Ello, the all new ‘private’ social networking website

The sudden interest in Ello might be caused by a Facebook crackdown on drag queens in San Francisco for not using real names

In the last one week, a relatively new and little- known social networking website, Ello, has generated a lot of interest. According to various media reports, signup requests to the website have rapidly shot up, ranging between 20,000 and 35,000 within the span of an hour. Invitations to the website (as this is an invitation-only network) are also being sold on eBay for as much as $100.

Created last year as a ‘private’ social network, Ello opened its doors in March this year. It was created by Paul Budnitz, an entrepreneur cum photographer, along with a few graphic designers. The creators describe Ello as ‘simple, beautiful, and ad-free social network’. Unlike Facebook, Ello is advertisement-free.

It claims in its ‘manifesto’ that it does not sell data gleaned from online behaviour to advertisers or data brokers. Highlighting its ad-free philosophy, the website reads, ‘Under the guise of offering a “free” service, users pay a high price in intrusive advertising and lack of privacy… You are not a product.’

Many commentators have termed the website— because of its sudden popularity and philosophy—a Facebook killer. Many reports claim that the sudden explosion of interest in the website was caused by a crackdown by Facebook on drag queens in San Francisco for not using their real names. Facebook has recently begun enforcing the use of real names on its website. Many drag performers and others in the LGBTQ community who were using pseudonyms on Facebook were reportedly locked out of their accounts. Following the controversial enforcement of the policy, many individuals of the LGBTQ community, along with their sympathisers , have reportedly migrated to Ello.

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