Facebook is Trying To Ban A Browser
Facebook is trying to ban a browser that offers privacy to users. The social browser-‘Friendly’ helps users to block ads and trackers, organize feeds and keywords, and further allows them to personalize them. The only reason Facebook is trying to ban it is that it provides additional features. Although, the browser does not request any support or extension.
Fortunately, The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) came to aid. The foundation wrote a letter to Facebook. Also, it challenged their legal claims. Facebook’s legal claims accuse Friendly of violating the Federal Computer Fraud And Abuse Act (CFAA).
Furthermore, Facebook charged Friendly with, “changing the way Facebook and Instagram look and function”, and “impairing intended operations”. Friendly like Google Chrome, Firefox does not require a developer interface into Facebook or Instagram.
Moreover, as mentioned by The EFF, Friendly does not require the personal information of users. The browser instead collects anonymous data which is at last sold to third parties for advertisements.
More About Friendly Social Browser
Friendly Social Browser provides browser apps that have dedicated plugins. These help the users to customize their social media experience. Further, the browser allows disabling ads and trafficking, which is a brilliant feature. But, Facebook has a problem with that feature. The other thing the browser offers is increased controls, allowing users to filter feeds by keywords and access to Facebook’s old features.
This browser gives a benefit to the users of a personalized social experience. It gives access to accounts on different social media platforms. Also, it saves battery and space.
Friendly only provides users with themes and filters and changes just the operation of the feeds. This is why the EFF called Facebook’s claims dangerous. Facebook suing Friendly just shows that it always wants to be the decision-maker of how the users get to access their social media accounts.
Besides, Facebook has always tried to be controlling. It once threatened the NYU ad observatory to end the collection of data related to its political ad-targeting procedures. There have been many more such incidents.
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