The EU is to shut down its “privacy-friendly” Twitter rival after it attracted just 18 active accounts and failed to secure public funding to keep it running.
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said it would stop operating EU Voice, as well as YouTube alternative EU Video, on May 18, two years after setting up the two social feeds.
The projects were launched as an effort to demonstrate that social networks can be run without advertising, respecting privacy and with data stored on EU soil.
The EDPS said it had been successful but had failed to secure financial backing from other EU institutions to keep it running.
Errm, yes.
“The projects were launched as an effort to demonstrate that social networks can be run without advertising, respecting privacy and with data stored on EU soil.”
Social media can run without advertising, in fact always used to. It just doesn’t make any money.
Ahh, yes. That noble sort of “success”. Not the common, populist sort of success measured by that foul taint of money. But real success, the opinion of someone important! Much more worthwhile…
EU Video’s most liked video is “The future of data protection: Effective enforcement in the digital world”, with 11 likes and 191 views.
The EU really does possess the magical ‘touch of shit’.
“an effort to demonstrate that social networks can be run without advertising”
Someone should have pointed out that that meant advertising on the social network, not of the social network. I’m fairly well up on such things and had never heard of this.
The operation was a success, unfortunately the patient died.
It will still be open on Europe Day, 9 May, so the pollies can use it to post pictures of the millions of people across Europe celebrating with street parties and other events.
Those of my generation who had never heard of Empire Day or Commonwealth Day now have a third string for their bow: “Europe Day”.
It was a success. The money they wasted went into some people’s pockets. Presumably they’ll fail upwards to the next one.
Reason #183290484095845984 why governments should leave most things to private enterprise
I guess they ran out of other people’s money
Richard Murphy calling for it to be nationalized in 3, 2, 1…
now have a third string for their bow: “Europe Day”.
My memory may be defective after many lots of years but I think that used to be known, in UK at least, as VE Day.
It still is VE Day to anyone with any sense of history – a sense completely lacking in Europhiles. As for their ‘social network’ stuff, whoever in their right mind thought that would work? Ah, yes, Europhiles.
Fun fact, I remember Empire Day because it’s my birthday. I’m sad they changed its name & then moved it. I must have pissed off someone royally.
18? Well it attracted more users than Wolfy Smith got votes (6, iirc)