Anti-Facebook’ social network surge

In a matter of days, the new social network Ello, described as the “anti-Facebook” for its stand on privacy and advertising, has become viral 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 $500 while some reports said Ello is getting up to 35,000 requests per hour in the past week. Ello appears to have caught on with its simple message: “Ello doesn’t sell ads. Nor do we sell data about you to third parties.” 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.” Ello’s rise also comes amid complaints against Facebook from the gay community after it began disabling accounts using stage names instead of real names.

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