Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#61

Post by elicash » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 3:55 PM UTC

blhack wrote: post #28

Let me give a preview for anybody who can’t tune in: Democrats all say that disinformation is a threat to democracy. Republicans say that freedom of speech is essential to our democracy. Jack and Mark preface every answer with “senator thank you for this question” and don’t answer anything. They both insist that the humans making editorial decisions are somehow impartial. Republicans yell a lot. Somethings they say d…

"Nothing happens" mostly because people disagree about things.

As a result, seems like a good thing that these hearings broadcast different views on these issues so that the public can know how those views differ. Then, after knowing those views, people get to weigh in during election seasons. In this very recent election, of course, the public weighed in and likely delivered divided government, so we can expect some changes but nothing transformative.

I don't think show hearings are necessarily bad. They can serve a valuable purpose, so long as they aren't the only thing being done.

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#62

Post by SpicyLemonZest » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 3:56 PM UTC

esja wrote: post #50

komali2 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Josh Hawley often promotes the meme that Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube censor conservatives and conservative politicians. I have an extremely difficult time taking people like him seriously in a world where Facebook refuses to ban Steve Bannon when he calls for Dr. Fauci to be beheaded, yet twitter does so without issue. But then again, Twitter refuses to address covid-19 misinformation, and allows politicia…

Bannon didn't literally call for Fauci to be beheaded. He was using a fairly old-fashioned figure of speech to call for Fauci to be fired and for an example to be made of him. If that sort of comment warrants a ban, half the sports fans on Earth will lose their Facebook accounts.

The quote in full context (https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-bannon-banned-twitter-...) was:

--------

"I'd actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England, I'd put the heads on pikes, right, I'd put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program or you're gone — time to stop playing games. Blow it all up, put [Trump aide] Ric Grenell today as the interim head of the FBI, that'll light them up, right."

Jack Maxey, the podcast's co-host, responded: "Just yesterday there was the anniversary of the hanging of two Tories in Philadelphia. These were Quaker businessmen who had cohabitated, if you will, with the British while they were occupying Philadelphia. These people were hung. This is what we used to do to traitors."

To this Bannon replied: "That's how you won the revolution. No one wants to talk about it. The revolution wasn't some sort of garden party, right? It was a civil war. It was a civil war."

--------

I think it's pretty fair to characterize this as "literal". It's hard to read this (or listen to it, it was originally in audio form) and not think they're legitimately mulling over the possibility of executions.

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#63

Post by dx87 » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 3:57 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #29

jsrjenkins wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if it is something to do with this information: https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1328461277971288067?s=20 Josh Hawley is a US Senator for Missouri.

Josh Hawley often promotes the meme that Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube censor conservatives and conservative politicians. I have an extremely difficult time taking people like him seriously in a world where Facebook refuses to ban Steve Bannon when he calls for Dr. Fauci to be beheaded, yet twitter does so without issue. But then again, Twitter refuses to address covid-19 misinformation, and allows politicia…

Saying that he called for beheading is deliberately misunderstanding what he said. "Put their heads on pikes", "heads will roll", etc., are hyerpbolic phrases, and shouldn't be taken literally. It'd be like saying that someone should get kicked out of office is threatening to physical harm, or that saying someone should be fired means their belongings should be thrown out of the office and set on fire.

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#64

Post by pnut » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 3:57 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #41

blhack wrote: post #28

Let me give a preview for anybody who can’t tune in: Democrats all say that disinformation is a threat to democracy. Republicans say that freedom of speech is essential to our democracy. Jack and Mark preface every answer with “senator thank you for this question” and don’t answer anything. They both insist that the humans making editorial decisions are somehow impartial. Republicans yell a lot. Somethings they say d…

If you were to write three questions for someone on that panel, what would they be and why?

Obviously they would be 3 good faith questions that must be answered only with the word "yes" or "no", with any other response resulting in being immediately charged with Contempt of Congress.

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#65

Post by mxskelly » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 3:58 PM UTC

dustingetz wrote: post #53

blhack wrote: post #28

Let me give a preview for anybody who can’t tune in: Democrats all say that disinformation is a threat to democracy. Republicans say that freedom of speech is essential to our democracy. Jack and Mark preface every answer with “senator thank you for this question” and don’t answer anything. They both insist that the humans making editorial decisions are somehow impartial. Republicans yell a lot. Somethings they say d…

Maybe these two men actually aren't trying to become more wealthy. Perhaps they are trapped by promises and partnerships made in the past, where they consensually entered an unbreakable alliance.

Is this a joke? Please tell me you're joking.

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#66

Post by darrenoc » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 3:58 PM UTC

3np wrote: post #12

greesil wrote: post #2

I'm curious what other people think the informational value of these hearings are. It seems like it is either posturing and grandstanding, or reasonable questions to which evasive or non-answers are given. Edit: Oh no it's Lindsey Graham, so probably more grandstanding. Edit 2: Editorializing here, they're threatening to take away section 230 safe harbor protections as a punishment for "censoring" right wing content…

Graham makes no sense... Just from the one minute I watched: "We must incentivize social media platforms to come up with standards that are transparent and opaque"

Oh dear, there's no way anyone can be that stupid is there?

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#67

Post by crusso » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 4:00 PM UTC

j4yav wrote: post #56

blhack wrote: post #28

Let me give a preview for anybody who can’t tune in: Democrats all say that disinformation is a threat to democracy. Republicans say that freedom of speech is essential to our democracy. Jack and Mark preface every answer with “senator thank you for this question” and don’t answer anything. They both insist that the humans making editorial decisions are somehow impartial. Republicans yell a lot. Somethings they say d…

I haven't been following closely, but isn't this the opposite positions of four years ago?

The Left and the Right used to agree that freedom of speech was fairly sacrosanct.

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#68

Post by cycrutchfield » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 4:01 PM UTC

nailer wrote: post #57

The fascinating thing with Twitter is their 'corrections' to Trump's tweets say 'official sources' dispute them. Clicking on the corrections gives a pointer to AP and NBC. Technically they're incorrect. AP and NBC are by no means official sources for the results of US elections. The Electoral College is the official source for the results of US elections. In this way, Twitter itself spreads disinformation - and somew…

This doesn't even make sense. The electoral college doesn't meet until January. The AP and NBC sources collate the results of the elections from each individual state, which comes directly from the Secretary of State websites for each state. What in there is disinformation?

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#69

Post by blhack » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 4:01 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #41

blhack wrote: post #28

Let me give a preview for anybody who can’t tune in: Democrats all say that disinformation is a threat to democracy. Republicans say that freedom of speech is essential to our democracy. Jack and Mark preface every answer with “senator thank you for this question” and don’t answer anything. They both insist that the humans making editorial decisions are somehow impartial. Republicans yell a lot. Somethings they say d…

If you were to write three questions for someone on that panel, what would they be and why?

1) We require food manufacturers to list on the side of their products the ingredients, as well as the nutrition facts so people can make an informed decision about what they are putting in their body.

There is a growing pressure to require your companies to do something similar, and publish the algorithms and metrics you use to keep people on your services longer.

Would you support this movement?

2) Do you believe your products are addictive (this was already asked. I hope it gets asked more.)

3) What does it mean to you for something to be true? Could you give an example of something that you find to be uncontroversially true?

Re: Watch live: Zuckerberg, Dorsey testify before Senate [video]

#70

Post by eej71 » Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 4:03 PM UTC

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #42

greesil wrote: post #2

I'm curious what other people think the informational value of these hearings are. It seems like it is either posturing and grandstanding, or reasonable questions to which evasive or non-answers are given. Edit: Oh no it's Lindsey Graham, so probably more grandstanding. Edit 2: Editorializing here, they're threatening to take away section 230 safe harbor protections as a punishment for "censoring" right wing content…

> I'm curious what other people think the informational value of these hearings are. I want to hear from conservatives why they think most of (if not all) of big tech is "in the pockets of the Democrats". Why do all of these software engineers/IT field workers typically end up as left-leaning? Is it a matter of education/intelligence? Empathy? I feel like the split has to be at least 85% Democrat / 15% Republican in…

In my personal experience my left leaning friends appear to feel very comfortable "letting it all hang out" on social media. It's very clear what their political opinions are. Those who aren't quite in sync with these view points play their cards closer to the chest. So I bet the %s you have aren't quite correct.

I do think the prevailing educational system K-12 and the universities have a strong tilt to the left - generally ahead of the country. I also suspect most people simply inherit these default settings as their view points.