 |
| The original logo from July 2009 |
Facebook has "archived" NO BC HST - which means wiping out the 125,000 plus members from what was BC's biggest Facebook protest group and second largest BC Facebook page overall - behind the Vancouver Canucks.
I created this group in July 2009 - before I helped form Fight HST with former Premier Bill Vander Zalm, ex-Unity Party leader Chris Delaney and other good folks, before the successful Citizens Initiative petition in 2010, before the winning binding provincial referendum in 2011.
At it's peak, it went viral - growing by 6,000 members every day, peaking at over 136,000!
And now, despite every effort to convince Facebook otherwise, the membership has been all but eliminated. As of writing there are 114 members.
I encourage you to re-join NO BC HST - if only to spite Facebook's corporate malevolence.
And beware - Facebook does not belong to you or us - it belongs to them.
Below is Fight HST's news release today about this:
* * * * *
News Release Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Facebook “archives” NO BC HST – BC’s largest Facebook protest group, wiping out 125,000 membership despite strong requests not to do so
NO BC HST Facebook page founder Bill Tieleman started group in July 2009, went viral – adding 6,000 members a day – now has just 80 members due to Facebook archiving
VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s largest Facebook protest group – NO BC HST – has seen its membership wiped out by Facebook management, dropping from over 125,000 members to just 80.
Facebook has “archived” the group formed in July 2009 by Fight HST Strategist and political commentator Bill Tieleman to oppose the Harmonized Sales Tax – meaning almost all members have been removed from the group without any notice to them.
NO BC HST was also one of British Columbia’s largest Facebook groups overall, bigger than the BC Lions Facebook fan page [50,7380] or the Vancouver Giants [4,737], but behind the Vancouver Canucks [692,123].
“It’s ironic that the Harmonized Sales Tax will last longer than the NO BC HST Facebook group formed to fight it,” says Tieleman. “Unfortunately this is another example of how Facebook management disrespects the members who made it into a multi-billion dollar corporation.”
Tieleman noted that Facebook also “archived” the national protest group Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, which had over 210,000 members who joined to oppose the federal Conservative government move to suspend Parliament in 2010 to avoid a non-confidence vote.
Facebook gave some groups an opportunity to transfer their membership to its new Page format but that option was never given to NO BC HST, Tieleman said, despite contacting Facebook and requesting it.
“While I still believe Facebook is a useful and powerful social media tool, the way Facebook management can arbitrarily and unfairly wipe out groups with hundreds of thousands of members without anyone’s permission is a strong warning to all,” Tieleman said.
“Facebook says it’s mission is about connecting people but the archiving of many other groups like these shows it is also about disconnecting people,” Tieleman said.
NO BC HST still exists on Facebook and Tieleman said he is encouraging people to re-join to send Facebook a message about its bad behaviour, as well as to push the BC Liberal government to extinguish the HST as required by the binding referendum passed in August 2011.
Tieleman wrote a column about Facebook threatening to “archive” NO BC HST last year – it can be found here: http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-would-facebook-want-to-kill-no-bc.html
22 comments:
You seriously think that that big multinational corporation with hundreds of millions of members and just a 1000 employees ever even considered your tax-protest?
It was probably deleted by a computer. No human likely even looked at it
The "Liquidation" of your No BC HST list should come as absolutely no surprise, in fact it should have been expected as long overdue.
You people still try to fight this war playing by "their" rules and relying on the very system and people you are opposed to . . . to grant you access and play fair.
Facebook, like all of Main Stream Media, just like our supposedly free and fair elections and the courts have failed our society.
The issue can only solved "in the streets" by the use of Roundheads and Cold Steel.
And we know that will never happen!
The GREAT SATAN
Oh pluhleez Bill. When you signed into Facebook, you agreed to terms of service.
125,000 members out of 500 million active users?
It took up room, and like any aspect that isnt currently used, it becomes redundant and is eliminated to make room for new.
Calivancouver has it right.
Call it a night, Bill.
You had your time in the sun.
Bill - It was really small:
"125,000 members out of 500 million active users?"
and Bill - It took up too much room:
"It took up room, and like any aspect that isnt currently used, it becomes redundant and is eliminated to make room for new."
I agree with TGS except for the fact that the revolution has already hit the streets.
I agree with TGS except for the fact that the revolution has already hit the streets.
So get busy and clean up the streets..
A year or two ago Google Blogger stopped supporting blogs that weren't stored entirely on their own servers. They claimed it was too difficult to support blogs hosted elsewhere which is B.S. as anyone savvy enough to have their own web host is savvy enough to be able to implement their own FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to upload files and images......
As far as I can tell it was simply a move to gain control of the data of their users. So keep your own copy(ies) of ANYTHING you wouldn't want to see disappear.
I hope you saved your own copy of the list. It all goes back to one of the first principles of computers and data management - Back up and then backup the back up.
1. Don't trust your data to a place (Google, Facebook, MySpace, the Cloud, Yahoo etc>) you have no control over.
2. Don't trust your data to be accessible in the future on a single media (floppy disk, CD, stick, external hard drive) or single proprietary format (Lotus 1-2-3).
Save data you would hate to lose in the SIMPLEST format available (Like text, which is accessible on any platform I can think of, off hand).
3. Really important data should be saved off-site as well.......
By the way, the new two word authentication almost demands superhuman powers to decipher both words, I had to try a half dozen before I found one where I could actually decipher both.
Christy and cronies are trying to exempt the HST from new real estate so their friends can get back to making some large coin again. Wrong strategy, Christy. It's all or nothing.
We all will have one more say come May 2013 to vote. It's too bad that B.C.ers spent about $20 Million on an exercise that did nothing.
It's good to keep the discussion alive 'till then to keep the issue on the front burner.
I love facebook even more now.
What a waste of time. Such a lame storyline.
Since the Feds have decided that free speech on the net is now considered not so free, it will drive free speach into the streets. All my communications will remain mundane on the net because I know they have been monitoring sites like this for years. When I am at the border while waiting at the line up, I seldom speak at all in the car because I know they can hear us. If you want to find terrorist activity, folks, you might try infiltration of your local place of worship instead.
How do you spell paranoia?
Those of us in our late 50's might remember an episode of the old "Outer Limits". Government monitoring its citizens. O.B.I.T
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aLca00-yCY creepy back then.
Join and support Diaspora! If you don't know what it is find out!
I don't even think the fight HST even matters. BC citizens are being lied to again. It took Harper, Hansen and Campbell only days, to force the HST onto the people. However, they seem to be too stupid, to be able to rescind it, after all these months. Just another dirty tactic, by the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals and Harper.
With the HST, in Harper and the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals never, never land...Could be there weren't enough visitors to keep the site current.
Time to understand that Facebook is nothing but a means to collect information and activity reports on everyone who is dumb enough to join it and use it.
Facebook will turn over its database to the Government and if you have been politically active at all, the police will show up to whisk you away to one of their extraordinary rendition sites, where you'll be tortured until you admit you are a terrorist.
My suggestion: JoinDiaspora.com
A distributed, non-commercial social network based on "Interests" rather than familial or real-world ties. It's a breath of fresh air. Own your data. Share without fear.
=D*
I certainly am not surprized. Facebook is a major corporation. If it isn't in their interest it isn't going to stay on. Trying to have them think otherwise is a waste of your time.
Multinational corporations, such as FaceBook have more in common with Harper & his neo cons than the people who use Face Book. Corporations such as Face Book are using their corporations to restrict information while making people believe they are giving them information and a method of communicating. Things like FaceBook also makes it easier for government's to spy on their citizens.
It would be wiser to use other sites which are non profits and of course if you use Face Book or something comerical to organize keep old fashion records when some thing/one decides you have to go.
What was the point of this article?
Omg Facebook exists to make money! It's a friggin' conspiracy!
Multinational corporations, such as FaceBook have more in common with Harper & his neo cons than the people who use Face Book.
What a load of crap that is.
Another manufactured statement without citable fact by someone who obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.
Facebook has no relationship with harper and his Neo Cons. Cre to explain why The Left uses Facebook?
As in all NDP MPs, MLAs, the NDP parties and the leadership contestants?? Plus the Labour Unions Socialist International, etc. etc.
"Corporations such as Face Book are using their corporations to restrict information while making people believe they are giving them information and a method of communicating."
More crap. If you think so, care to explain the corporations that run internet services such as this one you're using??
Plus every single instrument you use to access the internet was made by a corporation. We'll begin with that dirty keyboard of yours.
"Things like FaceBook also makes it easier for government's to spy on their citizens. "
Only if people are stupid enough to put dumb remarks into it. Such as the case it was with the Occupy Movement and the Stanley Cup Rioters.
"It would be wiser to use other sites which are non profits and of course if you use Face Book or something comerical to organize keep old fashion records when some thing/one decides you have to go."
A better solution is to simply not use other sites at all.
You're also missing a point. If Bill signed onto Faebook like he has for his many Facebook pages, he does agree to the Terms of Use.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Speaking of a load of crap.
I received a letter from B.C. Hydro last week stating that I would be receiving my new smart meter and I would see my bill go down. More Liberal Propaganda I figured.
Todays headlines. B.C.s inflation rate:1.8%
Aprils hydro rate increase:7%
Nice.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Speaking of a load of crap.
What an outrage, Bill! You should demand a full refund!
It seems that the HST which was going to put more money in everyone's pocket and good for business , as we all know didn't work as advertised. Just ask the home builders , 24 hours after sections for them was removed, house sales interest went way up.People are holding on to their wallets, and the sad thing was the folks who just couldn't wait paid a big price for making a sale a couple of months ago
"What an outrage, Bill! You should demand a full refund!"
Pretty hard to get a refund on a service that is free and completely voluntary, but he can try if he wants.
But they'll deduct that from the time and volume that Facebook has provided to Bill for his other Facebook sites and locations.
Post a Comment