Should we shutdown our facebook page?

It is not only a question of privacy but also a question of centralising power, leaving someone an option to censoring, edit manipulate our data. But at the same time there is question on reach. As on today we don't have any reach for our facebook page. So it is better to stop now itself.

If the pages for popular social networking sites are removed, how do we give proper publicity to normal people about the movement ? Since this is something concerning common people, its easiest to educate them through these platforms. Achieving the goal is more important than the means through which it is attained. Its not like we're doing illegal activity. Besides, Indian Pirates page doesn’t associate any single person to it, its a collective initiative. Since privacy is associated with a person's account, it doesn’t make sense to remove the group's page for privacy concern. If we remove facebook and twitter pages, we simply lose out on an opportunity for common people to discuss about it.

@jayaura meet people in real life, on the streets, at their homes, through friends. Means are as important as the goals. Do you support use of violence to achieve our goals? It makes our talk about privacy hollow and not sincere. By being in facebook, we give people additional reason to stay in facebook whereas we would like them to move to federated platforms like diaspora. It is not the privacy of the groups, but of the people who are using facebook. We have to use other means to reach out to people, it will be harder, but hey, we did not set sail on this journey, not to do easy things, but right things. Wouldn't it be much easier to just pray to God to change this world?

@praveenarimbrathod I agree with your points, and I do not support, violence or any other illcit activity for the means. But not everybody may have the time to actively support campaigning for the cause by going through streets and educating people about it. Many of us have 9 to 5 jobs which require more attention, and we should enable such people to easily spread the idea to their common circles.

I agree that it definitely looks odd and contradictive when the Indian pirates make a post on Facebook which reads "Stop using Facebook", because the group itself is using Facebook. Personally i do not use facebook either. I think its compromise between reach and principle we need to make. Both are needed

@jayaura what message will it send when we say, "we compromise when it is convenient"? How would people feel confident about us not diluting other principles?

As for 9-5 job, two things,

1. We all should go to Pune and learn how Lokayat organizes so much activities when majority of them have 9-5 jobs.

2. In the long term, we all should look for jobs that gives flexibility with time. I know it may not be possible for all, but if we are not even looking, would we ever get there? We may even need to create our own companies/co-operatives. See https://codema.in/g/g49NkybT/indian-pirates-direct-democratic-worker-owned-societies

I'm re-reading my posts and I'm realizing I'm telling things that I am not at all supportive of, we cant compromise on our principles. Sorry I phrased it wrong. What I simply meant to say is, we loose an opportunity for promoting our ideas. Same is the case with Twitter as well I believe, that should also be shut down ?

Decision to shut down facebook page aligns with the movement. But I think we should also discuss on additional possibilities for online promotion, to compensate for the potential reduction in the reach, so that every other person following the movement can apply it.

@jayaura
Twitter is public by default. It has a different set of problems, mainly that of sensorship. Threat/power of twitter is not as critical/dangerous as facebook, so my opposition is also not as strong.

@jayaura I remember the question asked by some students of COEP in Pune when a ban on coke and pepsi was proposed. They asked, "If we ban coke and pepsi, what will we drink?".

There's one particular reason to keep an official page on Facebook - to avoid imposters. There's no reason to maintain an active Facebook page though.