Facebook Poll regarding President Obama is gone!

[MineralMan]

Here's the Facebook notice:

"Application "Polls" is unavailable
The application "Polls" is temporarily unavailable due to an issue with its third-party developer. We are investigating the situation and apologize for any inconvenience."

Not only is that poll gone, but the entire Poll application is unavailable. Thanks to everyone who complained and reported the poll that asked whether President Obama should be killed.

It took them two days, but it looks like the poll application developer is in deep doo-doo.

BRAVI!

[Ian David]

1. ALL their polls are gone.

I'm thinking the Secret Service seized the entire system used by the third-party vendor maintaining the Facebook polls.

[polichick]

3. I hope the SS seized it. nt

[MineralMan]

4. I doubt that.

I think that Facebook pulled the polls because the developer failed to pull that poll, despite the massive number of reports made to the application developer. I went through the process of reporting the poll to Facebook itself, and I'm sure others did the same. It's not easy to find that feature on the site.

So Facebook pulled the entire Poll application, since the developer was not responsibly monitoring it.

Even so, enough people reported that poll to the developer that I'm sure the SS is looking into it.

[BlooInBloo]

2. If the polls are dynamically created on the fly by end users, I'm not sure what the point...

Of going after the devs is. They could run any selects they want without turning the whole thing off.

(shrug) Whatever. As long as they're on it.

[MineralMan]

7. Here's what I think happened...

The developer is responsible for the content of its apps. This poll was not pulled, even though thousands must have reported it to the developer. Either due to inattention or deliberate non-action, the poll stood for two days.

When you report a poll, using the poll app, the report goes only to the developer of that app. It takes several steps to report the app to Facebook itself. I, and others, took those extra steps. Once Facebook noticed the reports today...after the weekend, they pulled the entire app.

Application developers and owners are responsible for the apps contents and behavior. For something as popular as polls, perhaps Facebook should make Polls internal. It wouldn't be difficult, really.

[xultar]

14. True. I think Facebook got pissed because the third-party didn't pull it...because

it also made facebook look like shit.

Facebook will prolly not have polls for a while until they can get a developer that responds in a timely manner to thinks that threaten the PR outlook for facebook.

[MineralMan]

19. I'm betting that Facebook develops their own polling app.

There's just too much chance that people will produce an offense poll that doesn't get noticed, due to the way reports are done. They're sent to the app owner/developer, not to Facebook. Reporting to Facebook takes additional steps that aren't intuitive.

[BlooInBloo]

15. Sigh. If the polls are dynamically created, there is no "content of its apps".

[MineralMan]

17. But, the owner of the app is responsible for the use of the app.

I have no doubt that is in the Facebook contract with them. They must monitor reports on individual uses of the app. That's what didn't happen. Until Facebook became aware of the poll, they didn't act.

The owner/developer of the app wasn't monitoring reports and acting on them.

[MineralMan]

25. I'm not sure I was clear...

The poll app, like all dynamic apps on Facebook, is required to allow users to report the apps output as offensive. The owner/developer is required to monitor those reports and act on them, as needed, to keep the output in line with the Facebook TOS. That this poll was up so long indicates that such did not happen.

That's why the developer/owner is in trouble. No doubt the creator of the poll is going to be in trouble, too, and I'm certain there are records of who created it.

Facebook pulled the app due to the poor monitoring of reports by the developer/owner, who was probably not around over the weekend.

When polls return, I'm betting the app is internally developed at Facebook. There's just too much opportunity for a poll to break the TOS, since, as you say, the polls are dynamically created. Not enough control.

[Rex]

5. Well maybe the FBI/SS will be paying someone a visit.

I can't believe those idiots have the balls to put shit like that up on the WWW!!! What morans. Perfect example of someone that needs to go to jail.

[Triana]

30. I certainly hope so. They need to be. n/t

[gateley]

6. I'm hoping it gets covered on the News -- shine the light on these vermin. nt

[YOY]

8. Well the SS/FBI have their work cut out for them.

I sincerely hope that they have their work cut out for them.

[MineralMan]

13. It shoudn't be too hard for the SS to discover

who created the poll. It can only be a Facebook member or, unlikely, the developer of the app. In either case, the identity will be known.

Some folks are going to be getting visits, I'm thinking...I hope they send the big black agents with the dark suits and sunglasses. That'd be fun to watch.

[YOY]

18. I actually know someone who works on FB.

A fellow DUer and I know someone. Really nice guy. Next time we are all discussing things we'll ask.

[MineralMan]

20. Cool. Report on what you discover. I'll be there's a heckuva

flurry of activity at FB this afternoon.

[YOY]

21. Prolly won't talk to him for a week.

Even then I'll keep it on the QT for personal purposes. Unless he has some kind of really disturbing revelation...if so I doubt I'll be the one to break the news.

[MineralMan]

26. That makes sense.

[cal04]

9. Secret Service Investigating Facebook Poll Asking Whether Obama Should Be Killed

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/secret-service-investigating-facebook-poll-asking-whether-obama-should-be-killed/

Facebook, thank you for finally deleting!!
by Cory Bantic
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/28/787194/-UPDATE-3:-Facebook,-thank-you-for-finally-deleting!!

Important Update: Apparently, marketers are jumping on this and creating 'counter-polls' like 'should the person who created this poll be sent to jail?' Taking one of those poll then leads you to an iPhone related group or something. Do not take the polls!

Update 2: It's been deleted finally. The poll is down because the 3rd party application is unavailable. I don't know if this means FB is on it or not. Hopefully, they'll start working on how to address this faster. I'd like to recommend they get some input from kossack ThatsNotFunny in addressing this.

Update 3: According to Greg Sargent at whorunsgov.com, the poll was pulled at the request of the Secret Service and they are investigating.

[Mrs. Overall]

10. Too bad it took a shit storm for them to finally take it down.

FB needs to respond more quickly to complaints.

[bluestateguy]

11. I wish the Secret Service would do more than simply "visit" these people

I'm becoming very tired of hearing about incidents like this one, where the Secret Service comes in, investigates, "visits" with the threat-makers and then that is usually that. No arrest, no jail, no permanent stain on their record, or anything.

Such people should be jailed and charged immediately.

[spanone]

12. if it was up for longer than 2 seconds, it was there toooo long

[MineralMan]

16. There's a button on the poll itself to report it. But...

that only sends a report to the app developer. Reporting to Facebook takes extra steps, which are far from obvious. Suppose that the owner of the app is out of town...those app reports go unnoticed. Until Facebook gets reports about the app, itself, it doesn't even know what's going on.

I reported the app this morning, and I'm sure many others did, too.

[Zywiec]

22. Isn't Facebook an international application?

How will the Secret Service go visiting people around the world who set up these crazy polls?

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

24. Given the poor grammar and non-capitalization of the

text in the poll, I'm pretty sure it was some freeperish moron who created the poll itself. I didn't sense any non-english influence...just stupidity.

[MineralMan]

23. Here's an interesting question about this poll:

When I looked at it, 39 people had voted Yes. Since the app uses the app to access the users info, I wonder if the voting record includes the account information of those who voted. If so, the SS will have some additional people to "visit."

Since these apps are marketing tools, I suspect that the information was stored.

[kestrel91316]

27. I predict that those who voted Yes are in danger of actual prosecution.

[MineralMan]

29. Still assuming that the application tracks how people voted.

I assume it does, but it would be lots easier if it didn't. Still, since most of these apps are marketing tools, knowing how someone voted would be pretty valuable data for mining.

[get the red out]

28. I'm glad, I know I reported it when I saw your thread about it

I couldn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to put something like that up, you have to be absolutely lost to not know something like that could get you into serious trouble.

[uppityperson]

31. The first comments were from Aug 25. It was up over a month

I know the media says it went up Sat, but I looked at it when it first hit DU and the first comments were posted 8/25, and they were protesting it. There were comments on and off since then.