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Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

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Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#51
post #34
post #12

It is 2021, we should have decentralised authenticated version of text board by now. All the bs about crypto disruption, but nothing for such simple case.

Unmoderated social media (which I'm guessing is your goal with decentralization) tends to accumulate people who have been kicked off all moderated social media - see stuff like Parler, Ruqqus, etc. I don't think removing all ability for moderation is a good idea, more of a balance is necessary.

Yes, uncensored social media will tend to accumulate people who have been censored, that's the point.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banning certain tweets related to the Hunter Biden scandal.

Did the Hunter Biden story ever have any legs? As far as I can tell: 1. A grown man, who was not running for president, was doing drugs. 2. He was hired by company to try and gain favor with the White House, which backfired when the White House decided to act against their interest anyways (in other words the guy running for vice president didn't give the company a sweetheart deal because his son was on the board). W…

I think the original story was pretty unimportant. But the suppression of the story demonstrated that twitter was willing to manipulate the narrative against the truth, which is consistent with what the right had been saying.

I wouldn't go so far as to say they Streisand effected it into public consciousness. Politics is a bullshit fight. Nonstories get media attention all the time, pushed by status quo narrative manipulators that everyone is okay with. But they turned a nonstory into a story here by covering it up (perhaps with good intent). I think that is what the parent is talking about.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#53
Western mainstream media loves it when Twitter censors conservatives, even the president of the USA.

But Western mainstream media doesn't like it when a third world govt tries to suppress fake narratives that could lead to unmanageable civic chaos.

Double standards I suppose.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#55
I think there is far bigger issue than censorship here.

Significant portion of Indians already think there is big conspiracy behind Covid19 and everyone (Media, Governments, Healthcare professions, Big businesses, Pharma) is it to "$Insert your conspiracy here".

Now they see tweets being deleted just for being critical on government handling of issue. Doesn't that add fuel to conspiracy theories?

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#56
It is not the governments duty to maintain an image, citizens or foreign parties are always free to criticise or praise any government. If the government feels something is factually wrong then it can present statements from its press agency but not suppress criticism. This is the difference between an authoritative regime & a democracy.

Whenever we are done with dealing with the pandemic who ever is responsible for giving these orders needs to be trialed.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#57

Situation in India is far grim than Official no. portray. Many district report only <5 Covid deaths adding to the normal death rate of 50-100. But, when you go to cremation grounds they are overflowing, platforms to burn the dead a full and bodies are being burned at sides, footpath.

Unfortunately, it is hard to get those numbers correctly. COVID patients die because of multiple organ failure and unless the deceased was already tested and verified for it, you can't attribute the death to COVID officially. A lot of people pass away without showing visible symptoms or without realizing they need immediate medical attention for COVID.

It would be good to have that attribution and that will require testing the deceased, but given the load on the system, everybody can extrapolate the scale and act accordingly.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#58
post #2

Note that these tweets are only hidden for anyone in India (not removed from Twitter) since these do not violate Twitter’s terms but are being forced off the platform by a government order. I wish Twitter would put up a better fight on this, but Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook have been on the receiving end of criticism and threats by the central government, and it looks like Twitter chooses its battles to ensure its…

> I wish Twitter would put up a better fight on this

India banned TikTok last year after the app was determined to be "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". Twitter doesn't want to be next.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#59
post #43
post #12

It is 2021, we should have decentralised authenticated version of text board by now. All the bs about crypto disruption, but nothing for such simple case.

I just read a thread on Twitter where the user complains about the English translation of an anime, and 6 tweets later is saying they don't care about the opinion of "blacks / LGBT" and literally defending Nazis. Can't say the argument for less moderation is appealing to me.

This network would actually bring MORE moderation. People could subscribe to moderation filters similar way as in adblock. Antinazi, antiantifa, antilgbtq, anti-jehowa-witness... No extremism, just nice business and technical discussion. If some filter curator fails, you just replace its filter with another one.

Re: Twitter is blocking tweets that criticize the Indian government

#60
post #2

Note that these tweets are only hidden for anyone in India (not removed from Twitter) since these do not violate Twitter’s terms but are being forced off the platform by a government order. I wish Twitter would put up a better fight on this, but Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook have been on the receiving end of criticism and threats by the central government, and it looks like Twitter chooses its battles to ensure its…

All this is built on the terrible assumption that Social Media is critical to solving complex problems of society.

All they do is dump waste amounts of shit on the plates of decision makers and then crucify them for problems no one can solve or have capacities to solve only badly.

People think this is a great way to take out buffons like Modi or Trump. But the truth is such systems will take out anyone propped up especially dealing with complex problems.

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