You are not on the platform, so don’t compromise that data.
Facebook isn’t just a simple service to put people in touch, but an insidious platform that has no care for non-users. The platform makes profit by psychological engagement, spying on it’s users, and along with Google & Amazon, the other ’behemoths’, stores vast troves of data about everyone on the platform including everyone else who is not, enabling the company to target people with advertising on and off Facebook. But how does Facebook make revenue from it’s non-users? How does Facebook target them?
This is not a parable by the way, I’m looking for some small justice. So if you do not want to read on, that is fine by me.
Recently, I finished working at a tech company where I was stationed for the best part of 2 years. The work was gruelling and exhausting. That’s all i can say about that.
Spending the last month searching internet job-sites is, all in all, soul destroying at the least, irritating even; typing up applications, sending CVs, knocking on doors basically, looking into every nook and cranny, leaving no stone unturned. There is no time to do anything else in the face of so much rejection.
Anyway, I signed up for a Gumtree account 13 years ago, but i was in fact using it much longer, long before I needed to create a login. So the other day, I focused my job search solely on Gumtree. You know it’s not too difficult to connect with people through this platform, in any case, finding the right job post is easy, much easier than more dedicated internet job-boards where you have to jump through hoops even to make a connection.
Ok, so I find this job post with the telephone number attached, then another, no login , no problem, made contact! Then i happen on another perfectly suitable job . I think to myself, this sounds great — I will get some training in this job and it’s local — but, I need to email the employer.
What can i do??? I will sign in to my Gumtree account to gather the company email address, send the email, attach the CV, cover letter, no bother. The job will be mine in minutes!
That would be too simple of course.
So I can’t sign in . Yikes!
If you are familiar with Gumtree, you will surely know that Gumtree is a vast global community where users can view or post free-ads, a kind of bulletin board of sorts — where people anywhere can buy or sell, find a rental in any country, city or town; anywhere, any place, any time. You can even find a spare part for a broken device, buy a new car, hook up with other musicians, find a tutor, look for a family pet — even find a job — but i hear you say..
‘We can do all of this on the Facebook platform, and stay in touch with friends at the same time!’
But being on Facebook is a problem.
Facebook has cornered the ads market by a) basically bullying non-Facebook users off other platforms with it’s hostile terms.
and b) by building up a profile of our daily lives while we are on the internet and — who is to say? — while we are off. It would not surprise me if they knew what we were doing the rest of the time while not online, sure they have spent enough time getting to know us in our digital lives already.
You don’t need to be on the platform for Facebook to spy on you. You just need to be on the web, silly! Believing that Facebook could not spy on you even when you’re not on the Facebook platform.
Meanwhile I’m trying to login to Gumtree. I’m not on Facebook, but Facebook wants me to accept it’s terms via gumtree even though I have blocked them.
“If you want to login with Facebook then Facebook will then be able to track your activity on this site. This can help build a fuller picture of your online life.”
I enter my login details to Gumtree, hit ‘Submit’ and nothing happens, just this message above. I’m not buying this BS. I hit ‘cancel’ and the message momentarily disappears until i hit submit again and the message reappears, and so the story goes.
It’s telling me just click accept.
I’m not stupid! Don’t click Accept. It’s a dark pattern. I’m prompted by Firefox’s native addOn. Don’t compromise that data! This is what it means!
I do not want Facebook to have a picture of my online life. It’s not in my interests. And, I opted out of that platform a long time ago. I do not click accept.
And I’m still without that job.
Unfinished Business.
