4 ms·

Private company: Not censorship. And, yeah, it's tough to specifically define what's "toxic" and/or "offensive." But YouTube's algorithms are unforgivably dumb

Private company: Not censorship. And, yeah, it's tough to specifically define what's "toxic" and/or "offensive." But YouTube's algorithms are unforgivably dumb about it.

capulate89 8y ago
If YouTube were suddenly banning all LGBT content so as to protect children or some such thing, wouldn't we call that censorship? It's a ludicrous idea that censorship must always come from a government.
- chasing 8y ago
  As a private company, YouTube can choose what it wants to host and/or promote. No one is preventing the purveyors of toxic videos from making and distributing them on their own.
  - dev_dull 8y ago
    Definitely with limitations. For example a cake maker can be compelled to bake a cake for a gay wedding. You don’t think a private company can be compelled not to censure?
    - chasing 8y ago
      For what it's worth, the cake maker won that case at the Supreme Court. So they were, in fact, not compelled to bake a cake for a gay wedding. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44361162 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44361162
- duckMuppet 8y ago
  Censorship can come from anywhere. But I can choose to visit YouTube, FB, et al, or I can choose to go to a different platform, though it may not be as populated or as polished as the former. It's much harder for me to choose a govt which doesn't censor or enforce censorship. The govt controls many aspects to out lives.. The police can come to my house and take away my children if I tell them being gay or transgender are mental health issues. YouTube can only kick me off for stating such. The govt also can censor based on which grants out gives funding for. Another reason academia is broken. They are some real reasons to fear censorship.
forgottenpass 8y ago
>Private company: Not censorship. It is censorship. They do it of their own volition, without the government forcing their hand, and it's well within their right to do it. But it is, by definition, censorship. What it isn't - however - is a violation of a very specific legal rule regarding free speech that often has the misfortune of being conflated with the entirety of free speech as a principle. >And, yeah, it's tough to specifically define what's "toxic" and/or "offensive." Yup, and it's doubly hard because the people that want the censorship don't want to admit there are no objective standards and it's all a question of preference.

Private company: Not censorship. And, yeah, it's tough to specifically define what's "toxic" and/or "offensive." But YouTube's algorithms are unforgivably dumb about it.

capulate89 8y ago

If YouTube were suddenly banning all LGBT content so as to protect children or some such thing, wouldn't we call that censorship? It's a ludicrous idea that censorship must always come from a government.

chasing 8y ago
As a private company, YouTube can choose what it wants to host and/or promote. No one is preventing the purveyors of toxic videos from making and distributing them on their own.
- dev_dull 8y ago
  Definitely with limitations. For example a cake maker can be compelled to bake a cake for a gay wedding. You don’t think a private company can be compelled not to censure?
  - chasing 8y ago
    For what it's worth, the cake maker won that case at the Supreme Court. So they were, in fact, not compelled to bake a cake for a gay wedding. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44361162 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44361162
duckMuppet 8y ago
Censorship can come from anywhere. But I can choose to visit YouTube, FB, et al, or I can choose to go to a different platform, though it may not be as populated or as polished as the former. It's much harder for me to choose a govt which doesn't censor or enforce censorship. The govt controls many aspects to out lives.. The police can come to my house and take away my children if I tell them being gay or transgender are mental health issues. YouTube can only kick me off for stating such. The govt also can censor based on which grants out gives funding for. Another reason academia is broken. They are some real reasons to fear censorship.

forgottenpass 8y ago

>Private company: Not censorship. It is censorship. They do it of their own volition, without the government forcing their hand, and it's well within their right to do it. But it is, by definition, censorship. What it isn't - however - is a violation of a very specific legal rule regarding free speech that often has the misfortune of being conflated with the entirety of free speech as a principle. >And, yeah, it's tough to specifically define what's "toxic" and/or "offensive." Yup, and it's doubly hard because the people that want the censorship don't want to admit there are no objective standards and it's all a question of preference.