File this under strange, but a group of Evangelical Christians in Brazil have just launched a "sin-free" rival to Facebook, where any kind of swearing, irreligious or erotic content is completely banned. Named "Facegloria", this social network was created last month, and according to its creators, it has attracted more than 100,000 members since then.
Facegloria was created by web-designer, Attila Barros, and three other people who apparently came up with the idea while working in the office of Acir dos Santos, the mayor of Ferraz de Vasconcelos. The mayor himself liked the idea so much, that he has since invested more than $16,000 in the project. He also states:
Our network is global. We have bought the Faceglory domain in English and in all possible languages. We want to take on Facebook and Twitter here and everywhere.
According to the BBC, 600 swear words are prohibited on the site and instead of a "like" button, there"s an "Amen" button to show one"s appreciation of a post. Similarly, homosexuality, violence and pornography are also outlawed on Facegloria. Barros claims that it was created so that the like-minded religious people of Brazil "could talk about God, love, and spread his word".
While the platform has mainly been made for Brazil where 99% of the population believe in "a God or a supreme being in some form or another", the creators plan to make it global. Currently, Facegloria is only available in the Portuguese language, but other languages and even a mobile app is planned for the future.
Facegloria"s programmer, John Graham-Cumming claims:
There are some [programming] languages which have some religious symbols, the most notable is a language called Perl.
"It was written by Larry Wall who is a Christian, and who has expressed that Christian faith, and within the language there are little clues about that. One of the key words is "bless" - you can bless something, and it has a technical meaning.
With more than a 100,000 members in less than a month, it is clear that the "sin-free" version of Facebook is gaining popularity in Brazil. You can check out the new social platform too by hitting up the source link.
Source: Facegloria via the BBC