warning A post you made contains content that violates our Terms of Use.

This is a standard Facebook message to those tagged by the ‘platform’ – basically a computer.

In many cases, Facebook would prevent ‘suspicious’ accounts from posting on ‘public’ timelines.

It will also delete attachments in messenger. The attachment will not show when someone sends it to you.

As frustrating as it sounds, this is how Facebook operates with complete impunity and absolute control of your postings.

It will also decide for you in advance that your posts will not be ‘public’ but will be ‘For you only’ and will lock it in the process.

That will remind you that you are not the real owner of the Facebook account.

The ‘space is given’ to you under your name and you take full responsibility for what you post.

But it is not your space for real since Facebook has the absolute right to wipe your posts, block your posts and even suspend your account.

See also  The Independent Singapore's publisher suffers major hack of his Facebook account

You will not be able to change these settings, and if you try, it will go back to the same ‘privacy’ setting Facebook has chosen for you.

Many people closed their accounts on Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica’s fiasco.

But the loss of accounts on Facebook was also due to these ‘punishing’ methods.

With the Cambridge Analytica issue raging days after its disclosure, Facebook is set to lose more accounts.

The problem is these account holders will probably shift to Instagram – owned by Facebook – or SnapChat.

However, the real issue is Facebook itself. It has not evolved in the right path and is less disruptive today than it was at the beginning.

It lost its glamour according to the younger generations who are using Facebook only to get likes, but not to really interact with friends or family members.

They are doing this on WhatsApp or WeChat and other messenger-cum-file-sharing services that are not ‘punishing’ anyone.

See also  Facebook launches new campaign to encourage voting

With the evolution of the internet, the punisher Facebook is being punished and this is a severe punishment indeed.

When will this end?

No one has a clue. Not even Facebook since it is still adamant that it is playing safely within its own rules.

The only advantage Facebook has today is its advertising platform, but then, it is as punishing and frivolous in this department altogether.

While time is fast changing, Facebook seems stuck in a different time zone.

And that will be bad for advertisers as they will get less for their bucks.