[liberationtech] NYT Tech recommends social media sites to turn off recommendation systems

[Yosem Companys]

>
> I know it’s easy to tune out tales of horrible things on the internet.
> Please pay attention to this one.
>
> NBC News wrote an illuminating article
> <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/ZBcYFGdyYJbiJbxqRwMteg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP4QMAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5iY25ld3MuY29tL3RlY2gvdGVjaC1uZXdzL3Fhbm9uLWdyb3Vwcy1oYXZlLW1pbGxpb25zLW1lbWJlcnMtZmFjZWJvb2stZG9jdW1lbnRzLXNob3ctbjEyMzYzMTc_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MTU4JmVtYz1lZGl0X290XzIwMjAwODExJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTIxMTcxJm5sPW9uLXRlY2gtd2l0aC1zaGlyYS1vdmlkZSZyZWdpX2lkPTkyMTA1MjAmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0zNTc3MSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9MTczNWI2MzVmNmNkM2JkNWFlMjlhM2JiNDAwYTZlYThXA255dEIKACuHxzJf2KKbylITeWNvbXBhbnlzQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~>
> about Facebook’s internal research that showed millions of people following
> Facebook groups and pages that support QAnon, a sprawling and false
> conspiracy
> <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/-oWO4f_xLvbt7rWpw5XTqA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0TzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wMi8wOS91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9xYW5vbi10cnVtcC1jb25zcGlyYWN5LXRoZW9yeS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~>
> claiming a traitorous cabal dominates government and other institutions.
>
> The scale of QAnon supporters on Facebook stunned me, and the article
> raised two questions for me about how Facebook feeds this and other
> dangerous ideas:
>
> Why do online recommendations still exist? NBC News found that Facebook’s
> computerized suggestions have pointed people toward online groups revolving
> around the QAnon conspiracy. Journalists and misinformation researchers
> have raised the alarm for years about computer recommendations on
> YouTube, Facebook and other spots that harden people’s belief in dangerous
> ideas.
>
> What if, as my colleague Kevin Roose suggested about YouTube
> <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/Ngly_xa9Wyjv-T2mUxHZsQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wNC8yMC90ZWNobm9sb2d5L3lvdXR1YmUtY29uc3BpcmFjeS10aGVvcmllcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~>,
> we just turn off these internet recommendations? NBC News said that
> Facebook may, in fact, do that for QAnon-related groups, as it previously
> did to stop recommending online groups that oppose vaccines. That doesn’t
> stop people from wallowing in conspiracies online, but it makes it more
> difficult for newcomers to stumble onto dangerous ideas.
>
> Why is Facebook researching this only now? NBC News wrote that Facebook
> had been “studying the QAnon movement since at least June.” (A Facebook
> spokesperson told NBC News that the company consistently punishes or
> removes QAnon-related groups that violate the social network’s rules.)
>
> It has been clear for years that internet sites are where conspiracy
> theorists organize
> <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/B7SmXEwoTt_7Cfwv3KhpMA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0T8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucm9sbGluZ3N0b25lLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy9wb2xpdGljcy1uZXdzL2FuYXRvbXktb2YtYS1mYWtlLW5ld3Mtc2NhbmRhbC0xMjU4NzcvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~>
> and, for some, become radicalized. We’ve seen examples for more than two
> years
> <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/AG4IG9UNeriTJCGhV0Ghlg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRhFUyHP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnV6emZlZWRuZXdzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3NrYmFlci9xYW5vbi1iZWxpZXZlci1hcnJlc3RlZC1ob292ZXItZGFtP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTE1OCZlbWM9ZWRpdF9vdF8yMDIwMDgxMSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yMTE3MSZubD1vbi10ZWNoLXdpdGgtc2hpcmEtb3ZpZGUmcmVnaV9pZD05MjEwNTIwJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MzU3NzEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTE3MzViNjM1ZjZjZDNiZDVhZTI5YTNiYjQwMGE2ZWE4VwNueXRCCgArh8cyX9iim8pSE3ljb21wYW55c0BnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~>
> of people who believe in the QAnon conspiracy committing violence in the
> real world.
>
> Did Facebook really start systematically researching its role in the
> conspiracy only a few months ago?
>
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