I like to imagine there are a bunch of Facebook Homefeed engineers out there who ran dozens experiments, tuning this-and-that, and found the ones that boosted revenue, and user engagement by X%. No one thought too deeply at _why_ some experiments were successful. Perhaps it was chalked up as "our new ML model is matching users to content they care about more efficiently". Then they shipped it, and everyone celebrated…
Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
301–310 of 719 posts
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#302Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're involved in far-left movements on twitch and elsewhere, the kids definitely do say this and use liberal synonymously with centrist / to the right of the far left
Yep - the leftists started by disparaging neoliberals, but today they just say liberals. Even someone like Elizabeth Warren, who is generally recognized as very progressive, falls under this heading because of her basically positive disposition towards capitalism. And to the inevitable downvoters - go read leftist social media. I'm just stating easily verifiable facts here. I don't have a problem with leftists.
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#303I 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…
Exactly what everyone needs--truth handed down from on high. /s
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#304I 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 don't. I want the beast tamed and turned into a docile pet. I want legislation and oversight committee work (by e.g. the federal government) and forced algorithm transparency move facebook away from the raw AI capitalist bottom line and become a company that protects its users in all languages but does not make ludicrous amounts of money, but a fair amount of money that's easily self sustaining.
That would prove our democracies are still worth something.
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#305Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seemed like that to me, that's why she spit out everything from harming girls self esteem to ethnic cleansing accusations. She's not a "whistleblower", she's a planted pawn. Facebook hosts user content, they should just come out and say they want to censor user content. If this teenager study is so damning and sound, why aren't we asking ALL social media services to disallow children/teens? Why only focus on the c…
Planted pawn for whom? No need to assume conspiracy when simple variety in human opinion will do. I don't personally see any reason to believe she isn't what she seems to be: someone who got a job at Facebook, was deeply horrified by what the company considers perfectly acceptable, and decided to expose it because she expects it will horrify others.
The same people who are now interviewing her only 2 days later!
Almost as if they were ready to go!
Children won't be protected out of this, it's for censorship.
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#306Earlier quoted context omitted.
In what way could this be possibly be “a fake story?” Do you not believe that it happened? Or is she making stuff up? Or do you just mean that people don’t really actually care about the topic? Or because it’s not previously unknown, it’s too late and public interest is supposed to move on to other topics now? The initial bombshell was around instagram’s affect on teen girls mental health, so calling it an attempt to…
OP likely means it's disingenuous- the true intentions are hidden- it's part of a lobbying effort for greater control and consolidation of power.
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#307Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except what you are saying is not really true. Most conservatives want to reduce government power, not extend it. The left, on the other hand, universally wants to extend government reach. I would recommend reading "The Authoritarian Moment" which goes into detail as to how the left are basically winning: https://www.amazon.com/Authoritarian-Moment-Weaponized-Ameri... To quote from the book's introduction: "There are…
In American politics, yes. The problem is that both parties when in power have extended the power of authority and none have reduced it. It's been going on for so long that I can't take any conservative that says they vote right to decrease government seriously. It's just a talking point now. No one is going to reduce the government's powers and it's gotten us in trouble already. It's always justified as "well I need…
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#308Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#309I 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…
There are sizable populations of people that think the Facebook apps record all audio they hear and serve ads based off what you say in front of your phone. That doesn't stop those same people from using those apps.
The primary problem that the general population has with Facebook is how their algorithms manipulate in the name of profit both at an individual level (e.g. making people feel bad about their lives) and at the societal level (e.g. increasing political division or censoring political speech). Those are the topics on which Haugen is whistleblowing.
The reason this is a more effective line of attack against Facebook is because the negative results are inherently obvious. How does Facebook spying on us have a tangible impact on my life? For the most part it doesn't. Who cares how that data impacts what ads they show you? The impact is more philosophical for most people. How does Facebook manipulating us to make us angry and/or sad have an impact on my life? Well, clearly many of us are angry and/or sad now. Everyone can recognize that is bad.
Re: Whistleblower to Congress: Facebook products harm kids and democracy
#310Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is so fake about this story?
When was the last time that a 'whistleblower' was interviewed on prime time TV?