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YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

nytimes.com

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Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#21
post #2

Censorship bad

The actual rules is very impartial (btw, [1] should be the actual link):

> Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.

If they apply this rule to every instance of allegation of superiority (regardless of age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status) it is a very sensible rule and not censorship at all.

The problem is when there is some "asymmetry" in what kind of (otherwise identical) behaviour is allowed and what is forbidden based on the exact characteristics they outlined above. Then it just becomes "picking favourites" and, yes, full blown censorship (which, to preempt the usual retort, can yes be practiced by private corporations, as opposed to "violations of first amendment rights" that, yes, can only be done by US jurisdictional governments)

[1] https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/06/our-ongoing-work-to-t...

Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#22

And here we go. As usual the "racist" pretext is being used to censor videos. I have no doubt that there are some terrible awful racist videos in that lot but you have to wonder how many times this is ALSO used as a mean to censor pretty much any video that the youtube execs don't like. Censorship is getting worse Edit: Replacing "Censorship is coming back" with "Censorship is getting worse"

No censorship. You are still free to create your own YouTube clone and publish your extreme political views there. Maybe call it "GabTube"?

Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#23
post #7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey coinward, according to HN, that's not the case ;)

He's being downvoted because his comment is not constructive and is a knee jerk reaction to reading the title of the post, not because people disagree with him

Are you sure? I've seen quite a few "censorship is good if it censors bad things" comments upvoted while free speech absolutists generally get downvoted into the ground.

Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#24

And here we go. As usual the "racist" pretext is being used to censor videos. I have no doubt that there are some terrible awful racist videos in that lot but you have to wonder how many times this is ALSO used as a mean to censor pretty much any video that the youtube execs don't like. Censorship is getting worse Edit: Replacing "Censorship is coming back" with "Censorship is getting worse"

Exactly. The phrasing used in their press release allows them to take down any video they deem offensive.

Censorship is bad for the platform as a whole.

Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#25
'“Opinions can be deeply offensive, but if they don’t violate our policies, they’ll remain on our site,” YouTube said in a statement about its decision on Mr. Crowder.'

I'm sure those policies will shift stealthily until everything except Baby Shark videos is banned.

Left, right or center politically? But a little too spicy for your average 8-year-old? Banned. Gotta keep the Coca-Cola ad execs happy.

It's a curious hyper-puritanical yet simultaneously secular social order we find ourselves in today. I'm sure this won't lead to any social unrest or civilization-wrecking upheaval.

Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#26
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://xkcd.com/1357/

The problem with this is that mediums like facebook and youtube have completely monopolized the attention of the masses. You basically have to use them. So either play along or be irrelevant. No alternative.

Freedom of speech is not entitlement to an audience. People can always make a sign and shout in the park.

Re: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

#30

Note that it's not extreme views (like my adherence to the FSF). Nope, we're talking about "videos and channels that advocate for neo-Nazism, white supremacy and other bigoted ideologies". As much as I don't like censorship, views that advocate for extermination of other people can rightly fuck off.

Maybe I’m under a rock, but I don’t know anyone that argues for that.
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