I wonder why Google's decision-makers decided to censor stuff that doesn't follow WHO guidelines. Is it because they actually care about the mass of the population? Is it because they want to minimize the economic damage caused by the crisis? Is it because they're scared to get sick themselves? Is it because they want to avoid possible legal liability? Is it due to political pressure on them? Is it because they want…
Because dominant media platforms have a huge crosshairs on their backs, with different groups criticizing they aren’t doing enough to remove misinformation, and at the same time, they are too heavy handed. The consensus is that the platforms have to do SOMETHING, because if not, it becomes a national security issue and regulation is going sweep through the industry. At the same time, the platforms can’t be seen as en…
> The consensus is that the platforms have to do SOMETHING, because if not, it becomes a national security issue and regulation is going sweep through the industry.
Personally, I think that education is always better than suppression. Rather than remove these videos, a better option would simply be to inform users that the video contains false information and where they can find the truth.
Not only does this avoid the problem of being accused of doing nothing or leaving misinformation uncorrected, but it also prevents the persecution complex people will get when information is suppressed and allow us to take advantage of the useful information we can get from misinformation.
It's beneficial to be able to see what misinformation people are being exposed to, the specific rhetoric, lies, and facilities being commonly employed to mislead, and the number and types of people who are creating it, falling for it, or just passing it around. Companies like Facebook and Google are in a unique position to get us that kind of data. It could ultimately help us develop ways to identify vulnerable people and where we need to educate them so they are inoculated against this type of manipulation. It could also help us assess how we craft and deliver factual data so that it clearer to these vulnerable groups and less likely to be misinterpreted or misrepresented.
All censorship is failure and missed opportunity