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Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

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Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#981

Post by brigandish »

crazygringo wrote: post #388

I see a lot of comments misinterpreting this. First, it's not about private files, it's about distributing content. Google isn't spying on your private files, but does scan them when you share them publicly. E.g. keep all the pirated movies you want on your Drive, and even give private access to friends, but the moment you make them publicly viewable Google scans them and limits access accordingly. So no, this isn't…

I agree with your first paragraph but this:

> All our legal protections ultimately depend on a democratic foundation

is the wrong way round. I suspect you're speaking from a US perspective. The US constitution limits the rights of goverment for the benefit of the people, it does not limit the rights of the people for the benefit of government.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#984

Post by joshuamorton »

logicchains wrote: post #685
crazygringo wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's something fundamentally flawed There isn't really. You're adopting, I assume, J.S. Mill's view, that the cure for bad speech is more speech, which he famously published in 1859. However, since then it's been widely accepted that when speech reaches a certain level of harm then the greater good is to prevent/punish it. You can't incite violence under the guise of free speech. You can't advertise that somethi…

>However, since then it's been widely accepted It's not widely accepted at all, except maybe in the small circle of Silicon Valley elites whose ideas align with yours politically.

Well, and all of Europe and Asia.

The united states is basically unique in the strength of it's speech protection, and even that is only the government. I'd challenge you to name a social group, any social group, that wouldn't ostracize you for saying certain things.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#985

Post by lenkite »

busymom0 wrote: post #643
beebmam wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please tell me why a private company should be forced to host content that they fundamentally disagree with. Why should Google be forced, legally, to carry Chinese state propaganda, for example? Why should Google be forced, legally, to carry ISIS propaganda? There are alternatives to Google. They should host that content there

> Please tell me why a private company should be forced to host content that they fundamentally disagree with. Why should Google be forced, legally, to carry Chinese state propaganda, for example? Why should Google be forced, legally, to carry ISIS propaganda? They already do host them. CloudFlare, the biggest CDN, despite their words and claims routinely censors sites meanwhile defending hosting terrorist site's fre…

By her own standards, Psaki should be banned for misinformation. She said Hunter Biden's story is Russian disinformation: https://twitter.com/jrpsaki/status/1318382779659411458?lang=...

It was later found to be true: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hunter-biden-laptop-is-real...

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#986

Post by lenkite »

tstrimple wrote: post #977
lenkite wrote: post #889

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I saw a low-level riot with a few broken windows that was endlessly hyped over and over again ad-nauseam. So, no, the rest of the world wasn't horrified - we were wondering what was the fuss. I was far more worried about the BLM riots which burned entire districts - since I had family affected. Using Jan 6th as an excuse for government censorship is utter nonsense. What is misleading today can become fact tomorrow ve…

why are you lying about entire districts being burned down by BLM? Surely you can provide some actual evidence as to this happening. Right now is just looks like more completely unsupported right wing hysteria.

This is laughable. There were hundreds of buildings burnt down and you ask for evidence ? Please do your own research. I strongly suggest listening to some-thing other than cnn/nbc. I don't listen to either right-wing or left-wing media.

"In their wake, vandals left a trail of smashed doors and windows, covered hundreds of boarded-up businesses with graffiti and set fire to nearly 150 buildings, with dozens burned to the ground. Pharmacies, groceries, liquor stores, tobacco shops and cell phone stores were ransacked, losing thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise. Many were looted repeatedly over consecutive nights"

"Three hundred seventy-some miles south-east of Minneapolis and about sixty miles north of Chicago on Lake Michigan in Kenosha, the family-run car dealership of an Indian immigrant was burned down by the rioters. The owner, trying to hold back his tear, told reporters that BLM rioters burned his lot two nights in a row destroying all the cars"

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/indic-positive/may... https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-st-paul-buildings-ar...

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#987

Post by daddylongstroke »

tshaddox wrote: post #630
nickysielicki wrote: post #571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bigger problem that I have with the idea that misinformation kills democracy is that it seems to suggest that misinformation is some new phenomenon or that the average person has been well informed throughout the history of western democracy. Democracy thrived before the printing press. Democracy survived the invention of the printing press, which was mostly in the hands of magnates who could afford it. Democracy…

When and where did democracy thrive before the printing press?

The vast majority of Slavic tribes 0-1100AD were effective democracies...even the majority of Polish kings post-Christian-indoctrination (1000-1800AD) featured an elected monarchy.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#988

Post by daddylongstroke »

crazygringo wrote: post #525
contravariant wrote: post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's something fundamentally flawed about the idea that censorship in the name of preventing misinformation is protecting the foundation of democracy. You cannot have true democracy if people cannot disagree with their governments, they must be able to disagree with any truth or opinion such a government might consider self-evident, just on the off chance they're right. I should at this point note that Google does…

> There's something fundamentally flawed There isn't really. You're adopting, I assume, J.S. Mill's view, that the cure for bad speech is more speech, which he famously published in 1859. However, since then it's been widely accepted that when speech reaches a certain level of harm then the greater good is to prevent/punish it. You can't incite violence under the guise of free speech. You can't advertise that somethi…

>It directly leads to mobs, riots, and revolution based on lies, not based on actual injustices.

Would love to see an example. The vast majority of revolutions in human history were results of hunger.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#989

Post by dang »

m1el wrote: post #781
weare138 wrote: post #709

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>You cannot have true democracy if people cannot disagree with their governments, they must be able to disagree with any truth or opinion such a government might consider self-evident, just on the off chance they're right. Google is not the government. It's a private company owned by private citizens who also have the same constitutional rights. You're not being 'censored'. It's not a violation of your free speech. Y…

Bullshit. This "private company doing whatever they want" argument can rot in hell. All major social media companies (Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and possibly mobile carriers) get instructions from- and collaborate with the government on the topic of suppressing information. You literally have Ministry of Truth, implemented as Fact Check inc. The USA is already beyond the pale, and people keep spouting this id…

Your comment was correctly downvoted and flagged because of the name-calling. You shouldn't do that, not only because it breaks the site guidelines (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html), but because it discredits the view you're arguing for.

https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#990

Post by neonate »

LimaBearz wrote: post #757
ibbibby wrote: post #748

"Misinformation" is just another word for "falsehood" or "untruth." Those of you claiming that "democracy" depends on authorities preventing the spread of misinformation are ipso facto saying that democracy requires the government, or megacorporate cartels with a monopoly on public speech most likely acting as proxies for the government (as Psaki made clear is happening), to define what counts as "truth" (a Ministry…

It’s also important to understand that the only reason anyone is talking about misinformation right now is because the entire world watched in horror at the events of January 6th, a direct attempt to “seize control over free societies”. (Admittedly a poor attempt at it though) which was sparked by wild accusations, unsubstantiated assertions, and a mountain of failed litigation by “the previous guy”. No amount of whi…

> the only reason anyone is talking about misinformation right now is because the entire world watched in horror at the events of January 6th

Just as a point of fact, that's false. Usage spiked in late 2019. Nothing special happens on this graph in Jan 2021, and the term is surprisingly in decline right now:

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=m...

Same with "disinformation":

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=d...

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