operations contact @ facebook?

[patrick at ianai.net (Patrick W. Gilmore)]

On Oct 5, 2009, at 11:10 AM, Alex Balashov wrote:
> Patrick W. Gilmore wrote:
>> On Oct 5, 2009, at 10:46 AM, Leland Vandervort wrote:
>>> Would anyone happen to have an operations contact at Facebook by
>>> anychance?  Our systems are being overwhelmed by a facebook  
>>> application
>>> that we were neither aware of nor condoned.
>> Clearly I do not have all the information, so please forgive me for  
>> being confused.  But since when do I[*] have to ask you before I  
>> put an application on my server?  If FB put an application on your  
>> server, that seems like something you should have known up front.
>
> The original poster is from Paris.  Do consider the possibility that  
> there are different jurisdictional rules or service terms in force  
> from your own.

I certainly did not.  And I would suggest we refuse to do so as an  
industry.

The UN lists 192 countries, and there are several others (e.g. Vatican  
City, Scotland, etc.) which others may count.  Many of these have  
provinces or states or whatever, and almost all have cities, towns,  
counties, etc., each of which may have its own laws & regulations.

Operationally speaking (see, this is on-topic :), trying to consider  
every single one of those possible laws, rules, social norms,  
preferences, political slants, religious authorities, and whatever  
else may come into the mix when putting an object or code onto the  
Internet is simply not possible.  Giving in to it, even a little bit,  
leads to ridiculous restrictions and stifling of many things on the  
'Net.  We should all push back HARD whenever someone over here tries  
to tell someone over there what to do.

The OP responded with a quite reasonable answer (shared  
infrastructure) that had nothing to do with local jurisdiction.  That  
is an operational issue. What laws your country, province, county,  
town, or church has set up for you should have zero operational impact  
on me if my gear is not in the same place.

And maybe someday we can even get away from that whole "in the same  
place" idea.  (Hey, one can dream.)

-- 
TTFN,
patrick