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Should Facebook block every lie? Where exactly does that line fall? How, anyway, do you distinguish with certainty between a lie and a misunderstanding?

mgraczyk 5y ago
In some cases it's hard to tell where the line should fall. This isn't one of those. In general you can't distinguish but fortunately that doesn't matter. Facebook doesn't block lies, it blocks "known misinformation". The information in the linked article is known to be false, and it is harmful, so it's blocked.
otterley 5y ago
Why don’t we judge each action on its individual merits instead? Why can’t we simply say “yup, this site is a problem, nothing of value lost here” without worrying about whether they’re going to block speech about whether 2 or 3 teaspoons of yeast is the right amount to put in a loaf of bread, or whether my candidate for school board is better than yours? Let me be super clear here: nobody is entitled to use other people’s stuff to make trouble or potentially harm society. Not your mother’s house; not Facebook’s messenger. If anyone gets to use anyone else’s stuff, it is at the owner’s pleasure and under their conditions.
- chillacy 5y ago
  I ran into this block last year trying to send a link with a comment like "wow this is wild, if this is what people really believe our democracy is in trouble <link>", that felt like a hinderance to even discussing the problem.
  - DonHopkins 5y ago
    That's the very definition of concern trolling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll#Concern_troll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll#Concern_troll
    - eitland 5y ago
      > A concern troll is a false-flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the troll claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group's actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with professed "concerns". The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt within the group often by appealing to outrage culture.[63] This is a particular case of sockpuppeting and safe-baiting. So no? The person you reply to is a 7 year old account in good standing. Also let me give you another example: licensed medical doctors being unable to have a technical discussion between themselves about Ivermectin in one channel and having to move elsewhere.
  - otterley 5y ago
    This edge case, while admittedly existing, doesn’t seem worth wringing our hands over. There are other channels available for that.

mgraczyk 5y ago

In some cases it's hard to tell where the line should fall. This isn't one of those. In general you can't distinguish but fortunately that doesn't matter. Facebook doesn't block lies, it blocks "known misinformation". The information in the linked article is known to be false, and it is harmful, so it's blocked.

otterley 5y ago

Why don’t we judge each action on its individual merits instead? Why can’t we simply say “yup, this site is a problem, nothing of value lost here” without worrying about whether they’re going to block speech about whether 2 or 3 teaspoons of yeast is the right amount to put in a loaf of bread, or whether my candidate for school board is better than yours? Let me be super clear here: nobody is entitled to use other people’s stuff to make trouble or potentially harm society. Not your mother’s house; not Facebook’s messenger. If anyone gets to use anyone else’s stuff, it is at the owner’s pleasure and under their conditions.

chillacy 5y ago
I ran into this block last year trying to send a link with a comment like "wow this is wild, if this is what people really believe our democracy is in trouble <link>", that felt like a hinderance to even discussing the problem.
- DonHopkins 5y ago
  That's the very definition of concern trolling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll#Concern_troll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll#Concern_troll
  - eitland 5y ago
    > A concern troll is a false-flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the troll claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group's actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with professed "concerns". The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt within the group often by appealing to outrage culture.[63] This is a particular case of sockpuppeting and safe-baiting. So no? The person you reply to is a 7 year old account in good standing. Also let me give you another example: licensed medical doctors being unable to have a technical discussion between themselves about Ivermectin in one channel and having to move elsewhere.
- otterley 5y ago
  This edge case, while admittedly existing, doesn’t seem worth wringing our hands over. There are other channels available for that.