“Enemies of Islam" driven from Facebook
One of the deactivation groups.
Facebook groups have launched a successful campaign to ban what they call "enemies" from the social network by reporting them to the site's administrators. Their main targets are human rights advocates, atheists, and those accused of being "anti-Islam" or simply "too liberal".
Lists of targets are compiled on Facebook itself, in groups like "Pesticide" and "The cleansing bureau". Hundreds of Facebook users are on the lists - especially if they're gay or women who refuse to wear the veil.
The group administrator asks members to alert the Facebook admin to the targets' accounts by signalling them as "fake profiles". And it's working. Hundreds of users, most of them from Tunisia but also elsewhere, have seen their accounts disappear.
That's because if a large enough number of people signal a profile, then it is deleted automatically, without human verification. Facebook, which is currently facing huge criticism for privacy issues, confirmed that the automatic system was in place, after an employee of the American company tested it.
“I didn’t even get an email from Facebook telling me why my account was deactivated”
Naruto (not his real name) is a Tunisian student and active web user who currently lives in Japan.
I emailed Facebook to ask them to reactivate my account, but for the time being, all I’ve had in response is an automatic reply. I sent them a few details about myself and a link to my LinkedIn account to prove that I really exist, but I didn’t include a photocopy of my ID like they suggested, because I think that’s giving them a bit too much information.
As I no longer have access to the site, I can’t find out if my name is on one of the lists. There’s no reason I should have been blocked from Facebook. They need to take a fresh look at their supervision system. It’s far too easy to get someone removed, and sadly, certain people have worked that out.”
“It’s probably easily influenced kids who’ve got nothing better to do”
Sarah Ben Hamad works in tourism and writes a blog. Her Facebook account has been targeted several times by deactivation groups.
I don't know who's behind these groups; you can't see who the administrator is. I think it's probably easily influenced kids who've got nothing better to do. I'd like to know why people follow their advice without knowing who the people they're targeting are. Is it really a religious fantasy or just an irrational hatred? And why doesn't Facebook notice the unusually high amount of requests coming from them and do something about it?"
Who’s behind the “deactivation groups”
There are a number of hypotheses concerning who might be behind the groups. At first glance it seems to be Islamic fundamentalists. According to new technology blog ReadWriteWeb, however, the Tunisian government may have got involved in a bid to disrupt websites it is not comfortable with.
Instructions on "The cleansing bureau" page:
Messages posted on the wall of the "Sniper" deactivation group:
Comments
I'm in this list
Submitted by Verena Soares (not verified) on Thu, 27/05/2010 - 22:20.I'm actively in so many groups for free speech and have recieved threatens from muslims cause "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" and now the group "Veterans of Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" and many other. I already lost one profile just 3 months ago, soon I'll have this deleted also. Good to know cause then I save everything just to republish.
Oh Happy Day
Submitted by Naumadd (not verified) on Thu, 27/05/2010 - 08:39.I suspect I will be on the list and, considering a recent piece of artwork I created to give myself and others a bit of a chuckle, it seems all too assured. Add to that the fact I'm a "white" American libertarian, a veteran of the Yankee military currently "defiling Muslims peoples and land", a bisexual atheist married to a liberal pagan and quite anti-theistic with nothing at all good to say about intellectually and emotionally-delayed dictatorial theocracies or those who have practically no respect for dissenting human life, for genuine fact and logically-consistent reasoning, I'm a shoe in.
I have nothing I would not freely let you take away if you are so weak as to cling to it that strongly. You see, I am quite free of the attachments to places, times, peoples and things with which most human beings are afflicted.
Your anger defeats only you because I do not allow you your war. I will not play and you win nothing of consequence to me.
Bearing false witness
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 27/05/2010 - 05:45.I don't believe in sky fairies, so I don't know for sure, but since Islam has roots in the Old Testament, is "Bearing False Witness" against another not a sin in the eyes of Allah?
Bearing False Witness???
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 31/05/2010 - 21:57.Heck, isn't blowing yourself up along with countless innocent victims a sin in Islam? Who is it that protects these monsters? Outfits like Facebook.
Swift Retalliation!!!
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 27/05/2010 - 00:44.I encourage everyone to give these degenerate pig fuckers a taste of their own medicine. Flag them. Flag them now, flag them later, flag them every damn chance you can and lets stamp this vermin out.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/dywan-altthyr-alfysbwky/119627744737703
http://www.facebook.com/pages/alqnas-alfysbwky-2/126650024028047
http://www.facebook.com/pages/alftak-alfaysbwky/118305611524603?ref=search&sid=413x4ynuGs3qHlT_o8B94g.261758919..1
J'encourage chacun à donner à ces baiseurs dégénérés de porc un goût de leur propre médecine. Marquez-les. Marquez-les maintenant, marquez-les plus tard, marquez-les chaque fichue chance que vous pouvez et laissez le timbre cette vermine dehors
Because some of my posts anti-sharia ?
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 23/06/2010 - 16:37.Last 2 of the 3 sites above seem to go to my FB. Is it bacause I post some anti-sharia messages & 'like' such sites? Are you saying to flag me because you are a muslim troll, or do I misunderstand your intention here?
This is sickening! It looks
Submitted by Katharina Sri (former: Noor aza) (not verified) on Wed, 26/05/2010 - 19:02.This is sickening! It looks like the Western appeasers of evil Muslim fanantics, who hate freedom of speech, are pathetic cowards!It looks like the Islamization of the world, including in the West is on its way!
BOYCOTT FACEBOOK - Why
Submitted by TL Winslow (not verified) on Wed, 26/05/2010 - 18:47.Immature geek Mark Zuckerberg is a wannabe Bill Gates with designs on a monopoly in social networking, which would result in a new Dark Ages like Gates did with operating systems. His whats-in-it-for-me practices trampling personal and privacy rights to position himself for riches no matter whom he hurts are despicable, and are indicative of much worse to come, and he must be stopped. If you could go back to the early 1980s and buy Microsoft's competitors' operating systems, wouldn't you? The only way to stop Zuckerberg is to boycott Facebook by deleting your account after telling your social network to do ditto, in hopes that a saner, safer, more democratic alternative will arise.
http://boycottfacebookblog.blogspot.com/