Facebook Makes Social Roulette App Go Black
In Russian Roulette, players have a one-in-six chance of losing their lives. In Social Roulette, users have a one-in-six chance of losing their Facebook accounts. That is, until Facebook took away the gun. TechCrunch reported Monday that Facebook 86'ed the data connection to Social Roulette, an application where users play and there's a one-in-six shot that their Facebook profile will be deleted. Four hours after its Saturday launch, Facebook cut off data to the application, stating a violation of platform policies.
In Russian Roulette, players have a one-in-six chance of losing their lives. In Social Roulette, users have a one-in-six chance of losing their Facebook accounts. That is, until Facebook took away the gun. TechCrunch reported Monday that Facebook 86’ed the data connection to Social Roulette, an application where users play and there’s a one-in-six shot that their Facebook profile will be deleted. Four hours after its Saturday launch, Facebook cut off data to the application, stating a violation of platform policies.
Facebook routinely cuts off data to apps that either compete with one of its products (such as Vintage Camera) or use the social network’s data for something that doesn’t fit the mission statement. Deleting accounts definitely doesn’t jibe with Facebook’s focus of making the world more connected.
When users connected with Social Roulette, they either were notified that their Facebook presences died, or that they lived to play another day. If users “survived,” the app posts to their timelines.
However, it was Social Roulette that found itself dead soon after launch. Co-Founder Kyle McDonald told TechCrunch it tried to comply with Facebook’s policies, and the team will be talking with the social network to see if there’s a way the app can be revived within guidelines:
It took us four hours to create the project, and it took another four hours after the launch for Facebook to respond by blocking the API key and restricting our ability to create Facebook applications. The app was flagged by an automated system for “creating a negative user experience.” After review, they decided they don’t like our logo either. We tried to follow the branding guidelines, but we must have misunderstood them.
Facebook told TechCrunch that it takes “action against apps that violate our platform policies.”
Readers: Did you use Social Roulette?
