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Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

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Re: Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

#2
Moderation is indeed difficult, but automating moderation is a bar we need not even get to yet, when even policies that are relatively easy to enforce keep getting watered down.

Just today, for example, it was revealed that Facebook is no longer going to prohibit false factual claims in paid political advertisements -- even if those falsehoods are determined by generally-respected fact checkers. See, e.g., https://popular.info/p/facebook-says-trump-can-lie-in-his (and associated commentary https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21152869).

Re: Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

#4
My "truth" is not your "truth" is not someone else's "truth". None of us is wise enough to tell someone else that their truth is wrong, so expecting someone to write software that is would be asking a bit much.

Filtering out opinions the majority doesn't want to pay to hear is simpler and more lucrative anyway.

Re: Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

#5

My "truth" is not your "truth" is not someone else's "truth". None of us is wise enough to tell someone else that their truth is wrong, so expecting someone to write software that is would be asking a bit much. Filtering out opinions the majority doesn't want to pay to hear is simpler and more lucrative anyway.

There are objective truths. It doesn't matter if you think the earth is flat. It's not. And I really wish this was a contrived example

Re: Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

#7
Moderating a forum of a few hundred recurring posters, who nominally all want to participate in discussions of a few specified topics is usually feasible.

Moderating open venues with no sense of commonality or community where anyone can just show up and say anything is ... much less feasible.

Re: Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

#9
post #5

My "truth" is not your "truth" is not someone else's "truth". None of us is wise enough to tell someone else that their truth is wrong, so expecting someone to write software that is would be asking a bit much. Filtering out opinions the majority doesn't want to pay to hear is simpler and more lucrative anyway.

There are objective truths. It doesn't matter if you think the earth is flat. It's not. And I really wish this was a contrived example

The person who believes (or says they do) that the earth is flat, has every right to do so. I agree with you, they're objectively wrong. I find it arrogant to say they have no right to speak because of that, and will not.

Re: Why do companies with unbounded resources still have terrible moderation?

#10

It's like the difference between porn and art. You know it when you see it, but writing a rule for it is impossible.

You might not even know it if you see it! It might be dog whistles that you don't even understand until it's pointed out to you.
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