Live data from Hacker News

Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

reuters.com

11–20 of 265 posts

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#11
post #9

I don't trust Facebook or Twitter to distinguish disinformation from information. Why would anyone?

They can’t and they shouldn’t. The potential good that could come from this does not outweigh the catastrophic failure modes of this approach. Some enlightened people understood this, hundreds of years ago.

Its time for another amendment.

EDIT since this is related, another horrendous idea that recently disgraced my timeline

https://twitter.com/yelp/status/1314197509623947265?s=21

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#13
post #10

Twitter still doesn’t have a way to report misinformation. I’ve been seeing an almost 100% success rate in accounts s report having actions taken.

Who says it's actually misinformation? The media? The localy bribed politician owning the media?

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#14
post #9

I don't trust Facebook or Twitter to distinguish disinformation from information. Why would anyone?

Because Mark Zuckerberg created a lot of wealth so he has proven himself to be trustworthy and he has a lot at stake. On the other hand, run-of-the-mill elected officials don't have as much money so they are not trustworthy since they don't have much to lose if things go bad.

Why would Mark Zuckerberg want to harm a country that his business depends on? Why would someone destroy their own house? It makes no sense. On the other hand, politicians have plenty of incentives to harm the country; since they can just sell out to foreign powers in order to gain favors and make a quick buck after they leave office.

Politicians cannot be trusted because they have nothing to lose from making things worse. Corporations on the other hand can be trusted because they have a lot to lose if the country goes down the drain.

In times like these, it's important that we all come together and support our corporations in order to protect our democracy.

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#15
post #9

I don't trust Facebook or Twitter to distinguish disinformation from information. Why would anyone?

They can’t and they shouldn’t. The potential good that could come from this does not outweigh the catastrophic failure modes of this approach. Some enlightened people understood this, hundreds of years ago. Its time for another amendment. EDIT since this is related, another horrendous idea that recently disgraced my timeline https://twitter.com/yelp/status/1314197509623947265?s=21

Those enlightened people never conceived of a world where a lie could be spread to millions of people by anyone at the click of a button or spewed in volume by bots posing as people.

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#16
post #9

I don't trust Facebook or Twitter to distinguish disinformation from information. Why would anyone?

They can’t and they shouldn’t. The potential good that could come from this does not outweigh the catastrophic failure modes of this approach. Some enlightened people understood this, hundreds of years ago. Its time for another amendment. EDIT since this is related, another horrendous idea that recently disgraced my timeline https://twitter.com/yelp/status/1314197509623947265?s=21

Understandable. How do you propose we deal with the current wave of propaganda and misinformation that these platforms enable, especially since they’re already having a very real effect on politics all over the world?

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#17
post #9

I don't trust Facebook or Twitter to distinguish disinformation from information. Why would anyone?

They can’t and they shouldn’t. The potential good that could come from this does not outweigh the catastrophic failure modes of this approach. Some enlightened people understood this, hundreds of years ago. Its time for another amendment. EDIT since this is related, another horrendous idea that recently disgraced my timeline https://twitter.com/yelp/status/1314197509623947265?s=21

Thomas Jefferson wrote the living should not be ruled by the dead, and that the Constitution should expire after 19 years.

James Madison wrote the Senate should protect the moneyed from democracy, and the Constitution was forever.

If you’re going to point at their ideas, don’t cherry pick nebulous middle ground cartoon versions of their actual positions. Don’t lump them all together as believing in the same values.

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#18
Twitter has shown they have an extreme political bias over and over. It is insane to trust them to identify and censor "misinformation". This is just another censorship campaign hiding behind the current flavor of "think of the children".

I'd rather have these raving lunatics (and to be clear, many of these propagandists are exactly that) spouting nonsense than trust Twitter to curate the truth.

Re: Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks

#20
post #9

I don't trust Facebook or Twitter to distinguish disinformation from information. Why would anyone?

They can’t and they shouldn’t. The potential good that could come from this does not outweigh the catastrophic failure modes of this approach. Some enlightened people understood this, hundreds of years ago. Its time for another amendment. EDIT since this is related, another horrendous idea that recently disgraced my timeline https://twitter.com/yelp/status/1314197509623947265?s=21

What do you propose to combat disinformation campaigns?

Look at what’s happening. The end results of allowing anything to happen on social media are not good. We’re not in a good place. So we can ignore that for rigid principles, or admit that those principles don’t stand up to the real world.

No, no one hundreds of years ago had any idea about the scale or effect of social networks. Yes there was propaganda and brainwashing, but the speed and adaptability and design of these systems is so different as to be categorically unrecognizable.

So. What do you propose?

Post reply on HN