This is another reason to only use E2EE FOSS messengers, ever.
You also should be able to host your own server instance and be able to communicate with others on the network (XMPP, Matrix, ...).
FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
191–200 of 488 posts
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hacker News does it. Reddit does it sitewide. Individual moderators do it sitewide. Shadowbanning is an essential tool for moderation, for dealing with trolls, spammers, abusive people. You can argue the tool is being used too widely by Facebook, but it is silly to pontificate against the practice as a whole. You reaaaaallly would not like the uncensored internet.
No, I actually really would. I grew up with the uncensored internet and it was, on the whole, less abusive and manipulative than today's internet culture.
It was a tiny, tiny elite who were online compared to today.
As late as 2003, 90% of the world was not on the internet.
Internet culture represents the average person now whereas it didn't at all up through the first Internet bubble and bust.
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#193Not surprising. If you were a bit imaginative in the old days, and put your power hungry psychopath hat on (which is a fair description of those in power), you could imagine the ways technology could be used to silently produce net effects and results without anyone really knowing to avoid any protest.
Here’s another one: Google can use your aggregate data along with other sources to determine whether you seem like someone favorable to the regime or not. If not, the probability distribution shifts in a way that directs you toward certain jobs and so forth that keep you from what the refine doesn’t want you near. It’s like a BigTech version of providence, except unlike divine providence, they don’t care about you.
Or if they don’t like you, reveal unflattering information about you to people you know in ways that look like search results.
Lots of possibilities. People are also too complaisant to protest things like these even when it’s made public.
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
You just defined shadow banning.
It is censorship. Calling it shadow banning doesn't make it okay. Bigger and bigger groups of citizens are revolting over censorship: Bill Maher and tons of Americans. This builds a revolt against Facebook
There is no mass revolt going on against Facebook. Get real.
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
>What do the engineers who code stuff like this think? "Another day, another dollar"
Trust me. The way activism is going, they would do it even with no money offered.
Indeed, both the "woke" and the "alt right" are united in their love of repressing what other people have to say. You are correct!
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#196This is a form of shadow banning and it’s more common than you think. As a matter of fact, HN and Reddit do this too. If HN/Reddit think that you are posting promotions, *HN silently censors your post, claims it was posted*
We call that a dark pattern.
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#197This has been happening for years. Just try sending a message containing the string `joebiden.info` and see what happens. We’re way past the rubicon. Get your information as best you can and just hope you’re somewhat aligned with the mainstream.
They stopped blocking it shortly after the new year. I've been checking that link every couple months or so.
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is censorship. Calling it shadow banning doesn't make it okay. Bigger and bigger groups of citizens are revolting over censorship: Bill Maher and tons of Americans. This builds a revolt against Facebook
Right or not, I think charitably, the person you are responding to is pointing out that this is not a new thing in social media sites. It's a decades old technique at this point.
Shadow banning isn’t really something used in private messages, no?
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#199Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sort of. It's like shadowbanning/hellbanning. It solves a lot of problems for moderators and prevents angry people from escalating the situation into actually being banned. I've used it before as a moderator. For the above reasons, but mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to deal with angry people. Still censorship though. I think that ideally censorship ought to be communicated.
>because I'm lazy Yeah, you described it well. Start by understanding, Mr Moderator, there is a hell of a lot of difference between public posts and private messages.
I've moderated a forum before. Some people on the Internet are just crazy. If you ban them, they will come after you—maybe even in person. Shadowbanning on forums (setting aside the FB case) is sometimes abused, but it serves a vital purpose: preserving the time and safety of volunteer moderators.
Re: FB messenger silently censoring links, claims they were sent
#200It's one thing to censor, but it's another to intentionally deceive your users into believing that they sent something.
> It's one thing to censor !!! Are we nonchalantly accepting its OK to censor and moving on to the argument about deceiving users? Edit: should add more context to this. I don't think we should be casually OK with censorship. Next thing you know, FB will silently(or not) start censoring political opponents, activists they don't like, etc. I am quite unsettled by how the west is doing the same as China. Censorship is…
It will happen in the US. BigTech is a reaction to the internet. The ruling oligarchy lost control of the narrative. They need to control information flow again.