[flagged]
[flagged]
Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
71–80 of 463 posts
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#72Why would that be a bad thing? The Republicans influence FoxNews. The Democrats influence CNN. Why wouldn't China also influence some outlets? It's a free market, you don't like a media source, you are free to use one suitable to your bias.
When watching FoxNews or CNN, we know that someone is making editorial decisions. When looking at something popular on Twitter, we assume that the number of likes is "real" and not made-up.
This is akin to FoxNews or CNN presenting a poll where they just made up fake data.
This is akin to FoxNews or CNN interviewing someone and saying that they're "an independent voter" when they're actually a paid spokesperson for a political party.
If comments and votes/likes/etc. come in without someone saying that they're paid-for views, it's very different.
China can certainly influence media outlets in ways that one would consider fair. They can push CNN to have a Chinese Government Spokesperson interviewed. They would say a pro-China message, but viewers would be aware that they're a paid spokesperson.
In the US, the FTC requires that paid promotion be disclosed because there's a difference between someone pushing a product because they're getting paid for it and someone talking about something they like. Similarly, there's a certain moral duty to disclose when you're being paid to push certain views/agendas.
Likewise, we all hate fake reviews on products. This process is basically getting lots of fake social media accounts to give you "fake reviews" along with the impression of many people (who are actually fake) validating those fake reviews as real.
We see it here on HN. People writing from mostly anonymous accounts will say things like, "full disclosure, I work at X, but not on anything related to Y." The reason why is that we feel we should be honest. We're (hopefully) not pushing agendas on here for money. We're just saying things that we think.
I think China should be able to tweet things from government-labeled accounts to try and influence people. But what the article describes is basically a fake review problem. Shady companies hire people with fake accounts to post positive reviews. There's a reason people hate that.
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#73Imagine living somewhere like China and not liking it. It would be hellish, you couldn’t even talk about it without a police visit or your boss passing trouble along to you. A giant human spirit grinder
Quoted post unavailable.
I'm a Canadian, but I often watch American rallies on the news.
I always laugh when some American protestors say they're being oppressed/the current regime is fascistic.
I mean, you're gathered, in a crowd, often armed, with your message being broadcast, with a reasonable expectation (I know, I know, not always - especially for certain demographics) of going home/surviving.
I'm not sure they really understand what fascism is
EDIT: I'm completely supportive of gathering/protesting. But be clear that you're protesting particular, discrete issues. And probably not fascism in the general sense.
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nothing you say makes your comment any more true, either. At the moment, we're at "That's just, like, your opinion, man." [Edit: Do you have any evidence that the NYT is deliberately seeking to manufacture consent? Or even that they are unwittingly being used to manufacture consent? Or are they just reporting what's actually happening, namely that China is manipulating western media? And, even if the NYT is manufactu…
Since you've editted, I will use a new comment. Propaganda is among others what to say, or not to say. When to say it. What words to use. 1) Where the NYT uses manipulating western media , I would say China is engaging with world leading social networks . Basically China is buying likes . Big frickin' deal. But the NYT calls this manipulates Facebook and Twitter ( as if they are influencing the companies in itself ).…
Do you regard Tibet as an internal Chinese matter?
The US has more of a track record, I'll admit. On the other hand, China keeps forever in a way that the US does not.
I asked if you have any evidence. You didn't even hint that you had any, so I will assume that you do not. So we're back to "That's just your opinion."
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
If a preconceived belief will make you blind to genocide, what else will it make you blind to?
Might it make you uncritically believe anything the NYT and Washington establishment media claims? Even if their primary sources are extremely dubious?
My daily first-hand encounters with China's 50 cent army suggest it's more than just dubious claims. If anything, the NYT is late to the party.
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://www.rfa.org/about/info/mission.html Says right in their about page they are under a govt. mandate. The local language pages also have this information. > Radio Free Asia operates under a Congressional mandate to deliver uncensored, domestic news and information to China, Tibet, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, among other places in Asia with poor media environments and few, if any, free speech…
Well one can argue that the Shanghai police was also quite transparent about it, given the following: > On May 21, a branch of the Shanghai police posted a notice online seeking bids from private contractors for what is known among Chinese officialdom as public opinion management.
One would be disingenuous if they argued that.
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#77Imagine living somewhere like China and not liking it. It would be hellish, you couldn’t even talk about it without a police visit or your boss passing trouble along to you. A giant human spirit grinder
You are confusing China with North Korea.
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#78Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#79What happened with all that hysteria a few years ago that russia was using FaceBook and twitter to manipulate Brexit and American elections?
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Pillars-of-... https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/docu... > the Committee found ample evidence to suggest that the Russian government was developing and implementing capabilities to interfere in the 2016 elections, including undermining confidence in U.S. democratic institutions and voting processes. Calling it hysteria is counterproductive. With t…
Looking at the 2020 elections and aftermath, it seems they were highly successful in undermining confidence in the election process.
Re: Buying Influence: How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nice try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_genocide_denial#Chom...
I do not read anything, close of a statement "cambodian genocide is just us propaganda" What I read is: "What filters through to the American public is a seriously distorted version of the evidence available, emphasizing alleged Khmer Rouge atrocities and downplaying or ignoring the crucial U.S. role, direct and indirect, in the torment that Cambodia has suffered" a much more nuanced statement.
Are we reading the same quote? He is calling reporting about the genocide propaganda.