Meta considers shutting down Facebook and Instagram in Europe

Mark Zuckerberg and team consider shutting down Facebook and Instagram in Europe if Meta can not process Europeans’ data on US servers

https://www.cityam.com/mark-zuckerberg-and-team-consider-shutting-down-facebook-and-instagram-in-europe-if-meta-can-not-process-europeans-data-on-us-servers/

A good few thousand employees in Ireland. Obviously everyone on the internet wants it to happen. Don't really see it myself but an interesting move from a tech giant after losing a ridiculous amount of market value.

Deub

They think they are so big they can decide what law they want to accept or not.

I don’t get how processing data in EU would cost more than closing the 2 services in EU. They are bluffing. They took a huge hit just because they lost members for the first time. Imagine if they lose EU customers…

Brussels Sprout

Good riddance!

Staleturnips

But, but if insta goes where will the poor influencers live?

Podge_irl

There is absolutely zero chance they would voluntarily cut off the European market. It is toys out of the pram stuff.

Man Vs ManUre

My cat will be extremely angry if she hears she cannot post pictures for her followers.

c.p.w.g.w

We wouldn't be so lucky

saffron22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591154#Comment_118591154

😂

Curse These Metal Hands

Opening the door for the great Bebo comeback.

daheff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591122#Comment_118591122

Tik toxic.

Good riddance to them all.

Atlantic Dawn

Would be great if they did, some new transparent non profit making venture could take up the slack.

Would be **** delightful. Such dangerous platforms thay have done and continue to do untold damage to people and society.

French Toast

I'm 28 and 99% of my Facebook activity is on groups regarding my interests - motorsport and darts mainly. I never upload photos, statuses, etc.

If it goes, is the door open for a rebirth of topic-specific forums? Probably not, but an interesting thought.

Dempo1

I was intrigued by FB recently reporting user numbers have dropped for the 1st time ever , surely this is nonsense. No one I know uses it anymore.

I set up a temp account to trace a few people for research purposes recently, people I know but had not been in touch with for a few years. I closed my original account back in 2016.

Not a single person I knew on FB back then was still on it, those that were had no activity for years , essentially don't use it anymore.l

Shao Kahn

Mark Zuckerberg is a boring nerd, who created (stole) a network full of boring people talking about their boring trivial lives!

If bookface dies, Zuckerberg's life will have even less meaning than it already does. So we should all hope for that I guess. 😋

Padre_Pio

I don't think people are seeing the bigger picture.

Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Messenger.

Their loss would be a big hit. I'm all for data protection, but I already have to click three popups on every website to agree to cookies, notifications etc etc. Not having access to the biggest online services in the world would hit many people and businesses hard.

So many small businesses do all their advertising, promotion, bookings and customer interaction through Facebook and instagram.

I don't know a single person who doesn't have whatsapp.

mcburns07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591952#Comment_118591952

WhatsApp just checks your phonebook for contacts and allows you to message them. It wouldn't be difficult to replace it with another similar app.

They're all completely dispensable.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592028#Comment_118592028

And what about Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, the other three things that aren't so easily replaced?

How are they dispensable to the millions of people who use them daily?

I get that this won't likely happen, but I think people are too quick to call things they don't use dispensable.

Capt'n Midnight

Linkedin has moved so far from professionals to the point that it's practically a drop in replacement for Facebook.

Here's how to save your stuff https://www.facebook.com/help/212802592074644 so you can upload it later.

the_pen_turner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591718#Comment_118591718

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591718#Comment_118591718

im the same . only use it for the groups or seeing that some old school friend i havnt seen in 10 years hadd another kid

LillySV

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591718#Comment_118591718

Biker.ie and backroad forums be flat out again then 😂😂

DarkJager21

Any chance they could take Twitter with them as well? Out of all of them it’s the biggest cancer, a soapbox for imbeciles

c.p.w.g.w

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591952#Comment_118591952

Signal is an alternative messenger app, Facebook and Instagram would be no loss

LillySV

Hope ta fuk they do close it up… this site is the nearest I get to social media … never had a Facebook or Twitter ac or any of that crap but have seen first hand for myself what it’s doin…. Dumbing humans down and fillin them with nonsense views and feelings about irrelevant bullshite

Akrasia

Deleted my facebook years ago and never missed it in the slightest except for those few businesses who use their facebook page as their website, in which case, bad luck to them, I bought the thing off someone else.

Whatsapp is handy but I only use it to message my family and friends directly, so any other group chat would work just as well

Facebook deliberately, and in full knowledge of what they are doing, destroy the lives of millions of people, so they can go **** themselves.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

Facebook and Instagram gone?

Oh no...

Anyway!

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592194#Comment_118592194

Yeah, you're the second guy to suggest an alternative messenger app, of which there is a dozen, and completely ignore the other two less replaceable platforms that thousands of businesses depend on for advertising, sales, and customer service.

The edgelords are strong in this thread.

c.p.w.g.w

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592269#Comment_118592269

The likes of Instagram and Facebook are more damaging to society and mental health than any other legal thing

nomdeboardie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591154#Comment_118591154

"And my dog, will be so, so angry"

Sultans of Ping

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591892#Comment_118591892

He's probably not too bothered.

The fella could spend more today on coke and hookers than you or I will earn in our lifetimes, and he could do that everyday until he dies and still not run out of money.

mcburns07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592157#Comment_118592157

100s of millions of people drink Coca Cola daily as well, doesn't make it an important product.

The only aspect that could be considered essential about any of these services is they offer people the ability to message others, and as mentioned there's plenty of alternatives.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592297#Comment_118592297

Wait a minute.........

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592269#Comment_118592269

All apps and platforms are replacable, and any business that solely relies on facebook for marketing and advertising is doing it wrong, or trying to manipulate peiple into buying their product through Facebook's dishonest and manipulative algorithm, so **** them too

John Doe1

Class, I can see a massive decrease in the level of narcissism within Europe.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592028#Comment_118592028

There’s not a lot of apps that are like Facebook or Instagram and they’re loss to Europe would be massive.

i don’t use either, but to say they wouldn’t be missed is nonsense plain and simple. What you’re basically trying to say is “I don’t use these apps and therefore they are useless”, but that’s just plain wrong, objectively. Facebook alone is massive for businesses & even just regular folks trying to sell things. The Mrs browses it on occasion and it’s by far more active and user friendly than adverts & I imagine done deal. It’s free to post an ad & you can manage the whole thing through Facebook which for most people is absolutely ideal!

As for businesses, many promote their business and products on Facebook, they can do so for free and I dare say we’ve all clicked the Facebook link when we google a business name to find out something quickly. Opening hours, website, phone number etc. It would be devastating to businesses across the country, overnight they have lost the, I repeat, free advertising and reach to their customers.

This would be catastrophic to users & non-users, especially businesses. It’s very unlikely to happen, obviously, but regardless to suggest it would be no big deal is absolutely ridiculous. It would be absolutely major.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592339#Comment_118592339

Whats your point??

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592362#Comment_118592362

Absolute fallacy.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592344#Comment_118592344

I think I put my geansaí down somewhere but can't find it now

Tow

Young people do not use Facebook, it is dieing a slow death anyway.

Viber is a direct replacement for Whatsapp.

Instagram, never used it!

It would just add to the long list: BBSes, IRC, ICQ, Compuserve, Geocities, AOL, Yahoo, Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo groups, Bebo, Webcrawer etc.

Does anyone have the breakdown of number of Irish Vs Foreign employees in the Meta/Facebook offices?

It may even help to reduce the housing crisis!

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592387#Comment_118592387

I don't know of any logical fallacy called the 'Absolute Fallacy'

Could you point out which parts of my statement are a logical fallacy and why?

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592384#Comment_118592384

Well it's a bit silly for a randomer on the internet to be trying to slag him off for his life having no meaning. The fella started, and has managed to remain at the helm of one of the largest companies in the world. You could be philosophical and argue that it must be difficult for anything to have meaning to him, but if he packed it in tomorrow, he could do what he wants, when he wants, and where he wants. He could buy Hugh Heffner's old mansion and stock it with his own harem of playboy bunnies, or he could go saving some endangered turtle from extinction in backofbeyondland.

mcburns07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592381#Comment_118592381

I use Instagram on a daily basis so you're wrong in your assertions. It's also untrue that it's free, if you want to get any sort of reach with advertising on any of their platforms you need to pay, it has been that way for a long time.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592381#Comment_118592381

Nobody said removing these platforms 'wouldn't be missed'

The argument against facebook inc. is that removing these platforms would not be a net loss to the world

The same services could be provided by alternative platforms but without the negative outcomes caused by Facebook's business model and total disregard for the negative consequences their platform causes on individual, political and societal levels

Facebook threatening to withdraw from the EU in order to try to stop the introduction of regulations that would hamper their business model is why I and others are calling for the EU to agree to their offer, introduce those regulations and dare Facebook to withdraw or else allow less dangerous alternatives to take their place

I have no interest in these platforms, I do however want my brother to keep his great job.

So hopefully it doesn't happen.

Strumms

That Zuckerberg is some boyo … “don’t give us what we want, well.. we’ll just take everything from you…”

he figures that Facebook is so indelibly important in most peoples lives now that if he threatens them and their governments they roll over….

the name for a person like that is a ‘bully’….and a few more adjectives…

TheValeyard

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592464#Comment_118592464

There is enough value in Facebook's european operations that I would hope that they agree to abide by the new EU privacy regulations, this would require that facebook increases investment to meet those higher standards

That would be a win for facebook employees, EU consumers, and the stability of European democratic institutions

The alternative is caving to Facebook and screwing everyone except Facebook's billionaire owners and investors

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592362#Comment_118592362

Yep, Facebook is replaceable. How long would it take to replace? Years likely.

kowloon

This is just a hissy fit, nothing will happen. That said, if Facebook, Instagram and the likes disappeared overnight, it would be interesting to see the effect on society. Might be good for people, particularly the young, to not obsess over the likes of influencers lounging about in Dubai.

Not sure what's going on with WhatsApp but I've noticed more and more of my contacts popping up on Signal and Telegram lately.

Facebook is in terminal decline with or without Europe so all those business relying on it better starting investing in a decent website or another alternative. Any business that relies solely on Facebook isn't worth a pish.

The internet is a big, wide, world. Once upon a time we couldn't foresee a life without MySpace or MSN.

I would say this story is as much pr from Facebook pushing in an effort to influence regulation as much as they can. Paint it as big bad EU. When realistically it's because we maintain far higher degrees of data privacy.