Google deletes “communist bandits” from comments on Youtube

Post by jungletime » Mon, May 18, 2020, 3:40 PM UTC

uoaei wrote: post #29

freshhawk wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like how there are a bunch of comments in those other threads insisting Google doesn't do anything moderation that's "political".

One fascinating thing about being Very Online in the past 10-20 years is watching the messages of astroturfing campaigns slowly leak into public sentiment. I'm sure the same thing happens with other forms of media, primarily cable television. But as an example, with the whole 50 Cent Army, a few people have heard convincing arguments from them and turned into unwitting (or otherwise) propagators of the same rhetoric.

Post by [deleted] » Mon, May 18, 2020, 3:41 PM UTC

humaid wrote: post #59

Similar happens with the name "Eric Ciaramella", which YouTube instantly deletes. This is a name of a CIA whistle blower. It would be interesting to know what other words are in the YouTube censor list.

Post by ddevault » Mon, May 18, 2020, 3:41 PM UTC

virvar wrote: post #111

ddevault wrote: post #38

Google & YouTube employees on HN: how do you justify still working at this company? Enough of the cognitive dissonance. Face your choices and tell me how you square yourself with them. For shame.

How do you buy hardware? I’m genuinely asking because where I live it’s impossible to buy stuff that wasn’t made in China. It’s almost impossible to lead en ethical life in this day and age if you do anything related to tech.

Post by pm90 » Mon, May 18, 2020, 3:41 PM UTC

MangoCoffee wrote: post #96

pm90 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Western companies don’t talk about values, Western governments do. The past few decades have seen an aggressive destruction in the power of Western governments to subdue them to Corporate power. The US is a prime example where the Republican party’s only policy platform (not even exaggerating) is “tax cuts are the solution to every problem”. The US government specifically has been declawed and dismembered by the curr…

so what's this "Don't be evil" thingy that Google always talk about

Post by ddevault » Mon, May 18, 2020, 3:42 PM UTC

geofft wrote: post #103

ddevault wrote: post #38

Google & YouTube employees on HN: how do you justify still working at this company? Enough of the cognitive dissonance. Face your choices and tell me how you square yourself with them. For shame.

Not a Google or YouTube employee, but, practically, what would change? In the most likely case, a bunch of Googlers who believe it's important to be apolitical at work would take over the product and implement much stronger censorship to get promo. In the unlikely event all of them (and every applicant drooling for a FAANG job) had a change of heart too, Tencent would gladly step into the vacuum.