Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

medium.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 181 posts

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#81

Post by xalava »

jpadkins wrote: post #55

> Google did not pro-actively vet the truth of Israeli government claims It is really scary that people are pushing for Google and Meta to be the arbiter of truth. I don't think people realize what they are asking for. Western civilizations have a tradition of liberal free speech, and allowing the courts to sort out the specifics of what speech causes harm to what parties (libel, etc). There are already laws on the b…

Your idea is that the U.S. government lawfully prosecutes foreign governments, including hostile ones?

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#82

Post by snapcaster »

jpadkins wrote: post #57
_Algernon_ wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stealing a physical thing = the previous owner can't use it. Copying a thing or accessing a platform = the previous owner can still use or sell it. Even if you consider it unethical access, the comparison to stealing really misses the mark.

ok, call it theft of services. You used the service but blocked how the creator makes money on the service. Is it really different from someone who runs out of a barber or restaurant?

yes, the barber doesn't wield enormous power over society duh

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#83

Post by snapcaster »

philipallstar wrote: post #44
ehnto wrote: post #39

It is a disservice to yourself and family to not block ads. You shouldn't let these companies have a conduit into your life. I don't think it's amorale to use the service for which you are blocking the ads for either. If they don't like it, they can try a new business model. They don't protect you, why should you protect them.

[flagged]

Okay, continue to let your mind get polluted out of some bizarre sense of moral duty to a faceless corporation

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#84

Post by philipallstar »

snapcaster wrote: post #80
philipallstar wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the comparison to stealing really misses the mark I know this always triggers a hard-coded response based on regex, but the comparison doesn't rely on the specifics of stealing, so it's not a valid criticism. The logic is: people offer things in exchange for a price. You can take the things in exchange for the price, or you can leave the things. You shouldn't take the things without paying the price.

Why? I truly believe I have no moral obligation to any of these entities and I see them as amoral organizations _at best_ who can't possibly reciprocate

Can you tell me the moral difference between that and saying that you don't believe you have a moral obligation to Porsche dealerships?

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#85

Post by layer8 »

dizlexic wrote: post #60
RandomBacon wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like you're saying that you believe money is more important than morals. You're not alone, and that is a problem.

I believe an individual is responsible for their own opinions. I also believe that people should spread their own opinions however they can. Personally, I think my outlook is much more moral than someone who wants to silence others. Objective truth is very rare, but differences of opinion are everywhere.

Propaganda isn’t the same as mere opinions, however. It is often deliberate lies and misrepresentations designed to deceive, lies that those who disseminate them don’t actually believe themselves.

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#86

Post by fragilerock »

jpadkins wrote: post #57
_Algernon_ wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stealing a physical thing = the previous owner can't use it. Copying a thing or accessing a platform = the previous owner can still use or sell it. Even if you consider it unethical access, the comparison to stealing really misses the mark.

ok, call it theft of services. You used the service but blocked how the creator makes money on the service. Is it really different from someone who runs out of a barber or restaurant?

the restaurant spends resources (both physical and human) cooking and serving you the meal, likewise for the barber. a better example would be showing up late for a cinema showing so that you deliberately avoid watching the adverts and trailers... which i would guess most people would agree is morally fine?

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#87

Post by toast0 »

adrr wrote: post #67
jpadkins wrote: post #55

> Google did not pro-actively vet the truth of Israeli government claims It is really scary that people are pushing for Google and Meta to be the arbiter of truth. I don't think people realize what they are asking for. Western civilizations have a tradition of liberal free speech, and allowing the courts to sort out the specifics of what speech causes harm to what parties (libel, etc). There are already laws on the b…

Just repeal section 230 and we can make the court systems the arbiter of truth. Meta/Google don't care about what ads they run because they have no incentive to stop misinformation in fact they make money off of it.

If someone is putting up illegal ads, shouldn't you file suit against the advertiser?

Advertising is a commercial activity, so it should be reasonable to follow the money and find the advertiser. If necessary, add more requirements for advertisers to be identified/indetifiable so that suits can be served.

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#89

Post by [deleted] »

everdrive wrote: post #14
NickC25 wrote: post #9

It's very sad, and very telling that our biggest corporations have become suckups to the reactionary side of the right wing and continue to carry the water for the most degenerate and attention-seeking members of said right wing. None of these nutcases offer true help to society (note: neither do the extreme leftists, just so we're clear that I'm not team red or team blue), and it does no good that our corporations a…

The extreme flip-flopping of the major tech companies provides a few small possibilities that don't paint a good picture no matter how you look at it: - They never believed in progressive causes, and were just siding with what they believed was the social majority. (and so when they perceive the social majority has changed, they immediately follow and would follow _any_ social majority.) - They don't agree with the c…

[deleted]

Re: Weaponizing Ads: How Google and Facebook Ads Are Used to Wage Propaganda Wars

#90

Post by normalaccess »

loudmax wrote: post #17
normalaccess wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always assume it's both sides (no matter the topic) to some degree.

Yes, but not to the same degree. The disagreement is on which side is worse.

They take turns.
Post reply on HN