Fake Identity on Facebook

I opened an account on Facebook in the year 2008, but I have not been active continuously, only on and off.

One reason that made me do that is because I found some weird things on Facebook such as the use of photo which shows very different person, fake name, fake address, fake sex, et cetera.

For example a man from Yogjakarta tried to impress a lady friend of mine from Jakarta by claiming that he graduated from the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He preferred to put on his FB page the sign of Pemuda Pancasila youth organization instead of the sign of said famous University. I later learned that his name was not on the list of Indonesians who graduated from said university.
He claimed that he has written and published a book about the lady and two other women, but until now he never show or give a copy of the book and it cannot be found on Google or bookstore.
No wonder he never want to mention complete name/complete identity and does not write proper English.

Beside that man, there was also other men and women doing the same deceptive things on Facebook.

Due to the above facts, I prefer to use Twitter which only allow 140 characters text messages therefore minimizing nonsense.

Facebook, Twitter and Democracy

A few months ago, the authoritarian governments in Tunisia and Egypt were overthrown by democratic people's movements in those countries.

The people in those countries, used social media like Facebook and Twitter to organize, coordinate and document their movement. Similar method has also been used now by the pro-democracy movements in Libya and Yemen.

The above successful use of Facebook and Twitter by pro-democracy movement has inspired Indonesian Minister of Information and Communication Tifatul Sembiring to control the use of Facebook and Twitter.

Carolina Rumuat of Global Voice Online quoted the Minister as saying that social media like Twitter and Facebook must be strictly controlled since they can be used to destabilize the government. He added that countries like Tunisia and Libya suffered from uprisings because their governments failed to control social media.

After being criticized in the media, the Minister changed his mind and made a statement through his Twitter saying that reporters have misquoted him. He also wrote on his Facebook page that his statement about social media control in front of public elementary school teachers was about the importance of adult supervision on children's internet browsing experience, language use decency and anti-pornography browsing.

I am very glad that Minister finally realized that Facebook and Twitter are friends of democracy, therefore should not be controlled.

Spying on Facebook and Twitter

A few months ago, Twitter micro-blog and Facebook social network have enabled millions of people in Tunisia and Egypt to communicate, coordinate and document protests against their governments which in the end forced their authoritarian presidents to step down from power.

Now Twitter and Facebook are playing similar roles in other countries in the Middle East like Libya, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and perhaps in other parts of the world.

Due to the above mentioned facts our Defense Minister Purnomo once told reporters that Twitter has the potential to be a non military threat to our national security.

According to OkeZone, the Chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Sutanto said last Tuesday that his agency has been monitoring Facebook and Twitter to look for dangerous and subversive activities. In this case BIN will coordinate with the Minister of Communication and Information who will take necessary action.

Sutanto added that BIN will not take direct action but it will give early warnings to government institutions so that they can function well.

I hope that beside spying on Facebook and Twitter, BIN will also be monitoring very closely other dangerous activities which have been terrorizing our society lately i.e. the spread of so many bomb packages in many parts of Indonesia.

UberTwitter is Now UberSocial

 

Based on Twitter's requests, UberTwitter has changed its name into UberSocial and promised to obey Twitter's rule i.e. messages should not be more than 140 characters.

Due to this fact, Blackberry and IPhone mobile phones users are now able to use UberSocial.

Twitter Suspended Ubertwitter

Twitter is my favorite online social networking media in the world.

It has enabled me to communicate with more than 1,365 followers, read quotations, inspiring words from famous people, keep track of what's happening around me, using only 140 characters based on real time.

Beside that, through Twitter I relayed all my blog posts to Facebook and some other online media. 

In order to maximize the use of Twitter on my Blackberry mobile phone, I installed Ubertwitter which provide much more advantages compared to the "ordinary" Twitter.

Last Saturday afternoon, I noticed that something went wrong with Ubertwitter, messages stuck and when I tried to refresh a " forbidden " sign popped-up.

When I opened Ubertwitter yesterday, I read an announcement from the the management of Twitter saying that it has suspended Ubertwitter, Ubercurrent and Twidroyd starting Saturday.

Details on this matter can be read on PC World (click)

Twitter Phobia

On June 2009, millions of people in Iran used Twitter micro-blog to communicate, coordinate and document their protest against the result of presidential election in their country which they alleged has been unfair.

Last Tuesday, the government of Egypt has banned Twitter because they alleged that the micro-blog has been used by millions of people in that country to communicate, coordinate and document their protest against the 30-years old authoritarian government of President Hosni Mubarak.  

And last Thursday, our Minister of Defense Purnomo told reporters that Twitter has the potential to be a non military threat to our national security.

The above shows that Twitter, which has enabled hundreds of millions of people around the world to enjoy communicating easily with each other, is considered by regimes and top officials in some countries as a threat to their authority.

Logo :  Courtesy of Twitter.

Luna Maya quits Twitter

Last Wednesday, film actress and presenter Luna Maya, closed her Twitter with 123,952 followers after sending a Twitter message on Tuesday night calling Infotainment Journalists (Indonesia's term for Paparazzi) lower than Prostitutes & Murderers.

Her message reached Infotainment Journalist Bambangelf, who replied by calling her trashy, stupid, uneducated and shallow.

The cause of Luna's anger was an incident few hours earlier when she, her boy friend Ariel, singer in the band Peterpan, and Ariel's daughter Alliea, left a cinema after watching Ariel's first movie Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer).

The journalists approached Luna who was carrying sleeping Alliea, and forcefully asked for interview, then suddenly one of their camera allegedly bumped Alliea's head.

In reaction to Luna's harsh message, the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) is now checking the incident and the possibility of taking legal action against Luna.

For detailed media reports, please click here and here.

In my humble opinion, Luna Maya has a right to be angry at the journalists who has allegedly bumped the head of her boy friend's daughter. But in this case she should use decent words especially when she use a social media like Twitter.


Photo: Courtesy of Cari Artis

Online Activity in Indonesia

" Thailand Reportedly Blocks Facebook, Twitter, CNN and Other Web Sites " that's the title of an article that I read in The Jakarta Globe today.

Although the report has not been confirmed however in the past the Thai Government has banned You Tube in 2007 and 2300 websites last January on the grounds that they were insulting the King of Thailand.

Beside the above sad news, the above mentioned media also has a good news for online activists i.e about the Indonesian President Soesilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) who now has a Twitter.
Much earlier, the Communication & Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring has also been reported to have a Twitter.
Moreover, users of Facebook, Twitters and Blogs in Indonesia have played quite an important role in maintaining justice for example in the Prita and Bibit-Chandra cases.

The above reports show that compared to neighboring countries like Thailand, Indonesian online activists are luckier.

Photo: Courtesy of The Jakarta Globe

Twitter's Soaring Popularity

Twitter, a microblog which lets people send 140-character text messages to groups of "followers," is one of the fastest growing internet social media companies in the world.

According to survey, worldwide visitors to its site hit 44.5 million in June, up 15-fold from a year earlier. And in the last three months its popularity has been soaring very high.

Last Tuesday evening, Twitter has been the focus of Indonesian online media networks when Film Director & Screenwriter Joko Anwar walked to a Circle-K minimarket completely naked.
It all started with a message he posted on Twitter: “If I got my 3000th follower today, I’ll go into a Circle-K naked.” Joko posted earlier in the day when he had 1,800 followers. Words spread very fast on Twitter that in about one hour Joko gained 3,000 followers.

Last June, Twitter was the only operational online media network during the violent protest against the result of general election in Iran. Twitter conveyed messages and photos/video from protesters in the street of Teheran.

And earlier today, I read a media report about investors pouring US$ 100 million into Twitter last Friday, valuing the Web company at $1 billion, as investors bet that its explosive growth will yield actual revenue or a lucrative deal.

For details on the above media reports, please click here, here and here.

As a user, I am glad with Twitter's growth, because it will surely attract many more people to become users.
However, it would be very interesting to know whether or not Joko Anwar's naked appearance is a violation of the Anti Pornography Law and/or Electronic Information & Transaction (ITE) Law. Maybe Anggara and/or Rob can provide me with the answer.

Photo: Courtesy of The Jakarta Globe.

Side Effects of Social Media

Last night I saw on SCTV the Chairman of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) i.e. Umar Shihab stating that Facebook is good because it enable people to conduct socialize with others, therefore in line with the Islamic rules. He also said that MUI has no plan to discuss about Facebook.

Shihab made the statement in the wake of the news reports that a certain Ulama organization in East Java has declared that Facebook and Friendster are Haram (forbidden) in East Java if they are used excessively for gossipping and flirting.

The above statement brings a relief for me because MUI as the highest Islamic Organization has realised abouth the true benefit that Facebook and other Social networking sites could bring to people in general and Moslems in particular. Although MUI's eddict/fatwa would not have legal impact, however it would have a social impact on Moslems who would think that it would be sinful not to obey the eddict/fact.

Fears on the side effects of Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter not only exist in Indonesia, but also in the U.S. According to Legal Blog Watch there were some cases of Defamation using Twitter. According to a lawyer i.e. Howard Price if an employee spreads Defamatory postings on the company's blog or Twitter account, it's not just the employee who face liability but the company may be liable as well.
The speed and fluidity of media like Twitter can also invite disclosure of trade secrets or classified information about a publicly traded company. Due to which fact the Securiy Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided guidance which makes clear that a company employee "speaking" in a company-sponsored interactive forum would not be deemed to be acting in an individual capacity. Thus, a company could not disclaim liability by arguing that the employee's communications were unauthorized.

As a Blogger and owner of accounts in Facebook and Twitter, the above made me more passionate in writing more things which would be informative and meaningful to others, but also more careful, so that my words would not annoy others, therefore peacefulness can be maintained.

About Twitter

Until several months ago, I thought that Twitter was just an interpersonal communication tool for non business purposes; this is obvious because e-mails and mobile phone SMS are more than enough for me to handle.

Recently, I opened an account with Twitter because I heard from friends and other people that it can be very useful for social and business purposes. Then my perception changed.

According to Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management, Twitter has become an essential part of Crisis Management. We first saw this with in-person Tweeting from natural & man made disasters e.g Hurricane and Plane crashes, then from breaking news of all kinds, because Twitter makes it as easy as an SMS not just to inform one person but also everyone who subscribed to Twitter, including a rapidly growing number of news reporters. And if you are working with an organization that regularly covered by the news media, it can be ascertained someone from the media will be tracking the mentioning of your name and/or brands in Twitter.

Further, Bernstein mentioned about how he & his client found out that the State Attorney General plan to sue the client before the lawsuit was even served, because the AG office has tweeted about it! This was then tweeted by two Twitter subscribers in Texas, including a representative of a TV station.

Considering the above fact, I felt that Twitter is a very useful communication tool for both social and business purposes, especially in times of crisis. But it should be used properly and wisely, so that inconveniences can be avoided.