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| Facebook bans developer of Unfollow Everything |
A developer has developed a tool that allows people to automatically unsubscribe from their friends and groups on the Facebook platform. He said he was permanently banned from social media.
Lewis Barclay is the creator of Follow Everything, a browser extension that allows Facebook users to essentially delete their newsfeeds by unsubscribing from all links at once.
The platform allows users to stop following their friends, groups and homepages and remove content from their news feed, which is the beating heart of the algorithm-driven platform.
Barclay automates this process and deletes the user's news feed instantly. As Barclay wrote in an article about his experience with the tool: I still remember the first time when I didn't have it all on display. It's almost a miracle.
"I haven't lost anything, I can always find my friends and favorite bands right away," he added. But I gained a lot of control. I no longer tend to scroll through endless streams of content. The time I spend on the platform is significantly reduced. My addiction to Facebook has become manageable.
In response, the company sent Barclays a cease and desist letter earlier this year, saying it was violating the site's terms of service by developing software that automates user interaction.
Barclays said the company then permanently disabled my Facebook and Instagram accounts and asked me to agree to never create tools to interact with Facebook or any other service.
The extension clears the Facebook news feed
Barclay noted that researchers at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland not only help users, but also use this tool to study the impact of newsfeeds on people's happiness.
He said he couldn't risk getting involved in court with a trillion dollar company, so he removed all tools to sign off.
Barclays' history came at a difficult time for the company. Frances Hogan attended the conference this week to witness the company's development ambitions. This often happens at the expense of the well-being of users.
The documents Hugin posted included the company's internal research. Studies have shown that Instagram use has exacerbated physical and mental health problems for some teens. The company's main reaction to Hugin's testimony was to discredit him.
The company allows users to stop tracking individuals individually. However, automating the process makes it easy to unsubscribe from newsfeeds, which is essential to retaining users. Tools like "don't do everything" are prohibited.