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Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

arstechnica.com

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Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#21

Post by striking »

uwagar wrote: post #16

so top male speakers are attracted by fake female speakers. what does that say about them top male speakers?

... That they prefer to speak in spaces that make an effort to be diverse, in solidarity with those from underrepresented groups?

Why take the least charitable view?

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#22

Post by veeti »

wruza wrote: post #5

So they got what they wanted. A store is inclusive because everyone can enter it. A conference is inclusive only if you drag every type of person in by force, faking it if it didn’t work out. “Otherwise it’s not inclusive and I’m not participating”. Isn’t that pure nonsense.

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20795709

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#23

Post by paulgb »

phpisthebest wrote: post #6

>> IP logs from a forum for programmers obtained by 404 Media I am more interested in what forums is turning over their IP logs to the media, what the privacy policy was for that forum, and if other members of that forum know this is happening

If you create sockpuppets on a forum for the purpose of fraudulently establishing a fake identity to sell conference tickets, I don’t think you have an expectation of privacy with respect to server logs that establish that.

Same as if you rob a bodega, you don’t expect privacy rights over the CCTV footage.

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#24

Post by dash2 »

olalonde wrote: post #20

Faking speakers is pretty shitty but at the same time, it is disheartening to acknowledge that in 2023, there are still people who care about the gender or race of speakers.

I ran a workshop a few years back, and some female speakers wrote to me (collectively) to ask that I include more women, along with suggested names. Given that in academia there is already probably pro-female bias in hiring, I think this was bad, and in retrospect I should not have accepted it.

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#26

Post by sandworm101 »

Few know how hard it is to organize these things. Getting speakers lined up isn't easy, especially those with any reputation. They hum an haw, provarikating until the last minute. At the same time you have to put money down on venues. It is always desperate until the last minute. So it is no surprise that, faced with pullouts, organizers did something stupid.

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#27

Post by throwaway74354 »

varjag wrote: post #2

The russian guy comes up with russian names for his sockpuppet chick accounts. Is that to explain away the grammar?

It's not exactly correct to call every ex-Eastern Block actor russian by default. The guy's name spelling is Latvian and one of the speakers' surname is Ukrainian.

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#28

Post by that_guy_iain »

I understand why people want to talk at conference that have a diverse array of speakers. However, the fact there is an extreme shortage of a specific gender shouldn't really fall on conference organisers. One conference that was blasted for only having one or two women speakers was organised by a women who pointed out that every women who applied got to speak. It's got to the point from what I've noticed from conference organisers talking on Twitter/X in the past the only way they can get women speakers in a decent amount is for them to approach women who don't give talks and invite them to talk. That is a bit worrying since anyone who has given a talk will know, your first time is completely terrible. So conference organisers are sometimes putting on a lower quality conference to tick boxes.

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#29

Post by guessmyname »

My suggestion to enhance diversity among conference presenters: each top presenter could bring a “plus one” from an underrepresented group to co-present. Alternatively, they could opt to forfeit their spot and locate someone in their professional network who can represent both a minority group and, if possible, deliver the original presentation.

Re: Backlash over fake female speakers shuts down developer conference

#30

Post by striking »

sandworm101 wrote: post #26

Few know how hard it is to organize these things. Getting speakers lined up isn't easy, especially those with any reputation. They hum an haw, provarikating until the last minute. At the same time you have to put money down on venues. It is always desperate until the last minute. So it is no surprise that, faced with pullouts, organizers did something stupid.

From the article, just in case you're really taking the organizer's story at face value:

> Orosz alleged that DevTernity's addition of Boyko to the lineup was "not a one-off." He posted what he said is evidence from past years of more fake speakers that were advertised at both DevTernity and other events organized by Sizovs, and 404 Media also claims that a hugely popular female tech influencer Instagram account called Coding Unicorn may have been secretly managed by Sizovs.

Do you really think his story holds up if he's been running a catfishing account for five years?

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