16 ms·

The ruling party released a fake document, suggesting that the opposition is engaging in subversive activities. It was fact checked by various independent agenc

The ruling party released a fake document, suggesting that the opposition is engaging in subversive activities. It was fact checked by various independent agencies and found to be a fake document. Twitter added a "manipulated media" label to those tweets. Delhi police, which is directly controlled by the Indian government raided the office of Twitter. It is not done with the intention of finding anything. It is to harass and to "send a message" that such acts won't be tolerated.

linuxftw 5y ago
Maybe Twitter shouldn't get in the middle of these types of things.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- ycombinete 5y ago
  Catch-22. When they don’t they’re attacked for harbouring, and allowing the algorithmic spread of, fake news. Besides, sites like Facebook and Twitter started to “get in the middle of these things” the moment they stopped simply showing you a chronological series of posts from people/pages you follow; to a weighted interest system, based on opaque algorithms.
  - linuxftw 5y ago
    If people are smart enough to use the internet, they're smart enough to determine for themselves who's telling the truth and who isn't. If they're not smart enough, then who cares what they think anyway?
- Vinnl 5y ago
  If Twitter just shows everyone all Tweets, people'd quickly get overwhelmed, and a few very active Twitter users would drown out all the rest. So they add an algorithm that tries to determine which Tweets a user is most likely to want to see - now they're in the middle, deciding what someone sees.
  - linuxftw 5y ago
    People are free to follow or unfollow whoever they choose. If they want to play 'fact checker' then they will be subject to regulations.
harles 5y ago
Who knows what data they might try to harvest in the process. It’s a scary situation. Hopefully Twitter has good safeguards against such tactics.
skavi 5y ago
What is up with the comments in this thread? How are people seeing this as the Indian government taking a stand against censorship or whatever? The same government is upset that Twitter reinstated several accounts critical of the administration.
- neither_color 5y ago
  My guess is that people of certain political leanings have seen multiple stories "fact-checked" by Facebook/Twitter/Google as false and suppressed turn out to be true or partially true months down the line. These people are relieved to see another government, any government, give twitter/facebook/google "what's coming to it"
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    > people of certain political leanings have seen multiple stories "fact-checked" by Facebook/Twitter/Google as false and suppressed turn out to be true or partially true months down the line. Nothing is perfect, but what are you referring to specifically?
    - sol_invictus 5y ago
      Politifact and COVID origin
      - wolverine876 5y ago
        Any basis for this? The origin is unknown, afaik.
        sol_invictus 5y ago
        Problem is and was stating ”lab origin” as a false narrative when we truly just don’t know. Of course a Politifact that says ”we dont know” is useless and so they have to invent truths to be relevant.
      - 5y ago
actuator 5y ago
I have followed this building up on Twitter and as someone not intimately familiar with this. > The ruling party released a fake document It very well might be(not that I know about this), but how did Twitter figure this out? As far as I understand, there has been accusations from both sides without proof. I will be really scared if Twitter is taking a stand based on their judgement of what might have happened. Already, censorship and control by social media platforms is on a slippery slope. We can't let them become the arbiters of truth. It might suit one side today but might not suit the same tomorrow when decision comes from a black box. Also, yes these platforms are private spaces but they hold too much power in shaping the public discourse.
- wolverine876 5y ago
  >> The ruling party released a fake document > It very well might be(not that I know about this), but how did Twitter figure this out? As far as I understand, there has been accusations from both sides without proof. The article answers your question: A prominent fact-checking organization examined the document. You can then question the fact-checking organization, and eventually nobody can say anything. Should government be the arbiter of truth? About it's own political candidates?
  - actuator 5y ago
    I read through it and it says part of the document has been admitted to be true. > You can then question the fact-checking organization, and eventually nobody can say anything. If I am a citizen of the said country, is a private fact checking organisation answerable to me? I am not saying they are lying, but what are the checks and balances on them. > Should government be the arbiter of truth? About it's own political candidates? Elected governments shouldn't be, but isn't this why other arms of the government exist, like judiciary. You might question judidicary as well but at least on some level they are bound by their constitutional duties and have to follow the law of the land. My worry is, in a lot of places in the world, the more we delegate this trust to private entities, th more powerful we make them. They aren't answerable to people of those countries.

linuxftw 5y ago

Maybe Twitter shouldn't get in the middle of these types of things.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
ycombinete 5y ago
Catch-22. When they don’t they’re attacked for harbouring, and allowing the algorithmic spread of, fake news. Besides, sites like Facebook and Twitter started to “get in the middle of these things” the moment they stopped simply showing you a chronological series of posts from people/pages you follow; to a weighted interest system, based on opaque algorithms.
- linuxftw 5y ago
  If people are smart enough to use the internet, they're smart enough to determine for themselves who's telling the truth and who isn't. If they're not smart enough, then who cares what they think anyway?
Vinnl 5y ago
If Twitter just shows everyone all Tweets, people'd quickly get overwhelmed, and a few very active Twitter users would drown out all the rest. So they add an algorithm that tries to determine which Tweets a user is most likely to want to see - now they're in the middle, deciding what someone sees.
- linuxftw 5y ago
  People are free to follow or unfollow whoever they choose. If they want to play 'fact checker' then they will be subject to regulations.

harles 5y ago

Who knows what data they might try to harvest in the process. It’s a scary situation. Hopefully Twitter has good safeguards against such tactics.

skavi 5y ago

What is up with the comments in this thread? How are people seeing this as the Indian government taking a stand against censorship or whatever? The same government is upset that Twitter reinstated several accounts critical of the administration.

neither_color 5y ago
My guess is that people of certain political leanings have seen multiple stories "fact-checked" by Facebook/Twitter/Google as false and suppressed turn out to be true or partially true months down the line. These people are relieved to see another government, any government, give twitter/facebook/google "what's coming to it"
- wolverine876 5y ago
  > people of certain political leanings have seen multiple stories "fact-checked" by Facebook/Twitter/Google as false and suppressed turn out to be true or partially true months down the line. Nothing is perfect, but what are you referring to specifically?
  - sol_invictus 5y ago
    Politifact and COVID origin
    - wolverine876 5y ago
      Any basis for this? The origin is unknown, afaik.
      - sol_invictus 5y ago
        Problem is and was stating ”lab origin” as a false narrative when we truly just don’t know. Of course a Politifact that says ”we dont know” is useless and so they have to invent truths to be relevant.
    - 5y ago

actuator 5y ago

I have followed this building up on Twitter and as someone not intimately familiar with this. > The ruling party released a fake document It very well might be(not that I know about this), but how did Twitter figure this out? As far as I understand, there has been accusations from both sides without proof. I will be really scared if Twitter is taking a stand based on their judgement of what might have happened. Already, censorship and control by social media platforms is on a slippery slope. We can't let them become the arbiters of truth. It might suit one side today but might not suit the same tomorrow when decision comes from a black box. Also, yes these platforms are private spaces but they hold too much power in shaping the public discourse.

wolverine876 5y ago
>> The ruling party released a fake document > It very well might be(not that I know about this), but how did Twitter figure this out? As far as I understand, there has been accusations from both sides without proof. The article answers your question: A prominent fact-checking organization examined the document. You can then question the fact-checking organization, and eventually nobody can say anything. Should government be the arbiter of truth? About it's own political candidates?
- actuator 5y ago
  I read through it and it says part of the document has been admitted to be true. > You can then question the fact-checking organization, and eventually nobody can say anything. If I am a citizen of the said country, is a private fact checking organisation answerable to me? I am not saying they are lying, but what are the checks and balances on them. > Should government be the arbiter of truth? About it's own political candidates? Elected governments shouldn't be, but isn't this why other arms of the government exist, like judiciary. You might question judidicary as well but at least on some level they are bound by their constitutional duties and have to follow the law of the land. My worry is, in a lot of places in the world, the more we delegate this trust to private entities, th more powerful we make them. They aren't answerable to people of those countries.