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>2. Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias. They DO realize that the YouTube recommendation algorithm is a political bias reinforcement machine, right? Lik
by finnthehuman 8y ago
>2. Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias.
They DO realize that the YouTube recommendation algorithm is a political bias reinforcement machine, right?
Like, I think it’s fun to talk trash on google because they’re in an increably powerful position, but this one isn’t even banter.
- eclectic 8y agoTheir bias is fair, you see.
- foobaw 8y agoThey circumvent this by using the word "avoid." Avoiding and not doing are two different things.
- gimmefreedom 8y agoavoid |əˈvoid| verb keep away from or stop oneself from doing (something) Instead, I think Google just doesn't mind lying[1]. 1. e.g., "Don't be evil"
- randcraw 8y agoI don't know how you do something and avoid doing something at the same time.
- kchr 8y agoPersonally, I think the term "avoid" is more of an ideal/pragmatic stance ("would be ideal not to") than the binary "will do"/" will not do"
- ergothus 8y agoFWIW, since they updated the google news algorithm, I've started getting a pretty diverse set of results. It might be because it picked up that I try to read opposing views, or it might be because the algorithm is terrible, or any other number of reasons, but regardless of the source it's refreshing to see. ...and revealing! The headlines differences between, say, Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, and Fox News for the same news blurb is even more dramatic than I'd expect when you put them up side-by-side. None of which contradicts your point, I just wanted to flag a happy instance where the result wasn't just "yo dawg".
- LambdaComplex 8y ago>The headlines differences between, say, Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, and Fox News for the same news blurb is even more dramatic than I'd expect when you put them up side-by-side. Can you give a concrete example of this? I'm definitely interested in seeing how big the differences are
- bduerst 8y agoIt's pretty evident if you just look. I literally just grabbed some headlines off the North Korea Summit topic: - WaPo: Trump dangles White House visit for North Korea’s Kim if summit goes well - Fox News: Trump forced Kim Jong Un to 'beg' for meeting, Giuliani says - CNN: How is Donald Trump preparing for the huge North Korea summit? He's not. - Reuters: Latte art and a gym ad: Kim Jong Un's softer image in South Korea
- ehudla 8y agoThey should use color coded background on key words, using sentiment analysis. Then you could see the contrast without having to read all the headlines. (Though, "beg" here, for example, is positive, while in most contexts it is probably negative.)
- bduerst 8y agoThat could be easily executed as a chrome extension!
- marmshallow 8y agoWow, this really is dramatic and telling!
- fwip 8y agoAn example from today (first political result on my screen): - Reuters: Trump says Russia should be at G7 meeting, Moscow not so sure - CNN: Trump: Russia should be in the G7 summit - TheHill: An isolated Trump attends the G-7 - Fox News: Trump prepares for North Korea summit as a great performer -- like Reagan
- rmk 8y agoI'm convinced that Google is touting its' 'principles' with a hackneyed blog post probably written by some PR flack. As an American, I'm disappointed, and positively enraged by the hubris on display here. A bunch of (non-US) employees have pressured Google and therefore compromised the national interests of the United States. See this for an alternative viewpoint: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-google-artificial-intelligence-national-security-project-maven-america-0607-story.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-per... It's high time these companies are regulated and their malfeasance reined in by the United States.
- TaylorAlexander 8y agoCertainly many US employees were against it. Also Google is a global organization. I don’t believe that corporations should primarily serve the interests of their government, they should serve their users and reflect the attitudes of their employees.
- rmk 8y agoI'm sure many US employees were against it, and they were rightfully exercising their voice. Google may have offices all over the world, but it's an American company, and like people (Corporations are like people, no?), it must be held responsible for its actions. I would argue that the public should be especially wary of 'global' corporations such as these (Facebook is another one) that suddenly grow a conscience when it suits them. Surely a company with such high morals and ethics should easily withstand regulation and public scrutiny that protects the national interests of the country that's responsible for the majority of its profits, and provided the fertile ground from which it sprang to life.
- TaylorAlexander 8y agoThe whole idea of “protecting the national insterests” of the US creeps me out, as that to me usually means oppressing others, interfering with democracy in foreign countries, and generally sacrificing people outside the US to maintain the global hegemony we promote. I can tell you see it differently, but I hope you see that not all people see promoting “US government interests” as an automatically good thing, given what that phrase has meant historically.
- gone35 8y agoSo true. I'm increasingly finding myself having to 'play' the recommendation algorithm strategically, just to keep my own political sanity...