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

#201

Post by droopyEyelids » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:04 AM UTC

hrasyid wrote: post #199

mkempe wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For now you may think facebook merely facilitates regression. Eventually we'll see them enable repression. The gap is narrow, when one decides to manipulate people by manipulating the news feed they see as well as selling screen space in that "news feed". Here is an example of the unfortunate side effects of manipulation: One month ago a dear friend of mine posted an obit for her mother. Facebook did not include it i…

I don't understand, how is missing your friend's post related to enabling repression?

If you do not believe there is a difference between:

_A company controlling what you can say_

and

_Missing what someone wrote_

then it will not be worthwhile for you to follow this subject.

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

#202

Post by mlok » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:05 AM UTC

bad_user wrote: post #64

I'm a Romanian and I can confirm that posts and accounts have been blocked, probably because of being reported by the other side. On the other hand, folks, this is a little reminder that censorship is a doubly edged knife ;-) So next time you call for censoring "fake news", think again, because it's not you who will benefit from it. A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informin…

You are right. We should be wary of Censorship and Facebook is poison. But :

Facebook is a social media. Social Medias are not limited to Facebook.

Example : https://riseup.net/en

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

#203

Post by sigsergv » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:05 AM UTC

In Russia Facebook has been exploing for a long time. There are sites where you can “buy” attack to specific user and he/she will be blocked or banned. Attacker just report some user posts as racist, pornographic or something like that and facebook blocks user. Moderation of such complaints is absolutely weak and causes a lot of anger and frustration, some people even leave facebook because of that.

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

#204

Post by ericthor » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:16 AM UTC

taurath wrote: post #197

andrepd wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informing and coordinating citizens to fight injustice. Now that I'm older and wiser, I can tell you that no evolution or revolution can happen because of Facebook, only regression. Facebook is poison. I'll add to that. The internet is a great tool for coordinating citizens, spreading information, and fighting injustice. Having facebook , o…

The internet just increases the amount of information flow - what one does with it reflects whatever their values are.

Though often that flow of information on the internet is through Facebook and they have control over certain information valves as stated by earlier posters.

In application just because a piece of information exists on the internet doesn't mean folks will be exposed to it. Folks values are reflected, but are also molded by the information that is made readily available to them through there internet habits and social network. If entities censor or place greater emphasis on certain streams of information they can attempt to mold the resulting values of users.

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

#205

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:17 AM UTC

Steeeve wrote: post #193

I see a lot of anti-facebook sentiment here as if they are some sort of evil censor that prevents people from communicating. On the contrary, all facebook does is connect people. What we're seeing here is the result of rising political influence on social media. Every major website is being abused by governments because that's how you get your 'message' (i.e. propoganda) across. Like the major sites of yesterday figu…

[deleted]

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

#206

Post by Stanish » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:23 AM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #179

bad_user wrote: post #64

I'm a Romanian and I can confirm that posts and accounts have been blocked, probably because of being reported by the other side. On the other hand, folks, this is a little reminder that censorship is a doubly edged knife ;-) So next time you call for censoring "fake news", think again, because it's not you who will benefit from it. A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informin…

>A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informing and coordinating citizens to fight injustice. Now that I'm older and wiser, I can tell you that no evolution or revolution can happen because of Facebook, only regression. Facebook is poison. I'll add to that. The internet is a great tool for coordinating citizens, spreading information, and fighting injustice. Having facebook , o…

The internet is simply reflecting the society from which it emerged--a society where wealth buys power, where militarization is an unspoken rule, and where speech rights exist in name only. The internet could potentially help people organize, but unless used deliberately en masse, its inertia will lead for the common person very much in the opposite direction, as we have seen over the past few years.

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

#207

Post by Stanish » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:31 AM UTC

mtgx wrote: post #82

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.

> algorithm to detect reporting rings How the hell is this not a thing already at Facebook? Are you freaking serious, Facebook? And you want to impress us with your lame "AI"?! Reddit has had ring voting protection for years , and it only has 1/10 of Facebook's userbase. I sure hope Facebook isn't planning on developing a self-driving car software platform.

Reddit is one of the most systematically brigaded sites on the internet. Really bad example.

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

#208

Post by intended » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:36 AM UTC

taurath wrote: post #197

andrepd wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informing and coordinating citizens to fight injustice. Now that I'm older and wiser, I can tell you that no evolution or revolution can happen because of Facebook, only regression. Facebook is poison. I'll add to that. The internet is a great tool for coordinating citizens, spreading information, and fighting injustice. Having facebook , o…

The internet just increases the amount of information flow - what one does with it reflects whatever their values are.

Right. Facebooks effective monopoly is an issue in and of itself- but that’s a separate issue.

Humans online polarize themselves and split into sub groups. (Amazingly the sub groups can end up polarizing themselves.)

Facebook has never dodged the issues forums has faced.

The core issue is human behavior and nature.

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

#209

Post by elandybarr » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:38 AM UTC

bad_user wrote: post #64

I'm a Romanian and I can confirm that posts and accounts have been blocked, probably because of being reported by the other side. On the other hand, folks, this is a little reminder that censorship is a doubly edged knife ;-) So next time you call for censoring "fake news", think again, because it's not you who will benefit from it. A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informin…

Mass reporting is a common censorship tactic on Facebook. There are Facebook groups of Muslim activists who mass report critics of the religion to trigger autobans.

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

#210

Post by knowThySelfx » Tue, Nov 28, 2017, 4:44 AM UTC

bad_user wrote: post #64

I'm a Romanian and I can confirm that posts and accounts have been blocked, probably because of being reported by the other side. On the other hand, folks, this is a little reminder that censorship is a doubly edged knife ;-) So next time you call for censoring "fake news", think again, because it's not you who will benefit from it. A couple of years back I was enthusiastic about the rise of social media for informin…

I agree, FB/Twitter etc, filters or blocks content which doesn't suite their agenda. Saying from experience as well.