Must Log In to Facebook to Continue

[Ben]

I guess this is a question for both facebook and non-facebook people:

I don't do facebook, but a couple of places, like my LGS, only have facebook pages and no websites. So if I want to see what guns or ammo they got in, I have to go to their facebook page, where I have always been able to view everything without logging in. Until today.

Now I get a requirement to login before proceeding. This is different than previously. I used to, after scrolling down the page a little bit, get a popup window asking me to login or create an account or whatever, and I just closed that window and continued viewing the page. Now there is no popup - it goes directly to a "you must log in to continue" window.

I've also checked a few other places, like my local government (who also puts their stuff on facebook instead of their website), and same thing there.

For non-facebook people, is anyone else having this problem? This is the first day that I've checked any of these places out in a good week, so if it's a facebook change, I don't know how recent it is. I couldn't find anything in a google search.

For facebook people: Did they change their rules or something?

[Hawkmoon]

Whenever I encounter an organization or company that wants me to sign into a Facebook account to see what they have to say, I write them (usually by e-mail, sometimes by snail mail) to ask why they would choose a platform that deliberately excludes a significant part of their intended service/client/customer base.

I usually don't receive any response. Fine -- if they don't want my business, I'll go to someone who does.

[Ben]

Whenever I encounter an organization or company that wants me to sign into a Facebook account to see what they have to say, I write them (usually by e-mail, sometimes by snail mail) to ask why they would choose a platform that deliberately excludes a significant part of their intended service/client/customer base.

My point is that none of these people had their pages set to private. They were (are) all public pages that anyone can view. I was always able to visit them. I checked half a dozen pages that I have regularly visited and they all are doing the same thing.

It would be statistically ridiculous that they all changed their pages to private at the same time. Hence I'm wondering if facebook is doing something.

I agree with you that it would be stupid for someone like my local PD to suddenly set their page to private, especially since that's where they put near realtime updates instead of at their webpage. If facebook is creating this restriction, one might even say there could be legal consequences to blocking people from realtime public safety information.

[Ben]

Well - maybe nevermind. I just started my VPN and now I can view the pages. This is similar to what happened to me with the Epoch Times. Now I have to wonder if there is something going on with my ISP.

[Nick1911]

Well - maybe nevermind. I just started my VPN and now I can view the pages. This is similar to what happened to me with the Epoch Times. Now I have to wonder if there is something going on with my ISP.

Your ISP has no ability to edit the content you receive over HTTPS.

More likely - the site is keeping track of views by IP address, cookie, session or whatever.  They site is programmed to allow you to view content without joining for some period of time, or number of views, or whatever.  That's the carrot.  At some point, when they figure you must value the content enough (hey, you keep coming back), you get the stick.  Join, or no more content for you.

When you're looking at it via IP, the site effectively sees a connection from your middleman, not from you.