Thousands join 'anti-Facebook' social network Ello
Ello invitations have sold on eBay for US$500 with reports of 35,000 requests per hour
PUBLISHED : Monday, 29 September, 2014, 3:23am
UPDATED : Monday, 29 September, 2014, 3:23am
Agence France-Presse in Washington
Ello does not require real names.
In a matter of days, the new social network Ello, described as the "anti-Facebook" for its stand on privacy and advertising, has become perhaps the hottest ticket on the internet.
Created last year as a "private" social network, Ello (www.ello.co) recently opened its doors on an invitation-only basis.
Because of the limited supply and strong demand, the invitations have been selling on eBay at prices up to US$500. Some reports said Ello was getting up to 35,000 requests per hour as a result of a viral surge in the past week.
Ello appears to have caught on with its simple message that seems to take aim at frustrations of Facebook users.
"Ello doesn't sell ads. Nor do we sell data about you to third parties," the company says.
Its "manifesto" states: "We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce, and manipulate - but a place to connect, create, and celebrate life. You are not a product."
Ello's policy states that the practice of collecting and selling personal data and mapping your social connections for profit "is both creepy and unethical".
"Under the guise of offering a 'free' service, users pay a high price in intrusive advertising and lack of privacy."
Based in Vermont, Ello was launched by a group of artists and programmers led by Paul Budnitz, whose previous experience includes designing robots.
Budnitz says on his page that Ello was designed to be "simple, beautiful and ad-free".
Ello's rise also comes amid complaints against Facebook from the gay community that the world's biggest social network began disabling accounts using stage names instead of real names.
A San Francisco protest is planned against Facebook supporting "drag queens" who lost their Facebook accounts. Ello does not require real names.
It remains unclear if Ello will end up being a flash in the pan, or if it will develop a profitable business plan.
Ello states it plans to remain "completely free to use", but that it could start offering some premium features for a fee.
Some question if Ello can succeed on this kind of model and keep its principles.
But Aral Balkan said Ello had already been compromised by taking US$435,000 in venture capital funding.
A designer and founder of ind.ie, a privacy advocacy group, Balkan said he worked briefly for Ello but left when he learned of the venture investments.
"When you take venture capital, it is not a matter of if you're going to sell your users, you already have," says a blog post from Balkan.
