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YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

washingtonpost.com

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Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#681

Post by xanaxagoras »

ookblah wrote: post #50

Someone want to throw out there a better way to combat disinformation than just armchair criticizing their decision? I almost feel like people are siding with the anti-vaxxers out of "principle". Just a no win situation. It's too easy for bad characters to screw up an entire system with little effort (look at trolls, spammers, etc). Either you moderate everyone and slippery slope down into censorship where the tools…

> I almost feel like people are siding with the anti-vaxxers out of "principle".

I know I am. As someone with 2 shots that sympathizes quite a lot with the people who are commonly and ridiculously maligned as "anti-vaxxers", as though their position is even remotely similar to the people that term accurately described pre-2020, this will make my people dig their heels in even more. Good.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant, remember? Democracy dies in darkness, remember? The left has morphed into a censorious dictatorship that castigates anyone who doesn't think specific thoughts and punishes wrongthink by making pariahs out of those who wronglythink it. This is just a prominent example of the same authoritarian movement expressed through the burgeoning hegemony of big tech. Shit like this doesn't convince anyone, we'll just leave you to fester in your echo chamber, oblivious as you are to the fact that we'll be festering in our own.

Speaking of which, this announcement doesn't bother me at all. Youtube is over, it's just corporate sponsored tepid garbage at this point. It's not interesting anymore because creators aren't permitted to speak freely - not just w/r/t COVID. We are already moving to platforms where free expression is allowed and supported, and I hope Google does even more to hasten the exodus.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#682

Post by YossarianFrPrez »

yawaworht1978 wrote: post #650

With the traffic and gravity that YouTube etc have, they're almost as powerful news broadcasting tools as the classic news media. True, they're a private company and liable for some things, but they all try to squeeze out every last cent before a government intervention. Banning content like crypto, anti vax, gambling etc is understandable, but all the people without a voice will think they are silenced because they…

So the second-order effects of YouTube banning content, as you point out, are interesting and hard to predict. The question is should fear of second order effects prevent YouTube from taking action towards a desired first order effect?

For some context, prior to Youtube changing the algorithm, flat earth videos basically created the modern flat earth movement [1]. It's likely that this effect can go the other way, too.

I like to think that people are less drawn to conspiracy theories etc. when they are socially well-connected. The trouble about the pandemic is that there is a negative feedback loop: we have these socially isolating restrictions because there is a deadly virus, and one reason the virus remains unchecked is, in part because a subset of socially isolated people are drawn to misinformation.

[1] See the documentary In Search of A Flat Earth for more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfhYyTuT44

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#683

Post by natchy »

yawaworht1978 wrote: post #650

With the traffic and gravity that YouTube etc have, they're almost as powerful news broadcasting tools as the classic news media. True, they're a private company and liable for some things, but they all try to squeeze out every last cent before a government intervention. Banning content like crypto, anti vax, gambling etc is understandable, but all the people without a voice will think they are silenced because they…

> rationalist and never believe conspiracy theories

That’s irrational to NEVER believe them. How do you know what is or isn’t a conspiracy theory? Whether it was fact checked by our overlords?

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#686

Post by cromulent »

Alex3917 wrote: post #666
ohdannyboy wrote: post #290

I was hesitant for a while and the massive censorship was part of it. I got vaccinated in May and have convinced others to get the shot since the side effects, while existent, appear to be minor compared to the reduction in harmful symptoms. Talking to my doctor is what did it for me. He cleared up most of my concerns and pressed me that my remaining concerns were too nebulous to be useful. If he just said "shut up a…

I also find the censorship to be deeply disturbing, but for me that's counterbalanced by the fact that the arguments against vaccination are so dumb. The best argument is basically, "It's not researched enough and it might kill you." But so what, doing things that might kill you on the basis of limited data is like a basic part of being an adult.

Yeah, over 2 billion people have been vaccinated against C19. It's a pretty good sample size. Probably less people have tattoos.

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#687

Post by weaksauce »

SergeAx wrote: post #577
ookblah wrote: post #50

Someone want to throw out there a better way to combat disinformation than just armchair criticizing their decision? I almost feel like people are siding with the anti-vaxxers out of "principle". Just a no win situation. It's too easy for bad characters to screw up an entire system with little effort (look at trolls, spammers, etc). Either you moderate everyone and slippery slope down into censorship where the tools…

A simple question: do you beleive that suppressing freedom of speech will seriously inclrease a number of vaccinated? I beleive that the best outcome is it will stay around the same. Some sensitive people will calm down and eventually vaccinate, others will become stronger anti-vaxxers, because "if it is forbidden by authorities, it should be somehow true".

> do you beleive[sic] that suppressing freedom of speech

wildly wrong take on what the first amendment means....

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#688

Post by swivelmaster »

ohdannyboy wrote: post #290

I was hesitant for a while and the massive censorship was part of it. I got vaccinated in May and have convinced others to get the shot since the side effects, while existent, appear to be minor compared to the reduction in harmful symptoms. Talking to my doctor is what did it for me. He cleared up most of my concerns and pressed me that my remaining concerns were too nebulous to be useful. If he just said "shut up a…

What kind of medical professionals?

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#689

Post by exporectomy »

uhtred wrote: post #552
mariodiana wrote: post #65

I think we have to ask if this won't have a chilling effect on open discussion by moderate voices. I'm subscribed to the channel of an M.D. on YouTube who discusses COVID-19, vaccines, etc. He is very careful to (repeatedly) point out that he is vaccinated, he has personally vaccinated hundreds of patients, he encourages everyone to speak to their doctor and follow their recommendations, believing that the vaccine is…

youtube is a private company, they can ban you for whatever reason they want, presumably. Youtube, google, facebook, they aren't public services.

Of course they can, because they do. What are you really trying to say? Is it that you believe no other moral authority should exist besides the law?

Re: YouTube is banning anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

#690

Post by jjtgbbjui »

ookblah wrote: post #50

Someone want to throw out there a better way to combat disinformation than just armchair criticizing their decision? I almost feel like people are siding with the anti-vaxxers out of "principle". Just a no win situation. It's too easy for bad characters to screw up an entire system with little effort (look at trolls, spammers, etc). Either you moderate everyone and slippery slope down into censorship where the tools…

Provide a better education for the poor. I don’t mean education about a particular subject; better education in general.

In almost all conspiracy theories, one side has a lot of facts, the other has a lot of “feelings”. If you try having a conversation with someone who believes in some conspiracy you’ll eventually get to “I just don’t feel…”

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