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Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

telegraph.co.uk

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Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#21

Post by ashwinaj »

shiftpgdn wrote: post #2

If you don't like Facebook's actions then don't use it. Having open speech on Facebook's platform is not an inalienable right. I don't agree with Facebook's privacy policies and thus have deleted my account and use other platforms. This isn't difficult. This article is tantamount to saying "Woe is me, NYT won't publish my op-ed." and expecting anyone to take you seriously.

Totally agree!

I fail to understand why is this a 'problem'. FB can do as they please (fail or succeed as a consequence), they aren't a tax payer funded institution answerable to the public at large.

In effect, people are dictating how FB should 'run their business'.

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#22

Post by karma_vaccum123 »

z4chj wrote: post #10
shiftpgdn wrote: post #2

If you don't like Facebook's actions then don't use it. Having open speech on Facebook's platform is not an inalienable right. I don't agree with Facebook's privacy policies and thus have deleted my account and use other platforms. This isn't difficult. This article is tantamount to saying "Woe is me, NYT won't publish my op-ed." and expecting anyone to take you seriously.

> If you don't like Facebook's actions then don't use it That is akin to if you don't like it, then leave, which is just a way of avoiding potential solutions to the problem. See ergo decedo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergo_decedo

Why not just tell users that Facebook does not endorse or condone any specific user content? No one blames Verizon if someone uses a racist insult on the phone...there is precedent for users grasping how a common carrier works.

Of course this is all about advertising. Advertisers want to be associated only with dull, bland speech. This is also why network TV is so bland.

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#23

Post by dominotw »

stephenr wrote: post #19
joshuaheard wrote: post #11

Maybe it's time to consider Facebook, Twitter, et al, as common carriers, which, under the new net neutrality law, would disallow them from censoring content. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carrier#Telecommunicati...

Maybe it's time to treat Facebook as the cancerous turd on society that it is.

I think you might have cause and effect reversed. Turd of a society created facebook.

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#24

Post by msl09 »

flurdy wrote: post #8
shiftpgdn wrote: post #2

If you don't like Facebook's actions then don't use it. Having open speech on Facebook's platform is not an inalienable right. I don't agree with Facebook's privacy policies and thus have deleted my account and use other platforms. This isn't difficult. This article is tantamount to saying "Woe is me, NYT won't publish my op-ed." and expecting anyone to take you seriously.

Facebook are free to do as they please within the law. And people are free to complain about it within the law. Advise to simple "not use it" is harsh as it has a near monopoly as a communication tool for many communities. Without it I certainly would have no idea what happens with my relatives and friends, apart from my absolute nearest (which is another discussion). And for many places it is the only tool used for…

>Advise to simple "not use it" is harsh as it has a near monopoly as a communication tool for many communities. Without it I certainly would have no idea what happens with my relatives and friends, apart from my absolute nearest (which is another discussion).

I don't think there is any shortage of facebook alternatives out there, both in the messaging business or if you are taking about social networks(diaspora is my favorite btw).

Sure it's hard and annoying to move your friends away from facebook, but honestly is it really worth to bother to keep them friended on facebook. I honestly don't give a crap about knowing what's happening with my most distant relatives, except when I'm meeting then in person and I don't think they feel any different about me, that might just be my personal experience though.

Either way, I think that facebook's selective post display and the fact that you might be away(or busy) when something important to you is displayed on your stream make it an extremely unreliable way to know what's going on unless if you want to see useless news about celebrities.

If I really care, I call.

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#25

Post by fsloth »

electic wrote: post #4
sp332 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think this is a given. When Facebook is many people's main communications platform and source of news, censoring Facebook is, effectively, censoring communication and news. Since they have such power to affect our societies, they should have some obligations.

Disagree. It is the main platform because those folks agree with the terms of use and privacy policy. As suggested, you can use something else that lines up with what you believe and frankly, if a lot more people do that, there will be another viable rival to Facebook. Vote with your clicks.

"It is the main platform because those folks agree with the terms of use and privacy policy"

I disagree. Do you know how many general users have the vaguest ideas what those things are? People en masse use Facebook because other people do - they have very limited of awareness of anything how Facebook skews their view of reality and what limits their communication on the said platform has - until they hit those limits. They just know all of their friends are on the platform, so they must be there too.

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#26

Post by dmix »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #17

The FSF has a lot of good material to read on why we don't want centralized control of our data. Applies to Facebook, Google, etc. As a card carrying FSF member (and supporter of EFF, ACLU, Software Conservancy) it embarrases me a little that I probably spend 30 minutes a day using Facebook, Google +, and Twitter; but I enjoy them, I keep the material I produce largely on my own infrastructure, and I work to prevent…

Why can't your friend be responsible for not posting violent pictures? Otherwise a) you confront the person politely telling them why you think it was inappropriate or b) unfriend/mute them.

Reddit uses a NSFW filter over videos that you have to click through to see the video first... that would also be up to the user to mark as NSFW... or you unfriend them. Or even a downvote button is community-based.

The reason heavy-handed centralized control systems get put in place is because of statements like that "I wished that Facebook screened x better". The consequence of wishing for minimalist centralized control is depending more on community/social-based control systems aka not having your cake and eating it too (being friends with someone while expecting a 3rd party to filter their content to your tastes).

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#28

Post by cloudjacker »

equalarrow wrote: post #18

I don't get why this is such an issue. I understand the sheer numbers of people that use fb and get their 'news' from it, but it amazes me that people are shocked that fb censors the content. Facebook never claimed to be a news organization nor part of the 5th estate (which, pretty much doesn't exist). So that being the case, I would never expect fb to be a partner for democracy. Just because some recent revolutions…

> Just because some recent revolutions were helped by fb and twitter doesn't mean that these for profit corporations are for freedom of expression and 1st amendment rights.

They aren't illogically petitioning the government to force them to stop censoring, they are making the public service announcement at other private corporations and may actually be successful in getting the private corporation to stop censoring.

It was successful a few days ago with Napalm girl, so why stop there.

Re: Facebook is imposing American censorship on the rest of the world

#30

Post by kakarot »

joshuaheard wrote: post #11

Maybe it's time to consider Facebook, Twitter, et al, as common carriers, which, under the new net neutrality law, would disallow them from censoring content. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carrier#Telecommunicati...

Whoa buddy, that's some pretty heavy socialism. Anyone can make a forum. Mandating moderation rules creates a restrictive barrier for entry and actually harms free speech that falls out of acceptable range
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