Escaping-Social-Media
The workshop/discussion looked to explore what FLOSS options are available as an alternative to Facebook and Twitter. The session ran for a couple of hours and surveyed a number of tools, use cases and issues to be considered.
The initial plan was to develop a set of recommendations that someone could adopt to begin on the road to leaving behind the corporates, things turn out a bit different than planned and instead it was more of a sketching of a number of use case scenarios.
Rough notes
The tools discussed were
The basic criteria for inclusion are that the systems are FLOSS, open standards and federated media, systems that don't look to exploit peoples' social graph.
StatusNet
About status.net on the Techtools for Activism
https://techtoolsforactivism.org/alternatives-to-twitter
Use cases
- An individual or organisation that doesn't want to have their personal data farmed or have advertising, but still want to stay in touch with friend on Facebook and Twitter.
Using a StatusNet account you can post on the micro-blogging site and the posts can appear on Twitter and Facebook. Additionally posts made on Twitter and Facebook will appear on your StatusNet account.
Example StatusNet site's where you can create or request an account are, Identi.ca (create an account) and indy.im (FOAF invite only).
First off we'll give the example of using Identi.ca as this an up-to-date install of StatusNet.
To connect to Twitter and Facebook you'll need your user name and passwords, as well as access to your email so you can get your new account authorisations.
- Step one create an account on Identi.ca
- An organisation running its own social network that then connects out to FB and TWitter
- Anonomised Twitter and FB: TOR > status.net > twitter - facebook
- Anonomised Twitter and FB: Anon Wordpress > status.net > twitter - facebook
StatusNet Android App
mustard android app for StatusNet
https://launchpad.net/mustardroid
Appleseed
http://opensource.appleseedproject.org/
GNUsocial
http://foocorp.org/projects/social/
Buddycloud
Pirate Social
pirate.social UK
Elgg
Diaspora
Tumbler
Tumbler
Mediagoblin
Mediagoblin http://mediagoblin.org/index.html
Gnu-Net
gnu-net - P2P file sharing
Friendika
Lorea
https://n-1.cc/ - Lorea
Presentation https://n-1.cc/pg/file/read/1226119/unlike-us-short-lorea-presentation
Crabgrass
Crabgrass - https://we.riseup.net/
GNU Social
http://foocorp.org/projects/social/
XMPP federated chat services
About
https://techtoolsforactivism.org/content/instant-messaging
Use case
1. anon campaigner
2. not being farmed
3. totally private
Stop being farmed
Three things to stop your social graph being farmed, while keeping a mobile phone and a facebook account
Example of being farmed
Donttrack.us
devils in the detail campaign - UK
1. Dont be tracked
2. work towards not using FB - start using: wordpress, identica, crabgrass, email, wiki
3. ??
Lost and found
https://mat.boum.org/ - photo metadata stripping
Resources
http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/unlikeus/resources/
Reading and ideas
Federated chat servers XMPP