Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed • Hacker News Board

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#41

Post by thedevil » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:12 PM UTC

mschuster91 wrote: post #29

thedevil wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Occupy and anti-Trump protestors should study and learn how that works. You see to have effective peaceful protests, there has to be a credible threat of extreme and overwhelming violence that will follow unless the government listens. Government should be afraid of the people. Please don't encourage violence. The anti-Trumpers aren't fighting corruption, they're fighting democracy and their fellow citizens. Note t…

> But that's no justification for putting on masks and beating up random people. Nor is it an excuse for encouraging others to do the same. The problem is, until those in powers are not afraid that their bodies will literally be dragged through the streets, they have no incentive to not do anything they need to stay in power. And the more authoritarian the rule of those in power is, the greater the desire of those no…

The people in power have to fear losing elections. The system was specifically designed so the masses can force change without violence.

Supporting terrorism to override that system is awful, regardless of how you feel about capitalism.

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#42

Post by wolco » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:13 PM UTC

drb91 wrote: post #30

thedevil wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Occupy and anti-Trump protestors should study and learn how that works. You see to have effective peaceful protests, there has to be a credible threat of extreme and overwhelming violence that will follow unless the government listens. Government should be afraid of the people. Please don't encourage violence. The anti-Trumpers aren't fighting corruption, they're fighting democracy and their fellow citizens. Note t…

The idea that democracy already failed and americans are already serving oligarchs is more common than you might think. It’s certainly difficult to see how anti-trump people are anti-democracy: the mechanism with which trump won is distinctly NOT democratic. To some extent, democracy (and a republic to a far greater extent) only works because of fear of violence. This was discussed heavily in the early days of the re…

But then it didn't fail because the version that was implemented started off with oligarchs we have been slowly moving in the right direction

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#43

Post by jotm » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:13 PM UTC

aaron-lebo wrote: post #27

rdtsc wrote: post #5

I was joking before and said that it is inevitable that Facebook, Google and Twitter will eventually sell SaaS (Silencing as a Service). But maybe it wasn't a joke after all... It is simply too tempting to not do it. They have information which the Stasis and KGBs of the past would kill for. One thing Romanian government should be careful with is not listening to protesters. That is at least one country where they ha…

Occupy and anti-Trump protestors should study and learn how that works. You see to have effective peaceful protests, there has to be a credible threat of extreme and overwhelming violence that will follow unless the government listens. Government should be afraid of the people. Those groups cannot begin to challenge the government with violence. What you are suggesting is much more likely to end up in an orgy of bloo…

Evolve to what? The government isn't afraid, so why would they do anything for people?

People were literally bombed for wanting better worker's rights a century ago, apparently it's time for that again?

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#44

Post by logiclion » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:14 PM UTC

mschuster91 wrote: post #29

thedevil wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Occupy and anti-Trump protestors should study and learn how that works. You see to have effective peaceful protests, there has to be a credible threat of extreme and overwhelming violence that will follow unless the government listens. Government should be afraid of the people. Please don't encourage violence. The anti-Trumpers aren't fighting corruption, they're fighting democracy and their fellow citizens. Note t…

> But that's no justification for putting on masks and beating up random people. Nor is it an excuse for encouraging others to do the same. The problem is, until those in powers are not afraid that their bodies will literally be dragged through the streets, they have no incentive to not do anything they need to stay in power. And the more authoritarian the rule of those in power is, the greater the desire of those no…

Sure, hate the rich, it doesn't prove you have compassion for the poor. What you are stating as a threat is really the 'protection' of private property. Something that a poor person has access to as well, and in fact the utilization of such could allow them to come out of poverty.

As far as your remarks on power, I hope you also understand it isn't a replacement for a hierarchy built on competence. Something that the Capitalist system seems to reward as well...interesting...

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#45

Post by jotm » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:15 PM UTC

cat199 wrote: post #28

ccozan wrote: post #4

Proof that any technology has a double use. Once is good to filter spam/fake news, but in this case the fast spreading of the news is crucial for rallying people to a cause.

and isn't it surprising that anything that is anti-EU is 'spam/fake news' and that anything that is pro-EU is 'crucial for rallying people to a cause'..

How the fuck did you come up with that one...

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#46

Post by wolco » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:16 PM UTC

flexie wrote: post #26

I chose to believe that this is a side-effect of facebook trying to combat fake news with some lame algorithms and an understaffed department of reviewers, not facebook actively trying to please the Romanian authorities. But even so, this shows how utterly unprepared facebook is for its role as a de facto news business. A bunch of engineers thinking they are smarter than they actually are unwillingly facilitate the e…

Or are they playing along to change the story around how much less time people are using facebook but still checking in and how users are counted. It feels like content generation has slowed and most people are only absorbing.

Change the headline.

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#47

Post by creaghpatr » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:17 PM UTC

cat199 wrote: post #22

tudorconstantin wrote: post #14

As a Romanian what seems to happen is that a large group of supporters of the ruling party were coordinated in reporting the protests-related posts. I think facebook could easily implement an algorithm to detect reporting rings and actually suspending their member's accounts. Just like reddit is doing with the upvoting rings.

and what precisely is the difference between a 'reporting ring' and an 'activist group', algorithmically?

Reporting rings are pretty common on Facebook

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#48

Post by mschuster91 » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:19 PM UTC

wolco wrote: post #39

mschuster91 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But that's no justification for putting on masks and beating up random people. Nor is it an excuse for encouraging others to do the same. The problem is, until those in powers are not afraid that their bodies will literally be dragged through the streets, they have no incentive to not do anything they need to stay in power. And the more authoritarian the rule of those in power is, the greater the desire of those no…

Violence? Drag his body down the street? Attacking innocent people until everyone does what you say? Those groups get labelled terrorist. That is the difference between a first world country and a second or third. Some people may hate trump but they also know in a few years people will have the option of voting for someone else. When you change leaders by dragging them down a street you get the types of leaders who w…

> Some people may hate trump but they also know in a few years people will have the option of voting for someone else.

This is the thing where I am not sure of, and this is the problem. You remember "Lock her up"? Who can guarantee that Trump is not going to follow through on this promise? Who can guarantee that Trump will not again cooperate with the Russians in order to get reelected? Or for what its worth who can guarantee that Trump won't pardon himself (or fire Mueller) when the fire of the Mueller investigations grows too hot - and then, who can guarantee that the Republicans will grow the spine to impeach him?

The perspective of a possibility of change in three years is growing slimmer and slimmer by the day, with each moderate Republican getting replaced by an alt-righter. And you better hope no other Supreme Court justice dies or retires as long as Trump is in power - because then nothing that challenges gerrymandering will pass the SC.

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#49

Post by maephisto » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:20 PM UTC

cat199 wrote: post #28

ccozan wrote: post #4

Proof that any technology has a double use. Once is good to filter spam/fake news, but in this case the fast spreading of the news is crucial for rallying people to a cause.

and isn't it surprising that anything that is anti-EU is 'spam/fake news' and that anything that is pro-EU is 'crucial for rallying people to a cause'..

Oh, MAGA is strong in this one.

Re: Facebook users in Romania see content related to street protests reviewed

#50

Post by mrtksn » Mon, Nov 27, 2017, 10:21 PM UTC

It's probably just an algorithm misfiring.

I don't like the censorship approach to combat miss information, I think the problem is digitising social interactions without including the social safeguard dynamics.

What I mean is, the problem is not the malicious information but the lack of accountability for those who introduce the fake information. In a real life, if someone starts a false rumour, although the virility can still happen, when the rumour gets debunked it usually brings punishment to the person who started it.

On the social media, there's no accountability as creating an account and run it programatically is much easier than growing an adult and interact with it in multiple social circles.