Posted October 16th, 2012 - 10:23 am by 
from Paris, France (Permalink)
from Paris, France (Permalink)Thanks. English Translation:
The Commission for Data Protection has contacted the Federal Trad Commission (FTC) regarding the Terms of Use of the U.S. company CouchSurfing International and learned that the FTC is competent and that complaints can be filed.
Please use the FTC Complaint Assistant to do so (https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov).
We are at your disposal should additional problems arrise.
The Commission for Data Protection has contacted the Federal Trad Commission (FTC) regarding the Terms of Use of the U.S. company CouchSurfing International and learned that the FTC is competent and that complaints can be filed.
Please use the FTC Complaint Assistant to do so (https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov).
We are at your disposal should additional problems arrise.
Posted October 16th, 2012 - 10:59 am by 
from Perugia, Italy (Permalink)
from Perugia, Italy (Permalink)Hi everybody,
I am very much interested in filing a complaint, or do anything to help the cause. Or to let the CS Admin know that they are going against the spirit of couchsurfing. Is there any chance of some one compiling a step by step tutorial on how to do that? Or how to file a complaint with the FTC?
love
david
I am very much interested in filing a complaint, or do anything to help the cause. Or to let the CS Admin know that they are going against the spirit of couchsurfing. Is there any chance of some one compiling a step by step tutorial on how to do that? Or how to file a complaint with the FTC?
love
david
Posted October 16th, 2012 - 5:24 pm by 
from Brussels, Belgium (Permalink)
from Brussels, Belgium (Permalink)David, what is this "spirit of couchsurfing"?
Posted October 16th, 2012 - 10:09 pm by from Perugia, Italy (Permalink)
from Perugia, Italy (Permalink)Hi Kasper (we should put our names together - we'd get a historical figure)...
But to get to your question: You're getting me a little off guard cause asked directly like this I cannot but realize that this is of course a fairly subjective assessment. I can tell you what I, personally, think the spirit of couchsurfing is:
It is the spirit of giving without expecting to receive; of receiving without feeling obliged to give; the spirit of approaching fellow human beings in need of help, albeit not desperate need. The spirit of enjoying your hosts friendship as well as accepting their distance if so inclined. The spirit of friendship without competition (which is already compromised through "collecting" friends and references. Both things that have their positive side to them but we should be aware of what it is doing to us). It is the spirit of feeling the freedom to put yourself out there and connect with like-minded people through a platform so kindly provided by a group of volunteers without having to fear to have one's own private information used for targeted advertising. That just puts an ugly spin on everything.
But to be clear, I'm not so naive to not understand that this is the inevitable evolution of every social network which grows in notoriety in this reality of ours. Nonetheless, it would be beautiful to keep it pure, true, with no strings attached, for once, cause, as I state in my profile: I want to create reality (not being particularly fond of the current version). Couchsurfing.org could be the vanguard of this new reality. instead it chooses to be just another cog in the workings of a cold, mechanical, clockwork reality.
I hope I answered your question.
But to get to your question: You're getting me a little off guard cause asked directly like this I cannot but realize that this is of course a fairly subjective assessment. I can tell you what I, personally, think the spirit of couchsurfing is:
It is the spirit of giving without expecting to receive; of receiving without feeling obliged to give; the spirit of approaching fellow human beings in need of help, albeit not desperate need. The spirit of enjoying your hosts friendship as well as accepting their distance if so inclined. The spirit of friendship without competition (which is already compromised through "collecting" friends and references. Both things that have their positive side to them but we should be aware of what it is doing to us). It is the spirit of feeling the freedom to put yourself out there and connect with like-minded people through a platform so kindly provided by a group of volunteers without having to fear to have one's own private information used for targeted advertising. That just puts an ugly spin on everything.
But to be clear, I'm not so naive to not understand that this is the inevitable evolution of every social network which grows in notoriety in this reality of ours. Nonetheless, it would be beautiful to keep it pure, true, with no strings attached, for once, cause, as I state in my profile: I want to create reality (not being particularly fond of the current version). Couchsurfing.org could be the vanguard of this new reality. instead it chooses to be just another cog in the workings of a cold, mechanical, clockwork reality.
I hope I answered your question.
Posted October 17th, 2012 - 12:19 am by from Paris, France (Permalink)
from Paris, France (Permalink)"That just puts an ugly spin on everything."
"this is the inevitable
evolution of every social network which grows in notoriety in this reality of
ours"
This was not inevitable and not a result of growth. If you read up on the history and how volunteers have been abused and thrown out forever, you'll realize that the evil was there from the beginning.
CouchSurfing has always been about giving and taking: generous people giving their time, skills and money, and CouchSurfing taking.
"this is the inevitable
evolution of every social network which grows in notoriety in this reality of
ours"
This was not inevitable and not a result of growth. If you read up on the history and how volunteers have been abused and thrown out forever, you'll realize that the evil was there from the beginning.
CouchSurfing has always been about giving and taking: generous people giving their time, skills and money, and CouchSurfing taking.
Posted October 17th, 2012 - 8:10 am by from Perugia, Italy (Permalink)
from Perugia, Italy (Permalink)Oh ok. rectification accepted. I guess I do have to read up on the history..
In my defence, there is couchsurfing and there is www.couchsurfing.org (btw, is BranVan 3000's 1997 song "Couch Surfer" now subject to copyright infringement?)
In my defence, there is couchsurfing and there is www.couchsurfing.org (btw, is BranVan 3000's 1997 song "Couch Surfer" now subject to copyright infringement?)
Posted October 17th, 2012 - 8:55 am by from Paris, France (Permalink)
from Paris, France (Permalink)And most of all, there is couchsurfing.com and couchsurfing.info.
They failed to register anything properly. Difficult, too, if you didn't invent anything and just copied generic words.
They failed to register anything properly. Difficult, too, if you didn't invent anything and just copied generic words.
Post removed.
Posted October 16th, 2012 - 10:09 pm by 
from Faro, Portugal (Permalink)
from Faro, Portugal (Permalink)This post has been removed by the user.