{UAH} UAH FACEBOOK CLOSURE WAS A SHOCK TO ME TOO!
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10:09 AM |
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Friends,
At around 14:30 UK time on 02 Dec 2014, I had finished speaking to someone over the phone, when I logged on Facebook UAH account but only to find that the group we'd been using to discuss issues back home in Uganda had disappeared. The response from Facebook was some language i couldn't understand because it wasn't in English, but I later used software tools to get it interpreted. The timing of it seems suspicious, given a general political expressionism over media sites such as UAH. One time Hon. Frank Tumwebaze attacked the forum in the Daily Monitor calling it all sorts of names. Another police man jotted down an article in the Newvision a couple of years ago also unfairly attacking the forum. He called it a security threat!
But at the same time, we must recognize that Facebook has been closing down activists groups in different countries ever since they started without any specific reason. For instance, in 2011, they closed down all pages belonging to Chesterfield Stop the Cuts, Tower Hamlet Greens, London Student Assembly, Southwark SoS and Bristol Uncut site. Just like UAH's case, Facebook didnt give any specific reason apart from citing that the groups contravened the company's "statement of rights and responsibilities. They behave like mafias: they just kill you and move on. No warnings, no proper explanations!
Facebook should be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views without fear.Obliviously, there is some responsibility attached to this but It's pretty flatfooted of Facebook to pull profiles without notifying users. Clearly, its so upsetting and it's not a proper way to treat their users . I wish there was something out there that is as big as face book. We would have moved all our activities to them. This is something Mark Zuckerberg has got to look into if they want to sustain this project in the long term. You cant just go on pissing on people and just move on.
Quite clearly there are some very sick individuals who join such activist groups with intentions of having them closed down, and this is why we have been trying to do our best to remove bad messages at UAH; ban some people indefinitely especially those that send adverts and constantly abusing others; and giving constant warnings. It was such a big group and I believe we were doing our best. But if Facebook doesn't put such sick minds into consideration, we are likely to end up with a situation where even president Museveni's page or groups are brought down because someone joined it with the revengeful mind of bringing it down. There must be a way Facebook could help administrators in these situations instead of just closing down the group, and I think sending them the specific content they want them removed is the best way forward.
Closing UAH has upset a lot of people because it's a mouthpiece for innocent Ugandans who want to communicate to their govt directly.Therefore, I ask our members to join another group called Ugandans At Heart(UAH) Stereo which was started yesterday at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/899442860088396/. It already has over 10,000 members. People should also follow the UAH page at: https://www.facebook.com/ugandansatheart?ref=ts&fref=ts.
We have also got a UAH site outside Facebook at: http://ugandansatheart.org/. Enter your email address to subscribe to Ugandans At Heart(UAH) and receive notifications of new posts by email.Join 12,800 other followers.
Alternatively, since Facebook is unreliable, our members should send us their email addresses such that we add them to our famous Google group. Please send them to: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com and we sort you out.
Thank you
-- At around 14:30 UK time on 02 Dec 2014, I had finished speaking to someone over the phone, when I logged on Facebook UAH account but only to find that the group we'd been using to discuss issues back home in Uganda had disappeared. The response from Facebook was some language i couldn't understand because it wasn't in English, but I later used software tools to get it interpreted. The timing of it seems suspicious, given a general political expressionism over media sites such as UAH. One time Hon. Frank Tumwebaze attacked the forum in the Daily Monitor calling it all sorts of names. Another police man jotted down an article in the Newvision a couple of years ago also unfairly attacking the forum. He called it a security threat!
But at the same time, we must recognize that Facebook has been closing down activists groups in different countries ever since they started without any specific reason. For instance, in 2011, they closed down all pages belonging to Chesterfield Stop the Cuts, Tower Hamlet Greens, London Student Assembly, Southwark SoS and Bristol Uncut site. Just like UAH's case, Facebook didnt give any specific reason apart from citing that the groups contravened the company's "statement of rights and responsibilities. They behave like mafias: they just kill you and move on. No warnings, no proper explanations!
Facebook should be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views without fear.Obliviously, there is some responsibility attached to this but It's pretty flatfooted of Facebook to pull profiles without notifying users. Clearly, its so upsetting and it's not a proper way to treat their users . I wish there was something out there that is as big as face book. We would have moved all our activities to them. This is something Mark Zuckerberg has got to look into if they want to sustain this project in the long term. You cant just go on pissing on people and just move on.
Quite clearly there are some very sick individuals who join such activist groups with intentions of having them closed down, and this is why we have been trying to do our best to remove bad messages at UAH; ban some people indefinitely especially those that send adverts and constantly abusing others; and giving constant warnings. It was such a big group and I believe we were doing our best. But if Facebook doesn't put such sick minds into consideration, we are likely to end up with a situation where even president Museveni's page or groups are brought down because someone joined it with the revengeful mind of bringing it down. There must be a way Facebook could help administrators in these situations instead of just closing down the group, and I think sending them the specific content they want them removed is the best way forward.
Closing UAH has upset a lot of people because it's a mouthpiece for innocent Ugandans who want to communicate to their govt directly.Therefore, I ask our members to join another group called Ugandans At Heart(UAH) Stereo which was started yesterday at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/899442860088396/. It already has over 10,000 members. People should also follow the UAH page at: https://www.facebook.com/ugandansatheart?ref=ts&fref=ts.
We have also got a UAH site outside Facebook at: http://ugandansatheart.org/. Enter your email address to subscribe to Ugandans At Heart(UAH) and receive notifications of new posts by email.Join 12,800 other followers.
Alternatively, since Facebook is unreliable, our members should send us their email addresses such that we add them to our famous Google group. Please send them to: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com and we sort you out.
Thank you
--
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Stalk my blog at: http://semuwemba.com/
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/semuwemba
Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbey.k.semuwemba
'Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort" – Paul Meyer
UAH forum is devoted to matters of interest to Ugandans. Individuals are responsible for whatever they post on this forum.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com or Abbey Semuwemba at: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com.
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