling!
Yeah, I remember those days. Even back then it didn’t seem right to have a service baked into the os that way instead of being done through apps and extensible frameworks.
Times have certainly changed. I think, this once, we’re in complete agreement. We’ll get along just fine without them too, if it comes to that. In fact, I sincerely hope it does.
“Social networking” apps are like smoking to me.
I never understood why people fell for it in the first place, and it’s both quite entertaining and sad to see them struggle with this.
I haven’t been on FB for over a year now. Lovin’ it! Should have deleted my account years ago.
I got rid of fb about 5 years ago, and Twitter just over a year ago. The latter was just because of sheer laziness since I hadn’t logged in for years anyway. It was the best thing I ever did for my mental state. I don’t often agree with European politicians, but this is a rare case. To Facebook and all the rest: don’t let the door hit you as you go, and never return.
I’m wondering how WhatsApp plays into this, if at all. Didn’t they force data sharing across WhatsApp and Fb and if so, wouldn’t the EU lose WhatsApp too if they carry through with this threat?
Imagining a whole world without Facebook. Many many smiling faces. Less depression. Fewer suicides.
Selfie stick sales will take a hit.
Facebook, Meta, whatever the heck they call themselves is too intrusive, even for us Florida libertarians. The State has already been after them. Hopefully they get kicked out of Europe and elsewhere, WhatsApp spun off.
I’m thinking this whole fiasco is about Facebook attempting to delay their real financials coming out. Many reviews of their ad platform complain it’s the only one that doesn’t allow 3rd party verification of click rates and fake likes. Combine this with the recent reduction in daily users, and it may come out that the whole thing is a pyramid scheme that’s bad financials can only be covered by constant growth. There’s no way they don’t know it’s an empty threat, but they must desperately need a distraction and something to blame for what’s coming.
Meanwhile in the Netherlands:
Facebook is actively used by the PM for live video and q and a about covid.
Nowadays innovation wont come from NL.
Wow, and here we are, still stuck with our politicians tweeting. 😛
In all seriousness though, politicians and other public figures using and relying on social media companies which have even more of an agenda than some media companies never seemed like a good idea, especially when those models are driven by outrage traffic and ads. A deadly mix indeed.