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Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

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71–80 of 719 posts

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#71

The two best ideas I've heard: - Require age verification by law and ban kids from using it. We ban kids from alcohol we should ban them from this. - Require ID verification by law but allow people to use a fake name. Fixes the bots issue and the kid depression issue. The market isn't going to get there by itself because of competition. If insta implements this then they lose market share to snap. So there's a strong…

> Require ID verification I'll pass on putting my personal ID in the hands of an organization that sells data as a business . No matter how many flimsy laws they put in place to ban selling my PII, you'd have to be born yesterday to think that won't just delay the sale this new treasure-trove of information.

They probably already have all your data, from Equifax or T-Mobile or whomever else is selling.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#72
post #53

The comments section looks like a grade 11 class. Not everything is about “controlling” you, not everything is a “fake narrative”, the world isn’t out to censor you, and no, not every form of censorship is bad. Yes censorship is a slippery slope, but so is intellectual laziness.

There is a categorical difference between "the vaccine has microchips in it" and "we have seen a coalescing of forces behind Big Tech, the Press, and Government over the last several years that is rightly frightening".

If you cannot recognize that difference, then may I politely suggest that you ponder the idea of "intellectual laziness".

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#73

The two best ideas I've heard: - Require age verification by law and ban kids from using it. We ban kids from alcohol we should ban them from this. - Require ID verification by law but allow people to use a fake name. Fixes the bots issue and the kid depression issue. The market isn't going to get there by itself because of competition. If insta implements this then they lose market share to snap. So there's a strong…

Kids are still able to buy alcohol by having other people do it for them. They also steal it. During a house break in, the police will often ask if any alcohol is missing which is a tell tale that teenagers were involved. Kids are not simple, and will often out wit the adults in order to do things they want to do. It amazes me how adults seem to forget the things they did as teenagers, and maybe if they were actually…

"People still do it" is a lame argument. It's all in the numbers. By that logic, murder should be legal since after all, murders still happen.

There are a lot of nice boys and girls who won't do something if it's illegal, but will if the government sanctions it.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#74
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Require ID verification I'll pass on putting my personal ID in the hands of an organization that sells data as a business . No matter how many flimsy laws they put in place to ban selling my PII, you'd have to be born yesterday to think that won't just delay the sale this new treasure-trove of information.

Have you ever provided your SSN to use a bank or applied for a car loan or mortgage? In all cases you are probably dealing with an entity that would sell your data or atleast share with "affiliates and partners."

Your argument is "well the cat is out of the bag already, so let's make it worse by giving Facebook this sort of data too". We're talking about Facebook here.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#75
post #3

Some "whistleblower" - seems to think big tech doesn't do enough censorship :p Talk about a wolf in sheeps clothing.

Facebook already controls the feed algorithm. Suggesting a change does not imply more or less censorship than what we currently have.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#76
post #53

The comments section looks like a grade 11 class. Not everything is about “controlling” you, not everything is a “fake narrative”, the world isn’t out to censor you, and no, not every form of censorship is bad. Yes censorship is a slippery slope, but so is intellectual laziness.

Sometimes, people run so fast from the 1984 future where a big unfettered government decides their fate that they trip and fall right into the Snow Crash future where big unfettered corporations decide their fate. There's no simple answers here.

I will categorically say that I'll take unfettered corporations over unfettered government every single time. I can quit Facebook. Good luck quitting your government.

These are not remotely equivalent things, and I bristle every time I hear someone suggest it.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#77
post #45

I find it weird for a whistleblower to be so "lib", as the kids say. She said she 'loves' Facebook, and wants to fix it, not harm it. I don't want Facebook fixed and I do want Facebook harmed. I don't want the government to meddle with what types of things people can say online, I want them to ban the business model of stalking people online and selling intimate details of their lives. If the problem is Facebook choo…

>I find it weird for a whistleblower to be so "lib", as the kids say. What do you mean? I don't follow the latest slang, but I would've assumed this would mean "liberal", except I don't see what that would have to do with the rest of what you said.

libertarian, I believe, but if OC answers differently you can ignore this comment.

There's some downvoting that I don't understand here. If the parent comment is referring to modern slang, lib is a ray on the political compass "lib/auth" "righ/left".

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#78
post #31

To me this is a fake story being promoted as a way to further a political narrative. Nothing the whistleblower has revealed is shocking or previously unknown. Yes facebook tweaks an algorithm on your news feed to drive engagement and make money. Yes facebook allows some content that some would consider not to align with mainstream US narratives. My two cents this is an attempt to force facebook to kowtow to the US an…

I totally agree.

If Congress really had a problem with the lack of accountability, then they can repeal the CDA. Presto, now not just Facebook but all tech companies are accountable.

If it were really about the children then why don't they go after TikTok?

For someone who has only had a 4-year long career in technology and no experience in the public eye, Ms. Haugen seems unusually confident.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#79
post #45

I find it weird for a whistleblower to be so "lib", as the kids say. She said she 'loves' Facebook, and wants to fix it, not harm it. I don't want Facebook fixed and I do want Facebook harmed. I don't want the government to meddle with what types of things people can say online, I want them to ban the business model of stalking people online and selling intimate details of their lives. If the problem is Facebook choo…

>I find it weird for a whistleblower to be so "lib", as the kids say. What do you mean? I don't follow the latest slang, but I would've assumed this would mean "liberal", except I don't see what that would have to do with the rest of what you said.

Whistleblowers are anti-authoritarian, which is typically a right wing/conservative position in contemporary politics.

To the people downvoting me here: can you list some figures who have been protesting authoritarianism who are left-coded in contemporary American society?

I'm thinking of wikileaks, edward snowden, glenn greenwald. These people have all been "accused" of being right wingers. The people protesting lockdowns, protesting vaccine passports, and protesting any sort of central planning have been on the right. Free speech has become a right wing position which leftists mock (muh freeze peach), gun rights are right wing.

Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy

#80
post #72
post #53

The comments section looks like a grade 11 class. Not everything is about “controlling” you, not everything is a “fake narrative”, the world isn’t out to censor you, and no, not every form of censorship is bad. Yes censorship is a slippery slope, but so is intellectual laziness.

There is a categorical difference between "the vaccine has microchips in it" and "we have seen a coalescing of forces behind Big Tech, the Press, and Government over the last several years that is rightly frightening". If you cannot recognize that difference, then may I politely suggest that you ponder the idea of "intellectual laziness".

Yes these are big forces, but they’re all pushing in different directions. Either way this is a bit of a straw man.
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