Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar • Hacker News Board

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#41

Post by golergka » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 8:52 AM UTC

lokopodium wrote: post #18

rectangletangle wrote: post #15

Incidents like this are starting to make me feel that software engineers should have a code of ethics, similar to the Hippocratic Oath. So technologies aren't abused to marginalize individuals/groups.

Nuclear weapons simulations, drone AI, smart bombs - all good. But don't you dare abuse a marginalized group!

> Nuclear weapons simulations, drone AI, smart bombs - all good.

Recent history continually shows that advances in military technology causes improvements in combatant/non-combatant casualty ratio. The smarter the bombs and missiles are, the less civilians they kill. Also, operators who only risk drones and not their own lives aren't nearly as trigger happy as pilots. And finally, a conflict between two countries is always more prolonged and bloody when the gap between their technological development and military prowess is smaller. Not to mention that MAD doctrine have prevented cold war from going hot.

So yes, working on all these technologies helps you mention helps humanity and saves lives.

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#42

Post by bfuller » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 8:56 AM UTC

ars wrote: post #26

westiseast wrote: post #8

I was in Fujian, China, two weeks ago and did a Bing web/image search for ‘gay men’ (unrelated to any of this news). Zero results returned, and a standard note about violent and sexually explicit content being censored. Thought that was odd.

Did you try to search for "straight men"? If there is no sexual content in the photo, what would be the difference in a picture of a gay or straight man? They would look the same. By specifying sexual orientation you are by definition requesting sexual content.

Or it could bring up pictures of Tim Cook, Anderson Cooper, or any other gay men.

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#43

Post by bfuller » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 8:59 AM UTC

aplummer wrote: post #38

darpa_escapee wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Listings are removed from Google, Bing etc all of the time. Recently, a subreddit dedicated to sharing beer was removed from Reddit. Youtube recently banned certain gun-related videos [1] on its platform. [1] http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43500714

I don’t know how you can link to an article about banning killing machine video content as a comparison to banning gay content with a straight face. This is an example of YouTube taking positive social responsibility which is fantastic. And no, “positive” is not subjective in this case at at all.

You asked for an example, then moved goalposts once given one.

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#44

Post by seanmcdirmid » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 9:03 AM UTC

KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #3

It's heartening to see that the Chinese public will not stand for homophobia. Countries that look to China as a model (looking at you Russia) should take note.

I don’t think Russia sees China as a model.

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#45

Post by gaius » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 9:08 AM UTC

rectangletangle wrote: post #15

Incidents like this are starting to make me feel that software engineers should have a code of ethics, similar to the Hippocratic Oath. So technologies aren't abused to marginalize individuals/groups.

EdX has a course on this https://www.edx.org/course/ethics-law-analytics-ai-microsoft...

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#46

Post by tomcooks » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 10:15 AM UTC

aplummer wrote: post #12

tomcooks wrote: post #2

That's what happens when you use a centralized service, especially if it's state approved.

Is it though? Does it happen in a centralised system in any democratic country? I feel you are letting them off the hook in a sense, centralisation != censorship, often it seems with western services the centralised system providers fight against censorship.

Centralization is not censorship, but censorship necessarily requires centralization.

Also I would like to have one (1) example of "western services" (you mean non chinese?) centralized service that fights censorship.

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#47

Post by krageon » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 10:28 AM UTC

jamesrcole wrote: post #37

lokopodium wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly because there are way more programmers working on weaponry of every possible kind than oppressing minorities, and you could say it causes way more harm and suffering. Also, unlike doctors, who are explicitly trusted with human health, programmers are not in any way different from anybody else and it's silly to try to impose a special moral code on them.

None of that has to do with your original comment ("Nuclear weapons simulations, drone AI, smart bombs - all good. But don't you dare abuse a marginalized group!") and what I objected to in it.

He's saying there are more important things in the world to worry about. In what way did you read it?

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#48

Post by heptathorp » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 10:41 AM UTC

lokopodium wrote: post #18

rectangletangle wrote: post #15

Incidents like this are starting to make me feel that software engineers should have a code of ethics, similar to the Hippocratic Oath. So technologies aren't abused to marginalize individuals/groups.

Nuclear weapons simulations, drone AI, smart bombs - all good. But don't you dare abuse a marginalized group!

We can oppose marginalizing people and oppose killing people at the same time. Your comment is a good example of whataboutism.

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#49

Post by jamesrcole » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 10:41 AM UTC

krageon wrote: post #47

jamesrcole wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of that has to do with your original comment ("Nuclear weapons simulations, drone AI, smart bombs - all good. But don't you dare abuse a marginalized group!") and what I objected to in it.

He's saying there are more important things in the world to worry about. In what way did you read it?

They said "Nuclear weapons simulations, drone AI, smart bombs - all good. But don't you dare abuse a marginalized group!" which is specially saying that people don't care about these matters for the first set of issues (which is an assumption about the person they were replying to, and an incorrect blanket statement about people in general) and also specifically implying that the only reason people cared in this case was because it involves a marginalised group (which is also an assumption that they didn't attempt to back up with evidence).

Re: Chinese Social Media Site Reverses Gay Content Ban After Uproar

#50

Post by Latty » Tue, Apr 17, 2018, 11:17 AM UTC

ars wrote: post #26

westiseast wrote: post #8

I was in Fujian, China, two weeks ago and did a Bing web/image search for ‘gay men’ (unrelated to any of this news). Zero results returned, and a standard note about violent and sexually explicit content being censored. Thought that was odd.

Did you try to search for "straight men"? If there is no sexual content in the photo, what would be the difference in a picture of a gay or straight man? They would look the same. By specifying sexual orientation you are by definition requesting sexual content.

That's like saying if I search for "chef" I am asking for pictures of food. The two things may be strongly linked, but that doesn't mean that one requires the other.