[tor-talk] Can't log in to Facebook or use Facebook via Tor Messenger

[Michael McConville]

Sukhbir Singh wrote:
> * Michael McConville:
> 
> > Facebook stopped supporting XMPP and recently broke XMPP
> > compatability. This is likely the problem, and there isn't an easy
> > solution. James Geboski's libpurple plugin is the main open source
> > implementation of their new proprietary protocol, IIUC.
> 
> This is also true. See:
> 
>     https://developers.facebook.com/docs/chat
> 
> But XMPP is still working and so is Tor Messenger. It seems like
> either the docs are outdated, or the service is stil running but maybe
> it's not being maintained, or whatever.
> 
> We got in touch with FB to clarify this and are waiting to hear from
> them.

Recently, their XMPP server silently began assigning authenticating
users strings of random digits (e.g. 0329802437509 at facebook.com,
approximately) as usernames. I remember a core Pidgin dev with a lot of
protocol experience saying that accepting this response is either unsafe
or a protocol violation (maybe both). However, most clients do, and
therefore still work with Facebook.

Regardless, having a username like that isn't very usable. I think there
are new issues with fetching buddy lists, too.