Access to Facebook
From Wikiprogress.org
Contents |
Background
Facebook is a social networking website that enables members to connect and communicate with people, and access information posted by other users. The website has been attributed with revolutionizing the internet in numerous ways, as it has changed the political economy of social media and websites, modified consumer tendencies, created a "surveillance society," empowered individual expression, political awareness and participation, and enabled large groups of people to access and communicate each other. It has recently been accredited for its role in a series of pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East, demonstrating the site's ability to contribute to Progress.
Facebook is fast-approaching its 700 million member milestone and according to a survey conducted by google, it is the most-visited site on the internet thus far in 2011.[1] While Facebook membership has increased dramatically in recent years, prominent disparities in access to the site exist across political and economic divides. See sections below on Statistics and Facebook Membership: Region by Region for data pertinent to this trend.
The site has also encountered a series of lawsuits concerning privacy rights of users and ownership claims made by former class-mates and employers of Facebook C.E.O. Mark Zuckerberg. See below section on Lawsuits for information on claims that have been made against the site.
History
The exact origins of Facebook have been in dispute since the website was launched in 2004. An account of this dispute was the topic of the 2010 film, "The Social Network."
Mark Zuckerberg launched the site on February 4, 2004 as a 19 year-old sophomore at Harvard University. Initially, the site was available strictly to Harvard students until April 2004, when it became accessible to students at schools recognized as members of the Ivy League. Shortly afterwards, in June 2004, Zuckerberg and two of his peers at Harvard, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, dropped out of school to work full-time on the site's expansion. The group secured substantial financial investments in September 2004 and after several more months of testing, Facebook became available to any one with a valid institutional address. In September 2006, the site expanded its access parameters to include any one with a valid email address. Since this date, membership to Facebook has increased significantly.[2]
Legal Matters
Divya Narendra, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss vs. Mark Zuckerberg
Three of Zuckerberg's Harvard classmates sued the Facebook C.E.O in 2004., alleging that Zuckerberg stole the concept for the site when they enlisted him to construct what was essentially Facebook in 2004. This claim was depicted at length in the 2010 film, "The Social Network." Narendra and the Winklevoss' lawsuit snowlballed into a torrent of lawsuits exchanged between the two parties. Initially, Zuckerberg responded to his former classmate's lawsuit with a countersuit, claiming that they had stolen the idea for their website, ConnectU, from him. The storm of suits appeared to be at an end when Zuckerberg agreed to pay a $65 million settlement to the trio, however, soonafter, Narendra and the Winklevoss' pulled out of the deal, claiming that Facebook had misrepresented the value of its stock. The case is currently being reviewed by the Boston Federal Court. [3]
Paul Ceglia vs. Mark Zuckerberg
In July 2010, web designer Paul Ceglia sued Zuckerberg, claiming that he owned 84% of Facebook. Ceglia alleged that Zuckerberg created Facebook as a part of a project that he had paid Zuckerberg to execute for his website StreetFax in 2003. [4] Since July 2010, Ceglia has changed lawyers numerous times, which has made the case the subject of derision from various media outlets. The case is still pending.
Facebook and Zynga
Both Facebook and Zynga have been the target of several lawsuits alleging that Facebook users' information has been shared with third-parties, most notably advertisers, for financial profit. In June 2010, the Wall Street Journal published the results of an investigation, indicating that both Facebook and MySpace were violating the privacy of its users by sharing user information with third-parties for profit. Facebook amended its own code but did not verify the code of Zynga, the biggest developer of games featured on the site. Both Facebook and Zynga have since been sued by users for violating privacy legislation.[5]
Investigation by Privacy Commissioner of Canada
In 2009, Facebook was investigated by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada in response to a complaint made by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. The inquiry resulted in the release of a report recommending that Facebook take several measures in order to protect the privacy of its users and comply with Canadian privacy legislation.[6]
Facebook Membership: Region by Region
The most recent statistics to be released on Facebook membership by region were published in August 2010:
Asia
93,584,580 million
Africa
17,607,440 million
Europe
162,104,640 million
Latin America
68,189,920 million
North America
149,054,040 million
Middle East
11,698,120 million
The Carribean
3,925,060 million
Oceania / Australia
11,596,660 million [7]
Overview of Past and Present Facebook Bans by Country
Bangladesh
After a series of satirical images of the profit Mohammed appeared on the social network, in May 2010, Facebook was banned in Bangladesh. The ban was lifted two months later.
China
Despite the ban on facebook, the site has been accessed by around 100,000 users in China who have utilized cracks in government firewalls.
North Korea
While little reliable data is released from the country, available information suggests that Facebook is blocked in North Korea.
Syria
Facebook has been banned in Syria since 2007. Despite the ban, the site has been widely accessed throughout the country at internet cafés that have circumvented the government's firewalls.[8]
Vietnam
While the Vietnamese government has never officially acknowledged its ban on Facebook, a government document leaked in 2009 indicated that the site was blocked. However, as in China, a substantial number of people in Vietnam have been able to access the site through cracks in the firewall. In order to establish a more effective block, the government would need to publicly acknowledge the ban. Several Facebook alternatives have been launched within the country including go.vn, which was created and is run by the Vietnamese government. In November 2010, Facebook announced its intention to "expand" its presence in Vietnam, and the Vietnamese government has yet to acknowledge this statement and its implications. [9]
See also
References
Further Reading
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