Cyberattack on ‘anti-Facebook’ social network Ello can’t stop viral surge

A new social network called Ello, described as an ‘anti-Facebook’ platform, is fast gaining an audience online - despite being briefly taken offline on Sunday in a suspected distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Ello’s policy rests on the idea that selling personal data, “is both creepy and unethical”, and on most sites, “under the guise of offering a ‘free’ service, users pay a high price in intrusive advertising and lack of privacy.” The social network upstart has seen a huge surge in interest in the last couple of weeks, which is likely one of the main reasons it was hit by a DDoS attack - which knocked it offline for just over 30 minutes. As the popularity of Ello continues to grow, it is likely to face more attacks like this.

Ello doesn’t sell ads. Nor do we sell data about you to third parties. 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.

A company statement from Ello

Despite being created last year as a “private” social network, Ello has now become an invitation-only network with invitations even being listed on eBay for as high as $500. For now, Ello is entirely free to use, however, some premium features to be added at a later stage could be made chargeable. The network was launched by a group of artists and programmers led by Paul Budnitz, who is known for designing bicycles and robots. According to Budnitz, the concept behind Ello was to design a, “simple, beautiful and ad-free” network.

Technology Ello