On: Facebook blocks links to B.S. Detector, fake news warning plugin

[poorman]

I'm not sure why anyone uses Facebook anymore. I think a better plugin would be to remove any posts that contain remote content.

Then you are simply left with updates about your friends.

[daveguy → poorman]

And you think the B.S. detector was blocked quickly. There would be a pure vacuum left in the internet due to the quickness with which a third party remover would disappear.

I expect Facebook is saturated and or declining in the US due to excess BS. A few years ago it was rare that I would find a "fb free" person. Now it is much more common (maybe as much my age group as fb though).

[notadoc → daveguy]

Pretty sure the only reason most people I know use Facebook is for Tinder.

[RickS → notadoc]

This is funny, because the only reason tinder values a facebook login is if users were robust facebook users pre-tinder (and thus easily verifiable as real people), so it's ultimately all for naught.

[quickquicker → notadoc]

Same here. Hadn't been active on it for years, basically since college.

[dimfeld → poorman]

The FBPurity browser plugin might interest you. You can block all sorts of content based on post type and keyword. http://www.fbpurity.com

[sucrose → dimfeld]

I've tried this plugin and it's very useful, however, in my case the chat stops working when enabled.

[dimfeld → sucrose]

Hmm, interesting. For what it's worth, I haven't had that problem.

[shmatatina → dimfeld]

Thank you for sharing this. I have been looking for this for years!

[snowwrestler → poorman]

Facebook is an easy way for my friends to call my attention to a piece of external content that I might otherwise have not known about (and vice versa).

For example one FB friend follows whitewater racing closely and is constantly posting articles and videos from local websites throughout Europe. I would never get to see this content otherwise.

Sure a lot of people on HN don't like Facebook or don't use Facebook, but about a billion people do. And they do it for a reason: they like it.

The question is what obligation does Facebook have to those people--and to society in general--to avoid fooling or exploiting them. I'd say it is at least "some".

[sharkmerry → snowwrestler]

>> For example one FB friend follows whitewater racing closely and is constantly posting articles and videos from local websites throughout Europe. I would never get to see this content otherwise.

Do you seek out this content now that you've seen it? Has it made you a bigger fan of whitewater racing?

[Cafey → poorman]

I ask myself this about everyday I open the app. Unfortunatly, the answer is always: well in between all the BS there are things my family post or members of groups I joined post. So I keep on going even though I find it appalling.

[uberstuber → poorman]

A plugin like this would make FB usable again. Too bad it would get blocked asap.

[wernercd → uberstuber]

As mentioned elsewhere: http://www.fbpurity.com

I can't stand using Facebook on my phone due to lack of ad-blocking (Sponsored stories) and other tweaks FBP gives...

[trendia → poorman]

An even better plugin would block Facebook altogether.

[MaxLeiter → poorman]

This would be great - I hate all the "blank commented on" posts, I just want updates

[tsm → poorman]

That'd be a great plugin and seems relatively easy to make…does it exist?

[shawnz → poorman]

Isn't that the current behaviour if you have no pages 'liked'?

[RickS → shawnz]

No. I had nothing "liked" and it will simply insert things that your friends like, which is typically awful, or things that it thinks are interesting to you based on your advertising profile (eg: like DJ gear? you should like guitar center!)

[fgandiya → poorman]

I only use it for messenger, which isn't bad...

[astrodust → poorman]

How about a plugin that blocks Facebook in its entirety?