[leereeves]

When Google, Facebook, and others announced that they were banning "fake news", many on the left cheered.

But it was probably naive to assume Google would limit itself to censoring political opinions with which one disagrees.

[jim-jim-jim]

Trots != huffpo reading liberals.

Most people on the actual left weren't caught up in the "fake news/Russia/Russian fake news stole the election" hysteria because none of them supported Clinton in the first place.

[evolve2017]

I don't quite understand the snark in your response - were you, unlike the purported cheering liberals, fond of the purveyors of fake news?

[leereeves]

I don't believe it was ever about "fake news", rather it's about establishing "acceptable opinion".

As the article said:

> In a set of guidelines issued to Google evaluators in March, elaborated in April by Google VP of Engineering Ben Gomes, the company instructed its search evaluators to flag pages returning “conspiracy theories” or “upsetting” content unless “the query clearly indicates the user is seeking an alternative viewpoint.” The changes to the search rankings of WSWS content are consistent with such a mechanism.

Notice how Google said "alternative viewpoint". Alternative to what? Google seems to be establishing a new orthodoxy.

[dc_gregory]

In this context, I read "alternative viewpoint" as a polite way of saying "complete bullshit".

[KekDemaga]

Why not say "factually inaccurate information" if that is what you mean?

[nickspacek]

I'm assuming the poster is pointing out that regardless of your political leaning, it might be naive to blindly trust these companies in their battle against "fake news" as it can inadvertently (or, purposefully) lead to censorship. Well, I suppose it is censorship in any case.

[jessaustin]

"Fake news" is a bullshit category. The purpose of talking about it is not to protect poor impressionable idiots like us from misinformation. The purpose is to continue pretending that the Democrat party doesn't have to make any changes in order to appeal to a voting majority. Now they're talking about Jerry Brown... it's as if they're determined to keep Trump in office for 7 more years, and get those 38 Republican legislatures it will take to pass all those horrific Constitutional amendments that the bigots have planned.

[Gibbon1]

He's saying be very very careful what you wish for.

You can think of it this way, do you really really want some particular corporation or government agency to have that tool in their toolbox? Because if they do they'll use it.

Kinda like right to work laws designed to prevent 'illegal' emigrants from working. You really really want the government to be able to prevent you from getting a job?

[ww520]

Fake news is just the Bogeyman of the day, a pretext to exercise censorship.

[mempko]

The news that the left cheered when google and facebook censored fake news, is itself fake news.

[leereeves]

For example:

Salon/AlterNet: Fighting fake news: Google’s new fact-check tool attempts to combat a global issue

http://www.salon.com/2017/04/23/fighting-fake-news-googles-n...

Salon/AlterNet's main concern was apparently that it didn't do enough.

> this doesn’t do anything to directly combat the use of Google’s platform to spread false or offensive stories.”

[jessaustin]

Lots of people think the Democrat party is the Left.