SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Packt reports that Gab's Dissenter browser extension was removed from Mozilla's Firefox add-ons on April 10th (people already using it can continue to do so), and was booted from Google's Chrome browser the next day. Gab pitches itself as an anti-censorship social media platform that only prohibits speech that is illegal. Their Dissenter browser extension and associated website allow people to share comments about any webpage, giving users the ability to share comments on articles, videos, etc., regardless of whether or not the website hosting the content has a comments section. Mozilla's rationale for the ban was that Dissenter was being used to promote violence, hate speech, and discrimination, but they failed to show any examples to bolster that claim. Gab plans to develop their own browser in response.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday April 13 2019, @08:17PM (9 children)
Firefox and Chrome have made it more difficult to run unofficial extensions over the years, and will probably continue to do so.
The HTTPS Everywhere page notes:
Even if the workarounds are successful, it could have the immediate effect of confusing and driving away non-technical users. And Mozilla or Google can disable it at any time, forcing you to use another browser.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Saturday April 13 2019, @08:19PM (5 children)
Yet another reason (as if we needed more) not to use Chrome.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 13 2019, @09:47PM (4 children)
It's good if nazis use chrome so they will be tracked more easily. We don't want to suddenly wake up to WWIII with these fifth columners behind our back.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 13 2019, @10:16PM (3 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 13 2019, @10:45PM (2 children)
So you're a Nazi? Thanks for sharing!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 13 2019, @11:27PM (1 child)
No, I'm an an anti-collectivist, liberal individual.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday April 15 2019, @05:56AM
And the only one with that particular set of My Little Pony wallscrolls and that size collection of fedoras, no doubt. Oh, sorry, they're *trilbies,* not fedoras, aren't they?
You are a unique and special snowflake. As in "short bus" special.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday April 13 2019, @08:37PM (2 children)
Over the arc of my career I have had the opportunity to measure the rate at which the general public internalizes new tech and communications media. Texting debuted on big platforms in the mid-90's. It took off instantly in Europe and Asia, but it took a further 15 years for it to really hit the big time with the American public.
The same thing was true with social media. Anybody here remember Geocities or Yahoo Groups? The tech was there a long time ago, but again it took 15-20 years for the American public to get up to speed. Meantime, many iterations have come, risen, crashed and burned (eg. Meetup.com, MySpace.com, Friendster, etc).
I remember when I graduated with my Bachelor's and was considering graduate study, I thought about undertaking sociological analysis of the impact of the Internet because its revolutionary potential, its ability to challenge governments and established powers globally seemed clear. But it's only now, 25 years later, that it's really coming about.
Privacy and security and de facto defense against censorship will, I believe, follow a similar timeframe. This latest round of shenanigans will accelerate everything a bit, maybe, but it's gonna take a while for those things to become a widely accepted reality.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Pino P on Sunday April 14 2019, @02:56AM
Might much of that have to do with how American carriers chose to price the service compared to carriers in Europe and Asia?
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Monday April 15 2019, @11:13AM
I appreciate Phoenix666's experience, but it beggars the practices of leaving inscribed stones close to the peaks of Mount Olympus, or other high places, as a means to meet chicks. Of course, a lot of them were Centaurs, or at least portrayed themselves as Centaurs, or the God Priapus. But then, I think blocking Priapus is called for these days, and is called "Priapus blocking".
So many perverts, so few young girls on SoylentNews! Yes, I know it must be hard! Can I suggest the "Red Pillar" solution?