Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content • Hacker News Board

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#71

Post by dwild » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:32 PM UTC

sschueller wrote: post #60

nilkn wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it’s worth, my understanding is they were actually trying to fix the situation but users conceptualize being “verified” as a sign of status and so got upset. A lot of YouTubers are currently “verified” for whom there is no risk of mistaking them for a clone account. The only real point is for YouTube to verify the channels of actual celebrities who will get lots of copycats and are known off the platform.

But if your ID has been "verified", why would you all of a sudden no longer be verified unless the verification was fraudulent? To verify yourself on instagram etc. you need to submit identification etc. . Once you have done that there should be no reason to take that away from you if valid. You are still you unless maybe you get married and your name changes which could require a re-verification and if the policy wa…

> But if your ID has been "verified", why would you all of a sudden no longer be verified unless the verification was fraudulent?

From what I understands, the previous verification was merely reaching 100k, nothing more. I wouldn't call that fraudulent, but considering many people may expect it to means that their identity was actually verified by Youtube (and not that they simply reached a milestone in subscription), I wouldn't call that being verified.

> To verify yourself on instagram etc. you need to submit identification etc. . Once you have done that there should be no reason to take that away from you if valid.

I agree, but we aren't talking about Instagram now, but Youtube.

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#72

Post by LurkersWillLurk » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:32 PM UTC

danShumway wrote: post #59

> Links asking someone to add you on another service aren’t supported on Instagram That's some weasel-wording right there. "Not supported" makes it sound like this is a feature they'd need to code that they haven't gotten around to yet. It's not -- they needed to take the time to explicitly block something that would otherwise work by default. Phrasing it as "Links asking someone to add you on another service are not…

It's also using passive voice.

Consider: "We will terminate your verified status for adding links to one of our competitor's sites."

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#73

Post by HiroshiSan » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:32 PM UTC

This somewhat related but Instagram has started doing some shady shit, for starters if you browse without an account they now cover the page with a sign up splash.

The one that really grinds my gears is that I made an Instagram to follow some artists I really enjoyed browsing, and for whatever reason their algorithm flagged me, and so they deactivated my account. In order to reactivate my account they requested a picture of myself holding a paper with the ID code provided in the email (which I refused to do). When I tried asking why I was deactivated I was simply given a canned respond requesting that I give them a picture of myself with the code proving that I am indeed a real human being.

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#74

Post by apostacy » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:33 PM UTC

mc32 wrote: post #7

This “verified” nonsense is silly. Twitter knew who Assange was but refused to “verify” him. They should change what they call verified to another label like “goodie two-shoes” instead. As it is is a complete misnomer. It’s basically used to get users to behave a certain way and if they don’t conform they don’t get verified or if they are verified it gets revoked.

All this nonsense started with online agitators from Breitbart. Instead of having the gumption to just ban people like @nero, they instead unverified him for some reason. Probably because he was making money for them.

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#75

Post by hamilyon2 » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:37 PM UTC

sailfast wrote: post #23

Removing links to other platforms is anti-competitive full stop. Threatening de-verification due to links is even worse. This is the behavior of monopolists. The FTC and existing anti-trust organizations would do well to return to their jobs and take a look at these practices broadly across the tech industry.

Isn't instagram participation voluntary and free of charge? Monopoly over what? Everyone is free to move to another platform or start his own.

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#76

Post by ineedasername » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:37 PM UTC

LurkersWillLurk wrote: post #72

danShumway wrote: post #59

> Links asking someone to add you on another service aren’t supported on Instagram That's some weasel-wording right there. "Not supported" makes it sound like this is a feature they'd need to code that they haven't gotten around to yet. It's not -- they needed to take the time to explicitly block something that would otherwise work by default. Phrasing it as "Links asking someone to add you on another service are not…

It's also using passive voice. Consider: "We will terminate your verified status for adding links to one of our competitor's sites."

When someone is lying, the passive voice is a very common choice of words.

(Source: I took a forensic linguistics course as part of a comp. linguistics program. One of the case studies we looked at was lying-- the data sets were comparing legal cases where documents were available that contradicted testimony, like the Enron case.)

Edit: Here's a research paper that talks about it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981627/

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#77

Post by echelon » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:37 PM UTC

lonelappde wrote: post #63

echelon wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely! I'm surprised you're the first one to call this out. In my mind this is how these companies see their platforms plucked from their hands and spun off as independent companies. This is incredibly unfair to users. It's a sign that these platforms have become a mafia protection racket. It's not just as if they're saying "If you consider the competition, you'll lose everything." They're actually doing this. W…

The very first sentence of the OP article calls this out.

I want to see discussion here on HN as this is a special community that has participation from some of the brightest and most influential engineers, lawyers, -- many disciplines and backgrounds -- in the world.

This should absolutely be a topic of discussion amongst us.

Do we, as individuals with leverage and influence, support these actions? And if not, what can we do to help change the status quo and insure this doesn't happen again so easily?

Crafting a response or opinion piece to submit to lawmakers and the FTC could hold a lot of power, especially if it is undersigned by many of us in the field.

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#78

Post by jimkleiber » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:40 PM UTC

fortran77 wrote: post #47

Twitter started this whole thing. Originally, IIRC, "Verified" meant exactly that. You look at a twitter account of a Celebrity or CEO or poltician, and the blue check meant it was really them. Now it means it's really them _and_ they haven't said or done anything that the wrong people find offensive. Comedians get de-verified (or kicked off) for offending people if they offend the wrong people. (While others who do…

And twitter started this whole thing because they were getting complaints from celebs and being sued by Tony LaRussa for account impersonation.

I wonder if these networks even want people’s humanity verified on each account, seems like it would kill growth numbers. When Facebook started, most accounts were unofficially verified to be humans, as it was only open to people who had a .edu email address, which were mostly verified and given out by universities to real people. Then they opened it up and boom Facebook grew to ridiculous numbers.

I’m waiting for one of the social networks to let anyone verify their humanity, Bumble does it, not sure why Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, and the others cant give this option. Maybe they don’t want to?

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#79

Post by stickfigure » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:40 PM UTC

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #49

falcor84 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyone is caught making false statements That is too postmodern for my tastes. I would strongly argue that one can speak without making false statements, and would be very much in favor of some sort of fact-checking badge on social media. It would be difficult, but I really believe it would be worth it.

Who watches the watchers? So far pretty much every fact checking organization, regardless of original intent, eventually succumbs to the temptation to bend their fact checking to their ideological preference. There is no social media company that has the credibility to even be taken seriously as a impartial arbiter of fact.

Yet everyone does not like equally, not by a longshot. We have sites like snopes and polifact. Maybe not perfect, but better than postmodern nonsense like "there is no truth".

Re: Instagram Threatened Removal of Verified Status for Posting Snapchat Content

#80

Post by jimkleiber » Mon, Sep 30, 2019, 2:41 PM UTC

jimkleiber wrote: post #78

fortran77 wrote: post #47

Twitter started this whole thing. Originally, IIRC, "Verified" meant exactly that. You look at a twitter account of a Celebrity or CEO or poltician, and the blue check meant it was really them. Now it means it's really them _and_ they haven't said or done anything that the wrong people find offensive. Comedians get de-verified (or kicked off) for offending people if they offend the wrong people. (While others who do…

And twitter started this whole thing because they were getting complaints from celebs and being sued by Tony LaRussa for account impersonation. I wonder if these networks even want people’s humanity verified on each account, seems like it would kill growth numbers. When Facebook started, most accounts were unofficially verified to be humans, as it was only open to people who had a .edu email address, which were mostl…

TechCrunch article from 2009: https://techcrunch.com/2009/06/06/facing-lawsuits-and-compla...