this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2025
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Privacy

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John Oliver cited a 5000% rise in search queries related to leaving Meta and deleting accounts. Among the topics mentioned in the analysis, attention was drawn to early Facebook's naivete with regard to moderation requirements, the constitutional framework, and a history of governmental interference.

Oliver debunks common right-wing "cry censorship" talking points, as well as the objective difficulty of moderation endeavors, and how direct threats by Trump may have influenced Zuckerberg's turnaround.

Oliver went on to suggest Signal, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Pixelfed as alternatives that "do not seem as desperate to fall in line with Trump". For those reluctant to completely ditch Meta, Oliver revealed a new site with step-by-step instructions to "make yourself less valuable to them".

The guide was a collaboration with the EFF, and includes settings' tweaks for Facebook and Meta, whose 98% of revenue comes from micro-targeting ads, the host previously cited, to increase privacy, and recommends Firefox, Privacy Badger, as "other measures" to take in order "to block advertisers and other third parties from tracking you".

The segment culminated in a mock advert, in which the new Meta's approach to moderation is coined as "Fuck it", and hints to racism, internet scams, and calls to genocide running rampant on Meta's platforms.

The clip reminds the origins of Facebook as a site to "rank college girls by hotness", and its implication in genocide in Myanmar, which was more thoroughly discussed in an Oliver's previous special on Facebook in 2018.

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[–] CAVOK@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Use Magic Earth or Organic Maps instead of Google Maps too. Neither will track you.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 3 points 19 hours ago

I've tried so hard but I don't think magic earth, organic maps, or osmand likes me

[–] Routhinator@startrek.website 3 points 19 hours ago

The problem I see with this is that a Meta employee literally came out on Mastodon recently and revealed that non of these settings do anything and are false flags.

https://misskey.de/notes/a3ax4tqomg

[–] lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 71 points 1 day ago (1 children)

John Oliver's show is doing amazing things, including the Drumpfinator addon.

What is that URL, though? I'm guessing I'm know it if I (happily) watch the episode?

[–] fushuan@lemm.ee 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

it's an inside joke of the show where he presents himself as a """secret""" furry that loves rat erotica. The content of the link is legit though.

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

with the sometimes quite insider-y references, there absolutely is at least one furry on the writing team

[–] grue@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (4 children)
[–] bob_lemon@feddit.org 6 points 1 day ago

Just imagine being a artist, doing furry because you love it or maybe just because it pays your bills. And then someone from HBO contacts you about commissioning a picture of John Oliver as a horny otter in skintight jorts.

[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago
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[–] Corgana@startrek.website 49 points 1 day ago

Took a long time, but nice to see this topic getting mainstream attention.

[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 138 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Good, glad it's getting some main stream attention. If more people start taking advantage of these settings and alternatives it's going to hurt Meta's bottom line eventually

[–] whydudothatdrcrane@lemmy.ml 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

it’s going to hurt Meta’s bottom ~~line~~ eventually

Just hurting Meta's bottom is good enough for me

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (4 children)

They'll just bury the settings, or remove them. Who's going to stop them now?

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[–] perishthethought@lemm.ee 66 points 1 day ago (24 children)

Why don't stories like this EVER mention Lemmy?

[–] OneTwoThree@mander.xyz 86 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Well, I get that Lemmy is an alternative social media, but it's not really an alternative to Facebook. Anonymous usernames, text-based posts, you can't follow people, Fediverse is somewhat confusing.. I'd recommend it as an alternative to Reddit, but probably not the website where boomers want to check up on their neighbors and friends

[–] jagermo@feddit.org 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

you can't follow people

Challenge accepted

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[–] breadcat@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 day ago

it's not an alternative to any meta platform

[–] DMCMNFIBFFF@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

I guess the hate for Reddit isn't as great as for Shitter and Fakebook. (yet)

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 16 points 1 day ago (8 children)

Because Lemmy is nowhere near as ready for primetime as other platforms.

[–] Zagorath@lemm.ee 1 points 10 hours ago

Eh, Lemmy is way more mature as a platform than PixelFed is, and he mentioned that.

I think the explanation being in relation to what it's intended to replace is more likely. He doesn't care as much about getting people off Reddit as he cares about getting people off Zuck and Musk's platforms.

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[–] Sunny@slrpnk.net 47 points 1 day ago (1 children)

John Oliver for president ✊

[–] Oni_eyes@sh.itjust.works 37 points 1 day ago (7 children)

He can't because he wasn't born here, but we could totally elect his wife and let him do the whole first husband thing while still advising if she needs it.

[–] leadore@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yep after all that's how musk did it by using trump as the symbolic figurehead

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[–] Greg@lemmy.ca 75 points 1 day ago (15 children)

I don’t want to get my hopes up but is this Facebook’s MySpace moment?

[–] Scrollone@feddit.it 61 points 1 day ago

My personal MySpace moment for Facebook was 10 years ago. Best choice ever made.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 28 points 1 day ago

MySpace was way smaller than Facebook, it wasn't even available where I am for most of its (meaningful) existence (I never had a MySpace despite being the exact target age range).

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 21 points 1 day ago

Nobody left MySpace because of enshitification

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[–] grid11@lemy.nl 46 points 1 day ago
[–] morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de 47 points 1 day ago (6 children)

good initiative but uh what's up with that domain name?

[–] honeybadger1417@lemmy.world 95 points 1 day ago (5 children)

There was a whole saga of him buying expensive rat erotica artwork at one point, which is a sentence I never thought I'd write.

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