"GUEST ESSAY
I Blew the Whistle on Facebook. Europe Just Showed Us the Next Step."
"Elon Musk’s deal to take Twitter private, which has spurred questions about power, censorship and safety for the future of the platform,
happened just days after the European Union reached a landmark agreement
to make social media less toxic for users. The new E.U. standards, and
the ethic of transparency on which they are based, will for the first
time pull back the curtain on the algorithms that choose what we see and
when we see it in our feeds.
In Europe’s case, the dryly named Digital Services Act is the most significant piece of social media legislation in history. It goes to the heart of what I’ve tried to do as a whistle-blower who worked inside Facebook: make social media far better without impinging on free speech. Today, Facebook’s poorly implemented content moderation strategies leave those most at risk of real world violence unprotected and only
consistently succeed at one thing: angering everyone.
Last October, I came forward a with a simple message: Facebook knew it
was cutting corners to make more money, and the public was paying the
price. In over 20,000 pages of documents that I disclosed to the
Securities and Exchange Commission and to Congress, the public learned
what Facebook already knew — its products were spurring hate and
division, leading teenagers into rabbit holes of self-harm and anorexia, leaving millions of users without basic safety systems for hate speech
or violence incitement and, at times, were even used to sell humans
across the platform.
Global companies had chosen profit-maximizing strategies at the expense
of the public interest before. We’ve seen it with pollution in the
chemical industry, environmental damage in natural resource extraction
and predatory mortgages in financial services.
What distinguishes the bad practices of these other industries from Big
Tech is simple — there are laws holding them accountable. That’s what government is intended to do in democratic capitalism: use the law to
steer the market back into alignment with the public interest. When concentrated monopolistic power privileges the few over the many and
distorts how the free market operates, this kind of correction is vital.
How the new European law is carried out will be just as important as
passing it. It is a broad and comprehensive set of rules and standards,
not unlike food safety standards for cleanliness and allergen labeling.
But what is also remarkable about it is that it focuses on oversight of
the design and implementation of systems (like how algorithms behave)
rather than determining what is good or bad speech.
The law requires that Facebook and other large social platforms be transparent about what content is being amplified and shared virally
across the platform. And it must apply consumer protections to features
that, among other things, spy on users, addict kids or weaken public
safety. With transparency finally required, it will be easier for
European regulators and civil society to verify that companies are
following the rules.
These rules are like systems in the United States that compel
pharmaceutical companies to keep drugs safe and to allow the Food and
Drug Administration to independently verify the results. Most people
aren’t aware of them, but we’re all glad they are there.
The new requirement for access to data will allow independent research
into the impact of social media products on public health and welfare.
For example, Facebook, Instagram and others will have to open up the
black box of which pages, posts and videos get the most likes and shares
— shining light on the outcomes of the algorithms.
This will allow thousands more people, not just those who work at these companies, to address the complex problems of how information markets
change social outcomes. As an algorithmic specialist and data scientist, I’m most excited by this. No longer will we depend on taking the companies’ word for it when they say they are trying to fix a safety problem. Democratic and investor accountability and oversight of big companies boils down to whether we can accurately diagnose the problems
their products are causing, devise solutions and verify that the
industry is actually following through with them. The era of “just trust us” is over."
[snip]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/28/opinion/social-media-facebook-transparency.html
This has all been going on since well before Mr. Musk displayed any interest in getting in the business and he has said he wants
Twitter's algorithms to be transparent.
Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that if the orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or "truthing",
that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The retrummplicans seem
to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple of senate seats to the Democrats.
"Donald Trump Rejoining Twitter Could Hurt Republicans in Midterms
BY KATHERINE FUNG ON 4/26/22 AT 2:04 PM EDT"
"Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has renewed hopes that Donald
Trump's account could be reinstated, but the former president has vowed
not to return to the social media giant—a possible political win for the Republican Party.
Political consultants told Newsweek that Trump's determination to stay
off Twitter could help the GOP take back both the House and the Senate
in November's midterms.
"Truth be told, most Republican lawmakers would prefer that he not
rejoin the Twitter universe, because it will be impossible for them to
stay on message if he does," said Jay Townsend, a Republican political consultant who has worked for four presidential campaigns and a number
of congressional races."
"Some political observers doubt that Trump would be able to refrain from using Twitter, noting that the former president "is known to change his
mind with great frequency." But Townsend and another Republican
strategist, Alex Patton, said that keeping Trump off the platform could definitely help Republicans in the fall.
Pointing to the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia last year,
Patton noted that Trump's Twitter presence allowed him to "hijack media coverage," which resulted in mixed messaging to Republican voters who
were trying to decide if they should cast ballots for GOP candidates or refrain from voting because of skepticism about the election process's integrity.
"Now that [Trump's] political organization is playing heavily in GOP primaries, if he were to reengage on Twitter, the potential for messy, undisciplined primaries increases dramatically," said Patton, CEO of
Ozean Media.
Despite warnings that undermining the election process could deter voter turnout, Trump has continued to assert that the 2020 presidential
election was "stolen" and that there was widespread voter fraud. No
evidence has been produced to support the allegations."
[snip]
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-rejoining-twitter-could-hurt-republicans-midterms-1701129
"POLITICO Playbook: Republicans to Trump: Stay away from Twitter
By RACHAEL BADE and EUGENE DANIELS 04/26/2022 06:15 AM EDT"
"The news that ELON MUSK is buying Twitter has thrown Washington into a
tizzy over one major question: Will DONALD TRUMP return to his old
favorite social media platform and start tweeting again?
As it turns out, no one is more petrified of this than members of
Trump’s own party.
On Monday night, in a series of calls and texts with several top GOP insiders, every single one of them told us that they hoped the former president stays the hell away from Twitter, lest he sink their chances
at flipping the House and Senate. Some of his allies even think that a
return to his old Twitter habits could damage his own brand ahead of a possible third presidential bid in 2024.
“If I’m a Democrat, I’d pray that Elon Musk puts Trump right back on Twitter,” said one House GOP leadership aide, who asked not to be named
to speak candidly. “I don’t think it costs Republicans the House, but it certainly will elevate Trump’s opinions — and is going to put Republican candidates and members back having to answer for that.”
The person added: “It’s enough to create headaches — and it’s enough to
probably cost us a couple seats.”
Some may find this a rather surprising reaction, given that many
Republicans have both accused Big Tech of censoring conservative voices
(the former president being the most prominent example) and showered
praise on the Musk takeover. But as is often the case with the GOP and
all things Trump, privately, they feel very differently.
To be sure, there’s a lot yet unknown about whether or not Trump will return to Twitter.
Will Twitter allow it? Questions abound over whether Musk’s new
leadership team will allow the resurrection of the now-defunct @realDonaldTrump handle. (The Tesla and SpaceX impresario, however, has blasted Twitter’s permanent bans and what he views as its censorship of free speech.)
Will Trump even want to rejoin? Trump said on Fox News on Monday that he doesn’t intend to return to the platform, and will instead stick to his
own social media startup, Truth Social. “I am not going on Twitter,” he said. “I am going to stay on Truth.”
Here’s the thing: Nobody really believes him."
[snip]
I expect Mr. Musk to piss off the loons at both ends of the spectrum. For example, the lefties are likely to be concerned with how
Mr. Musk's supposedly absolutist free speech ideals work out in China.
I bought more popcorn. I should be all set for the next few months at least.
[I don't own stock in any social media companies and I am not currently working for any of them. I make it a practice to not get too attached to the clients. I may be a grand pain here, but I have never
tweeted in my entire life.]
TB
Technobarbarian wrote:
Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that if the
orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or "truthing",
that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The retrummplicans
seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple of senate seats
to the Democrats.
I haven't forgotten it. My wife wishes I would - or wishes I'd at least shutup about it for a few days in a row.
I think it was more like three seats. Stacy Abrams takes up two by herself.
Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that if the orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or "truthing",
that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The retrummplicans
seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple of senate seats
to the Democrats.
On 4/28/22 12:19 PM, Technobarbarian wrote:
"GUEST ESSAY
I Blew the Whistle on Facebook. Europe Just Showed Us the Next Step."
"Elon Musk’s deal to take Twitter private, which has spurred questions
about power, censorship and safety for the future of the platform,
happened just days after the European Union reached a landmark
agreement to make social media less toxic for users. The new E.U.
standards, and the ethic of transparency on which they are based, will
for the first time pull back the curtain on the algorithms that choose
what we see and when we see it in our feeds.
In Europe’s case, the dryly named Digital Services Act is the most
significant piece of social media legislation in history. It goes to
the heart of what I’ve tried to do as a whistle-blower who worked
inside Facebook: make social media far better without impinging on
free speech. Today, Facebook’s poorly implemented content moderation
strategies leave those most at risk of real world violence unprotected
and only consistently succeed at one thing: angering everyone.
Last October, I came forward a with a simple message: Facebook knew it
was cutting corners to make more money, and the public was paying the
price. In over 20,000 pages of documents that I disclosed to the
Securities and Exchange Commission and to Congress, the public learned
what Facebook already knew — its products were spurring hate and
division, leading teenagers into rabbit holes of self-harm and
anorexia, leaving millions of users without basic safety systems for
hate speech or violence incitement and, at times, were even used to
sell humans across the platform.
Global companies had chosen profit-maximizing strategies at the
expense of the public interest before. We’ve seen it with pollution in
the chemical industry, environmental damage in natural resource
extraction and predatory mortgages in financial services.
What distinguishes the bad practices of these other industries from
Big Tech is simple — there are laws holding them accountable. That’s
what government is intended to do in democratic capitalism: use the
law to steer the market back into alignment with the public interest.
When concentrated monopolistic power privileges the few over the many
and distorts how the free market operates, this kind of correction is
vital.
How the new European law is carried out will be just as important as
passing it. It is a broad and comprehensive set of rules and
standards, not unlike food safety standards for cleanliness and
allergen labeling. But what is also remarkable about it is that it
focuses on oversight of the design and implementation of systems (like
how algorithms behave) rather than determining what is good or bad
speech.
The law requires that Facebook and other large social platforms be
transparent about what content is being amplified and shared virally
across the platform. And it must apply consumer protections to
features that, among other things, spy on users, addict kids or weaken
public safety. With transparency finally required, it will be easier
for European regulators and civil society to verify that companies are
following the rules.
These rules are like systems in the United States that compel
pharmaceutical companies to keep drugs safe and to allow the Food and
Drug Administration to independently verify the results. Most people
aren’t aware of them, but we’re all glad they are there.
The new requirement for access to data will allow independent research
into the impact of social media products on public health and welfare.
For example, Facebook, Instagram and others will have to open up the
black box of which pages, posts and videos get the most likes and
shares — shining light on the outcomes of the algorithms.
This will allow thousands more people, not just those who work at
these companies, to address the complex problems of how information
markets change social outcomes. As an algorithmic specialist and data
scientist, I’m most excited by this. No longer will we depend on
taking the companies’ word for it when they say they are trying to fix
a safety problem. Democratic and investor accountability and oversight
of big companies boils down to whether we can accurately diagnose the
problems their products are causing, devise solutions and verify that
the industry is actually following through with them. The era of “just
trust us” is over."
[snip]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/28/opinion/social-media-facebook-transparency.html
This has all been going on since well before Mr. Musk displayed >> any interest in getting in the business and he has said he wants
Twitter's algorithms to be transparent.
Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that if >> the orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or
"truthing", that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The
retrummplicans seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple of
senate seats to the Democrats.
"Donald Trump Rejoining Twitter Could Hurt Republicans in Midterms
BY KATHERINE FUNG ON 4/26/22 AT 2:04 PM EDT"
"Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has renewed hopes that Donald
Trump's account could be reinstated, but the former president has
vowed not to return to the social media giant—a possible political win
for the Republican Party.
Political consultants told Newsweek that Trump's determination to stay
off Twitter could help the GOP take back both the House and the Senate
in November's midterms.
"Truth be told, most Republican lawmakers would prefer that he not
rejoin the Twitter universe, because it will be impossible for them to
stay on message if he does," said Jay Townsend, a Republican political
consultant who has worked for four presidential campaigns and a number
of congressional races."
"Some political observers doubt that Trump would be able to refrain
from using Twitter, noting that the former president "is known to
change his mind with great frequency." But Townsend and another
Republican strategist, Alex Patton, said that keeping Trump off the
platform could definitely help Republicans in the fall.
Pointing to the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia last year,
Patton noted that Trump's Twitter presence allowed him to "hijack
media coverage," which resulted in mixed messaging to Republican
voters who were trying to decide if they should cast ballots for GOP
candidates or refrain from voting because of skepticism about the
election process's integrity.
"Now that [Trump's] political organization is playing heavily in GOP
primaries, if he were to reengage on Twitter, the potential for messy,
undisciplined primaries increases dramatically," said Patton, CEO of
Ozean Media.
Despite warnings that undermining the election process could deter
voter turnout, Trump has continued to assert that the 2020
presidential election was "stolen" and that there was widespread voter
fraud. No evidence has been produced to support the allegations."
[snip]
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-rejoining-twitter-could-hurt-republicans-midterms-1701129
"POLITICO Playbook: Republicans to Trump: Stay away from Twitter
By RACHAEL BADE and EUGENE DANIELS 04/26/2022 06:15 AM EDT"
"The news that ELON MUSK is buying Twitter has thrown Washington into
a tizzy over one major question: Will DONALD TRUMP return to his old
favorite social media platform and start tweeting again?
As it turns out, no one is more petrified of this than members of
Trump’s own party.
On Monday night, in a series of calls and texts with several top GOP
insiders, every single one of them told us that they hoped the former
president stays the hell away from Twitter, lest he sink their chances
at flipping the House and Senate. Some of his allies even think that a
return to his old Twitter habits could damage his own brand ahead of a
possible third presidential bid in 2024.
“If I’m a Democrat, I’d pray that Elon Musk puts Trump right back on >> Twitter,” said one House GOP leadership aide, who asked not to be
named to speak candidly. “I don’t think it costs Republicans the
House, but it certainly will elevate Trump’s opinions — and is going
to put Republican candidates and members back having to answer for that.” >>
The person added: “It’s enough to create headaches — and it’s enough >> to probably cost us a couple seats.”
Some may find this a rather surprising reaction, given that many
Republicans have both accused Big Tech of censoring conservative
voices (the former president being the most prominent example) and
showered praise on the Musk takeover. But as is often the case with
the GOP and all things Trump, privately, they feel very differently.
To be sure, there’s a lot yet unknown about whether or not Trump will
return to Twitter.
Will Twitter allow it? Questions abound over whether Musk’s new
leadership team will allow the resurrection of the now-defunct
@realDonaldTrump handle. (The Tesla and SpaceX impresario, however,
has blasted Twitter’s permanent bans and what he views as its
censorship of free speech.)
Will Trump even want to rejoin? Trump said on Fox News on Monday that
he doesn’t intend to return to the platform, and will instead stick to
his own social media startup, Truth Social. “I am not going on
Twitter,” he said. “I am going to stay on Truth.”
Here’s the thing: Nobody really believes him."
[snip]
I expect Mr. Musk to piss off the loons at both ends of the
spectrum. For example, the lefties are likely to be concerned with how
Mr. Musk's supposedly absolutist free speech ideals work out in China.
I bought more popcorn. I should be all set for the next few
months at least.
[I don't own stock in any social media companies and I am not
currently working for any of them. I make it a practice to not get too
attached to the clients. I may be a grand pain here, but I have never
tweeted in my entire life.]
TB
Maybe not but you sure have crowed a lot.
Technobarbarian wrote:
Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that if the
orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or "truthing",
that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The retrummplicans
seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple of senate seats
to the Democrats.
I haven't forgotten it. My wife wishes I would - or wishes I'd at least shutup about it for a few days in a row.
On 4/28/22 12:19 PM, Technobarbarian wrote:
"GUEST ESSAY
I Blew the Whistle on Facebook. Europe Just Showed Us the Next Step."
"Elon Musk’s deal to take Twitter private, which has spurred
questions about power, censorship and safety for the future of the
platform, happened just days after the European Union reached a
landmark agreement to make social media less toxic for users. The
new E.U. standards, and the ethic of transparency on which they are
based, will for the first time pull back the curtain on the
algorithms that choose what we see and when we see it in our feeds.
In Europe’s case, the dryly named Digital Services Act is the most >> significant piece of social media legislation in history. It goes to
the heart of what I’ve tried to do as a whistle-blower who worked
inside Facebook: make social media far better without impinging on
free speech. Today, Facebook’s poorly implemented content
moderation strategies leave those most at risk of real world
violence unprotected and only consistently succeed at one thing:
angering everyone.
Last October, I came forward a with a simple message: Facebook knew
it was cutting corners to make more money, and the public was paying
the price. In over 20,000 pages of documents that I disclosed to the
Securities and Exchange Commission and to Congress, the public
learned what Facebook already knew — its products were spurring
hate and division, leading teenagers into rabbit holes of self-harm
and anorexia, leaving millions of users without basic safety systems
for hate speech or violence incitement and, at times, were even used
to sell humans across the platform.
Global companies had chosen profit-maximizing strategies at the
expense of the public interest before. We’ve seen it with
pollution in the chemical industry, environmental damage in natural
resource extraction and predatory mortgages in financial services.
What distinguishes the bad practices of these other industries from
Big Tech is simple — there are laws holding them accountable.
That’s what government is intended to do in democratic capitalism: >> use the law to steer the market back into alignment with the public
interest. When concentrated monopolistic power privileges the few
over the many and distorts how the free market operates, this kind
of correction is vital.
How the new European law is carried out will be just as important as
passing it. It is a broad and comprehensive set of rules and
standards, not unlike food safety standards for cleanliness and
allergen labeling. But what is also remarkable about it is that it
focuses on oversight of the design and implementation of systems
(like how algorithms behave) rather than determining what is good or
bad speech.
The law requires that Facebook and other large social platforms be
transparent about what content is being amplified and shared virally
across the platform. And it must apply consumer protections to
features that, among other things, spy on users, addict kids or
weaken public safety. With transparency finally required, it will be
easier for European regulators and civil society to verify that
companies are following the rules.
These rules are like systems in the United States that compel
pharmaceutical companies to keep drugs safe and to allow the Food
and Drug Administration to independently verify the results. Most
people aren’t aware of them, but we’re all glad they are there.
The new requirement for access to data will allow independent
research into the impact of social media products on public health
and welfare. For example, Facebook, Instagram and others will have
to open up the black box of which pages, posts and videos get the
most likes and shares — shining light on the outcomes of the
algorithms.
This will allow thousands more people, not just those who work at
these companies, to address the complex problems of how information
markets change social outcomes. As an algorithmic specialist and
data scientist, I’m most excited by this. No longer will we depend >> on taking the companies’ word for it when they say they are trying >> to fix a safety problem. Democratic and investor accountability and
oversight of big companies boils down to whether we can accurately
diagnose the problems their products are causing, devise solutions
and verify that the industry is actually following through with
them. The era of “just trust us†is over."
[snip]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/28/opinion/social-media-facebook-transparency.html
     This has all been going on since well before Mr. Musk
displayed any interest in getting in the business and he has said he
wants Twitter's algorithms to be transparent.
      Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is
that if the orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or
"truthing", that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The
retrummplicans seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple
of senate seats to the Democrats.
"Donald Trump Rejoining Twitter Could Hurt Republicans in Midterms
BY KATHERINE FUNG ON 4/26/22 AT 2:04 PM EDT"
"Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has renewed hopes that Donald
Trump's account could be reinstated, but the former president has
vowed not to return to the social media giant—a possible political >> win for the Republican Party.
Political consultants told Newsweek that Trump's determination to
stay off Twitter could help the GOP take back both the House and the
Senate in November's midterms.
"Truth be told, most Republican lawmakers would prefer that he not
rejoin the Twitter universe, because it will be impossible for them
to stay on message if he does," said Jay Townsend, a Republican
political consultant who has worked for four presidential campaigns
and a number of congressional races."
"Some political observers doubt that Trump would be able to refrain
from using Twitter, noting that the former president "is known to
change his mind with great frequency." But Townsend and another
Republican strategist, Alex Patton, said that keeping Trump off the
platform could definitely help Republicans in the fall.
Pointing to the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia last year,
Patton noted that Trump's Twitter presence allowed him to "hijack
media coverage," which resulted in mixed messaging to Republican
voters who were trying to decide if they should cast ballots for GOP
candidates or refrain from voting because of skepticism about the
election process's integrity.
"Now that [Trump's] political organization is playing heavily in GOP
primaries, if he were to reengage on Twitter, the potential for
messy, undisciplined primaries increases dramatically," said Patton,
CEO of Ozean Media.
Despite warnings that undermining the election process could deter
voter turnout, Trump has continued to assert that the 2020
presidential election was "stolen" and that there was widespread
voter fraud. No evidence has been produced to support the allegations."
[snip]
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-rejoining-twitter-could-hurt-republicans-midterms-1701129
"​​POLITICO Playbook: Republicans to Trump: Stay away from Twitter
By RACHAEL BADE and EUGENE DANIELSÂ 04/26/2022 06:15 AM EDT"
"The news that ELON MUSK is buying Twitter has thrown Washington
into a tizzy over one major question: Will DONALD TRUMP return to
his old favorite social media platform and start tweeting again?
As it turns out, no one is more petrified of this than members of
Trump’s own party.
On Monday night, in a series of calls and texts with several top GOP
insiders, every single one of them told us that they hoped the
former president stays the hell away from Twitter, lest he sink
their chances at flipping the House and Senate. Some of his allies
even think that a return to his old Twitter habits could damage his
own brand ahead of a possible third presidential bid in 2024.
“If I’m a Democrat, I’d pray that Elon Musk puts Trump right
back on Twitter,†said one House GOP leadership aide, who asked
not to be named to speak candidly. “I don’t think it costs
Republicans the House, but it certainly will elevate Trump’s
opinions — and is going to put Republican candidates and members
back having to answer for that.â€
The person added: “It’s enough to create headaches — and
it’s enough to probably cost us a couple seats.â€
Some may find this a rather surprising reaction, given that many
Republicans have both accused Big Tech of censoring conservative
voices (the former president being the most prominent example) and
showered praise on the Musk takeover. But as is often the case with
the GOP and all things Trump, privately, they feel very differently.
To be sure, there’s a lot yet unknown about whether or not Trump
will return to Twitter.
Will Twitter allow it? Questions abound over whether Musk’s new
leadership team will allow the resurrection of the now-defunct
@realDonaldTrump handle. (The Tesla and SpaceX impresario, however,
has blasted Twitter’s permanent bans and what he views as its
censorship of free speech.)
Will Trump even want to rejoin? Trump said on Fox News on Monday
that he doesn’t intend to return to the platform, and will instead >> stick to his own social media startup, Truth Social. “I am not
going on Twitter,†he said. “I am going to stay on Truth.†>>
Here’s the thing: Nobody really believes him."
[snip]
    I expect Mr. Musk to piss off the loons at both ends of >> the spectrum. For example, the lefties are likely to be concerned
with how Mr. Musk's supposedly absolutist free speech ideals work
out in China.
    I bought more popcorn. I should be all set for the next >> few months at least.
    [I don't own stock in any social media companies and I am
not currently working for any of them. I make it a practice to not
get too attached to the clients. I may be a grand pain here, but I
have never tweeted in my entire life.]
TB
Maybe not but you sure have crowed a lot.
On 4/28/2022 10:39 AM, bfh wrote:
Technobarbarian wrote:
    Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that >>> if the orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or
"truthing", that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The
retrummplicans seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple
of senate seats to the Democrats.
I haven't forgotten it. My wife wishes I would - or wishes I'd at
least shutup about it for a few days in a row.
lol Cool. So now I'm curious? Personally I have always thought Twitter did the Republicans a favor. What do you think? Do you think
this is likely to work well for Republicans?
On 4/28/2022 10:30 AM, George.Anthony wrote:Nothing rational about you.
On 4/28/22 12:19 PM, Technobarbarian wrote:
"GUEST ESSAY
I Blew the Whistle on Facebook. Europe Just Showed Us the Next Step."
"Elon Musk’s deal to take Twitter private, which has spurred
questions about power, censorship and safety for the future of the
platform, happened just days after the European Union reached a
landmark agreement to make social media less toxic for users. The new
E.U. standards, and the ethic of transparency on which they are
based, will for the first time pull back the curtain on the
algorithms that choose what we see and when we see it in our feeds.
In Europe’s case, the dryly named Digital Services Act is the most
significant piece of social media legislation in history. It goes to
the heart of what I’ve tried to do as a whistle-blower who worked
inside Facebook: make social media far better without impinging on
free speech. Today, Facebook’s poorly implemented content moderation
strategies leave those most at risk of real world violence
unprotected and only consistently succeed at one thing: angering
everyone.
Last October, I came forward a with a simple message: Facebook knew
it was cutting corners to make more money, and the public was paying
the price. In over 20,000 pages of documents that I disclosed to the
Securities and Exchange Commission and to Congress, the public
learned what Facebook already knew — its products were spurring hate
and division, leading teenagers into rabbit holes of self-harm and
anorexia, leaving millions of users without basic safety systems for
hate speech or violence incitement and, at times, were even used to
sell humans across the platform.
Global companies had chosen profit-maximizing strategies at the
expense of the public interest before. We’ve seen it with pollution
in the chemical industry, environmental damage in natural resource
extraction and predatory mortgages in financial services.
What distinguishes the bad practices of these other industries from
Big Tech is simple — there are laws holding them accountable. That’s >>> what government is intended to do in democratic capitalism: use the
law to steer the market back into alignment with the public interest.
When concentrated monopolistic power privileges the few over the many
and distorts how the free market operates, this kind of correction is
vital.
How the new European law is carried out will be just as important as
passing it. It is a broad and comprehensive set of rules and
standards, not unlike food safety standards for cleanliness and
allergen labeling. But what is also remarkable about it is that it
focuses on oversight of the design and implementation of systems
(like how algorithms behave) rather than determining what is good or
bad speech.
The law requires that Facebook and other large social platforms be
transparent about what content is being amplified and shared virally
across the platform. And it must apply consumer protections to
features that, among other things, spy on users, addict kids or
weaken public safety. With transparency finally required, it will be
easier for European regulators and civil society to verify that
companies are following the rules.
These rules are like systems in the United States that compel
pharmaceutical companies to keep drugs safe and to allow the Food and
Drug Administration to independently verify the results. Most people
aren’t aware of them, but we’re all glad they are there.
The new requirement for access to data will allow independent
research into the impact of social media products on public health
and welfare. For example, Facebook, Instagram and others will have to
open up the black box of which pages, posts and videos get the most
likes and shares — shining light on the outcomes of the algorithms.
This will allow thousands more people, not just those who work at
these companies, to address the complex problems of how information
markets change social outcomes. As an algorithmic specialist and data
scientist, I’m most excited by this. No longer will we depend on
taking the companies’ word for it when they say they are trying to
fix a safety problem. Democratic and investor accountability and
oversight of big companies boils down to whether we can accurately
diagnose the problems their products are causing, devise solutions
and verify that the industry is actually following through with them.
The era of “just trust us” is over."
[snip]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/28/opinion/social-media-facebook-transparency.html
This has all been going on since well before Mr. Musk
displayed any interest in getting in the business and he has said he
wants Twitter's algorithms to be transparent.
Another fun thing that has gone unmentioned here is that if >>> the orange outrage ever gets seriously back into tweeting or
"truthing", that isn't necessarily a good thing for the GOP. The
retrummplicans seem to have forgotten how the idiot gifted a couple
of senate seats to the Democrats.
"Donald Trump Rejoining Twitter Could Hurt Republicans in Midterms
BY KATHERINE FUNG ON 4/26/22 AT 2:04 PM EDT"
"Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has renewed hopes that Donald
Trump's account could be reinstated, but the former president has
vowed not to return to the social media giant—a possible political
win for the Republican Party.
Political consultants told Newsweek that Trump's determination to
stay off Twitter could help the GOP take back both the House and the
Senate in November's midterms.
"Truth be told, most Republican lawmakers would prefer that he not
rejoin the Twitter universe, because it will be impossible for them
to stay on message if he does," said Jay Townsend, a Republican
political consultant who has worked for four presidential campaigns
and a number of congressional races."
"Some political observers doubt that Trump would be able to refrain
from using Twitter, noting that the former president "is known to
change his mind with great frequency." But Townsend and another
Republican strategist, Alex Patton, said that keeping Trump off the
platform could definitely help Republicans in the fall.
Pointing to the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia last year,
Patton noted that Trump's Twitter presence allowed him to "hijack
media coverage," which resulted in mixed messaging to Republican
voters who were trying to decide if they should cast ballots for GOP
candidates or refrain from voting because of skepticism about the
election process's integrity.
"Now that [Trump's] political organization is playing heavily in GOP
primaries, if he were to reengage on Twitter, the potential for
messy, undisciplined primaries increases dramatically," said Patton,
CEO of Ozean Media.
Despite warnings that undermining the election process could deter
voter turnout, Trump has continued to assert that the 2020
presidential election was "stolen" and that there was widespread
voter fraud. No evidence has been produced to support the allegations."
[snip]
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-rejoining-twitter-could-hurt-republicans-midterms-1701129
"POLITICO Playbook: Republicans to Trump: Stay away from Twitter
By RACHAEL BADE and EUGENE DANIELS 04/26/2022 06:15 AM EDT"
"The news that ELON MUSK is buying Twitter has thrown Washington into
a tizzy over one major question: Will DONALD TRUMP return to his old
favorite social media platform and start tweeting again?
As it turns out, no one is more petrified of this than members of
Trump’s own party.
On Monday night, in a series of calls and texts with several top GOP
insiders, every single one of them told us that they hoped the former
president stays the hell away from Twitter, lest he sink their
chances at flipping the House and Senate. Some of his allies even
think that a return to his old Twitter habits could damage his own
brand ahead of a possible third presidential bid in 2024.
“If I’m a Democrat, I’d pray that Elon Musk puts Trump right back on >>> Twitter,” said one House GOP leadership aide, who asked not to be
named to speak candidly. “I don’t think it costs Republicans the
House, but it certainly will elevate Trump’s opinions — and is going >>> to put Republican candidates and members back having to answer for
that.”
The person added: “It’s enough to create headaches — and it’s enough
to probably cost us a couple seats.”
Some may find this a rather surprising reaction, given that many
Republicans have both accused Big Tech of censoring conservative
voices (the former president being the most prominent example) and
showered praise on the Musk takeover. But as is often the case with
the GOP and all things Trump, privately, they feel very differently.
To be sure, there’s a lot yet unknown about whether or not Trump will
return to Twitter.
Will Twitter allow it? Questions abound over whether Musk’s new
leadership team will allow the resurrection of the now-defunct
@realDonaldTrump handle. (The Tesla and SpaceX impresario, however,
has blasted Twitter’s permanent bans and what he views as its
censorship of free speech.)
Will Trump even want to rejoin? Trump said on Fox News on Monday that
he doesn’t intend to return to the platform, and will instead stick
to his own social media startup, Truth Social. “I am not going on
Twitter,” he said. “I am going to stay on Truth.”
Here’s the thing: Nobody really believes him."
[snip]
I expect Mr. Musk to piss off the loons at both ends of the
spectrum. For example, the lefties are likely to be concerned with
how Mr. Musk's supposedly absolutist free speech ideals work out in
China.
I bought more popcorn. I should be all set for the next few
months at least.
[I don't own stock in any social media companies and I am not >>> currently working for any of them. I make it a practice to not get
too attached to the clients. I may be a grand pain here, but I have
never tweeted in my entire life.]
TB
Maybe not but you sure have crowed a lot.
I'm sure it must look like crowing to you. To me it's more like a rational adult talking about the real world around excited children who
think Christmas has arrived early.
TB
| Sysop: | Keyop |
|---|---|
| Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
| Users: | 297 |
| Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
| Uptime: | 95:27:38 |
| Calls: | 6,659 |
| Calls today: | 1 |
| Files: | 12,206 |
| Messages: | 5,334,412 |