Well, this is new and doesn’t at all smell like finger printing
For context: I’m already logged in on my phone (and this PC has logged into FB before also). So, how does that work, exactly? Log out, try to log in from phone…same issue, as now BOTH devices are logged out?
Hmm. Near as I can tell, this is due to clearing cookies recently / history. Having said that, I’ve cleared cookies thousands of times before and been able to log in just fine. Which therefore suggests…what… policy change server-side, not a coincidence? I’m on the same hardware, same browser, same IP. FB appears to have changed what counts as “trusted.”
PS: Yeah, I hate FB too. It’s the only way I have to communicate with some folks. Believe me, given the option, I’d make em all use Signal or XMPP.
Ironically I had this issue when trying to delete my Instagram a while ago. I was able to log in on once I downloaded the app (I’d been doing it in my browser)
You might be screwed. I had an instagram acount, wasn’t using it for a while so I uninstalled the app from my tablet, now wanted to check something there and got hit with the same thing. I did not manage to recover that account. Can’t even delete it and make a new one, it’s just stuck in limbo. I don’t care much since I was only lurking there, but it’s really scary how Meta can just randomly cut you out of your digital life. And all support was of course delegated to an incredibly stupid chatbot which can’t do anything.
Good luck and uhh let me know if you solve it?
I plan to solve it by not solving it :) I’ve told peeps what’s happening and given them my email, Signal and phone no:
If the account also times out on phone, no skin off my nose. Hell…I should by rights just cancel it outright myself, save for the fact that I’m waiting to hear back from one hard to reach contact.
I would like to direct the reader’s attention to what Stallman’s written about Facebook. I don’t agree with a compromise though. Facebook is a net-negative for society. Any interaction with it is harmful. It’s really bloody easy to not use it. Have a spine for god’s sake! When it comes to changes the software you run on your computer is the easiest of all things to change. If they want to contact you via other channels they will; if they don’t they won’t.
I’m going to assume Facebook requires an e-mail to register an account. I’m making this assumption to point out that both parties already have a method of communication outside of Facebook’s domain.
It is a painful road to get people to use even signal.
I basically gave ultimatums that:
A) I will only be contactable via signal / sms / call / email (signal obviously being the easiest option)
B) I would only send pics of my kid over signal
Family changed straight away because they wanted to see pics of kid.
A couple friends changed to signal but never really used it. Then after trying to organise an event over email they conceded that it would be easier on signal, while giving me shit for it, then admitting after using it that its good, while still giving me shit for it.
Blows my mind that these people will download a random spyware riddled fast food app for a chance at a free chips but then when its one of the most useful, reputable and secure communication apps you can get its “I dont want to have so many random apps on my phone”
Make it make sense please.
Curious as to your situation?
I would only send pics of my kid over signal
One thing that would worry me in your shoes is what happens to those pics after they hit the other person’s dev. Ok there’s a secure way to send them over the network. Now they’re on somebody’s phone running a million skeevy apps they gave photo access permission.
Ive had to come to terms with that.
One of the conditions was to make sure google photos etc. auto backup options were off so nothing ends up in AI training data but at a certain point I cant personally inspect everyones phones to see if theyve opted out of apples auto opt in photo scanning and shit like that.
It gets tiring to say “hang on wait, have you got XYZ disabled” every time before someone wants to take their own photos, which I would love if people just used their brains in the first place.
The most reasonable thing I can do is set ground rules like secure communication channels and no social media posts etc. and especially no AI but I suspect these rules have been broken at some point.
People don’t tolerate change.
After Windows 10 stopped getting updates, Auntie Dear finally consented to Linux Mint. Guess what, after installing unattended-upgrades, she complained that the computer stopped pestering for updates.
In the end, I explained that being Linux, it’s perfect and thus doesn’t need fixes.
She complained about not being pestered for updates constantly?
Wow, some people are just… wow.
It went something like “The old one did, this one does not. Why not? Is it broken? Computers are supposed to update software, y’know.” - everything about this reasoning is correct, except that there’s the wonderful unattended-upgrades thingamajig in Debian derivatives that takes care of it.
I did exactly what you did. This was 2014/15 after Facebook acquired WhatsApp. Gave a one month ultimatum that I would only be available on Threema, SMS or email. Parents and best friend respected that and only contacted me via Threema. After a while we all decided on Signal which became more popular more quickly. Eventually people got annoyed enough to switch too. Nowadays it’s becoming increasingly easy because many people already have Signal installed.
Ugh I hate the “I don’t want so many apps argument”. Like are those extra few MBs used by signal really going to change anything at all?
Meanwhile installing whatever slop the local grocery store pushes is just fine.
For years, we’ve been wondering how to increase Signal adoption, when the solution was right in front of our eyes. The Signal Foundation needs to implement a function that on every new install, people have a chance to win free chips.
Get 3 people to install Signal with this link and you get a free bag of chips at 7/11
Honestly, that might work. People loves free food.
It always surprises me when anyone resists. It’s 45 seconds worth of effort to install and activate it, and anybody who knows me knows I’m not going to recommend software that will harm them.
One response I got was “Im not installing one of your dodgy apps”
This came from someone who knows I self host and am big on security / privacy.
Only logic I can pull from that is they are corpo pilled into thinking good/secure things cant exist without a megacorp and a cost attached to them? I dont know it took me by surprise and genuinely pissed me off for a good few minutes.
I’ve had this exact response from “normie” people I’ve known over the years multiple times.
My guess is that it stems from the old saying “you get what you pay for”, and as such a free service without a megacorp behind it MUST be dodgy and untrustworthy.
What annoys me the most is that when you bring up the topic of privacy it’s always the exact same response, “yeah well I have nothing to hide so it’s fine”
My guess is that it stems from the old saying “you get what you pay for”, and as such a free service without a megacorp behind it MUST be dodgy and untrustworthy.
That’s my guess too. I think a lot of non-techie ppl have been burned by “freemium” apps that are steaming piles of shitware. It’s kind of a hard distinction to explain, between “free” as in reputable OSS, and “free” as in spyware and thinly disgused malware. So they go wtih brands with name recognition. Like, you know, Facebook. Or Google.
I’m used to people trusting friends and family members who they know are tech experts. That’s a really weird reaction that seems disrespectful toward your knowledge and judgment; you weren’t wrong to be mad.
Thank you for the validation
Similar situation, except involving oldies (70+).
You know what? I’m just gonna send peeps on Facey my phone number, Signal deets and let chips fall where they may.
Although frustrating, it is incredibly liberating to drop a contact line and delete fb.
My thoughts are if you can use facebook to message people, you can use signal, a simpler app by every standard. My 80yo grandma was one of the first across.
Bonus point of filtering out people that never reached out to you initially. They have all the details to reach you, put the ball in their court.
Good luck!
Similar situation, except involving oldies (70+).
Every 70+ family member I have asked to install and use Signal has done so without any assistance or instructions beyond the name of the app to install. It’s one of the easiest tasks in modern information technology.
My grandpa won’t install Signal because he doesn’t want another messaging app. I know he uses SMS and WhatsApp at minimum
Last time I removed malware from my grandma’s smartphone, I made sure to install Signal to it. Sometimes you just got to demonstrate to them how low impact a change is. Many elderly are frightened by the idea that their experience changes, on a device they depend on but hardly understand. So demonstrate, rather than trying to convince them of something they fail to understand. The worst that can happen is that they tell you to remove it again, but in case of my grandma, she comfortably uses Signal. Just make sure you send some example messages back and forth, so they understand how similar the workflow is.
