Friday, September 30, 2016

An Open Letter to "Bearing Arms", et al

Dear Bearing Arms ...

... and any other website which requires a FaceBook membership before they accept my comments:

I attempted tonight to submit a comment to an article on your website, and I was stopped because I was required to have a FACEBOOK membership before I could post my comment.

Rather than do so, I deleted my comment.  I do not have a FACEBOOK account, nor will I ever.

FACEBOOK requires a lot of private information before I can subscribe; I am reluctant to provide that information, and because of that I cannot comment nor can I contribute.  Among other things, FACEBOOK asks for my photo ID (in the form of, for example, a screenshot of my drivers license).

One of the nice things about BlogSpot is that it allows me to provide commentary with a minimum amount of infringement upon my privacy.  As it happens, I have provided to BlogSpot much of what is required to FACEBOOK ... but not a jot or a tittle more.

I have provided a face picture to BLOGSPOT, and my comments in what I consider a "private" membership are those which any normal person might consider reasonable.

But not my full name and address.
Not a photo ID.

Not my true date of birth, or my phone number; not my driver's license number, and not full access to other items of personal data which would leave me uncomfortable; or data which provides the chance that my personal data would become public knowledge ... and liable to hacking.

If Bearing Arms (or FACEBOOK) think they are entitled to more personal information than I wish to provide before they will allow me to comment, then I will not contribute.   I'm not sure what benefit these intrusive websites expect to garner from intruding on my privacy,  but I AM certain that I don't trust them with my personal information.

Oh ... I probably could have made this whole email more succinct:

Dear FACEBOOK and Bearing Arms:  Screw you.  I don't need you.

b-Bye!

Jerry The Geek




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

@Geek: Thank you for standing up for those of us who do not subscribe to, or belong to 'facebook'. Good article.

Mark said...

add me to the No Facebook list.

Archer said...

Hear, hear! I don't have a F***B**k account, and probably never will.

If I feel like "contributing" to Bearing Arms articles (and I have done this recently), I'll provide a link on our own blog (or maybe not), and post my comment as an article in itself.

On our blog.

Where you don't need a f*****g F***B**k account to comment.

Basically, I treat Bearing Arms the same way I treat anti-gun bloggers who don't allow comments at all.