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by jongjong 917 days ago
For example, they were happy about social media platforms censoring or otherwise suppressing content which opposed the COVID19 vaccine mandates; they didn't raise any alarms there while there was actual substantial manipulation of the algorithms involved...

But now that X has mostly removed filtering and manipulations from the algorithms, they begin proceedings against it! Just because they don't like the kind of content that people posted. They don't want people to have equal voice.
2 comments
RandomLensman 917 days ago
Not sure what the issue is? European countries not being allowed to have their own culture around speech (which rolls up into the EU to some extent)?
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jongjong 917 days ago
I don't think it's the job of EU government to manipulate the algorithms to suit their values. Their job is the opposite of that; to ensure that the algorithms operate with as little manipulation as possible so that every individual has equal voice/reach on these platforms (at least equal on a per-follower basis) with as little manipulation as possible.

As someone who didn't have much prejudice about the current Israel/Palestine situation, I appreciated seeing both sides; it allowed me to come to the conclusion that both sides fall short of my own moral values and therefore I don't need to involve myself in debates about the lesser or two evils.

Maybe other people with different morals than myself felt that one side met their 'good guy' threshold and wants to support them. They're free to voice their support, but I'd like to keep my taxpayer money in my own country where it can support people whose morals more closely align with my own.

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RandomLensman 917 days ago
The EU as well as nation states have laws to uphold and policy/social objectives that might require that. The way to change that is to change laws, customs, and objectives. You are welcome to push down that route, of course.
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gwervc 917 days ago
> You are welcome to push down that route, of course.

Of course not, precisely because public speech including on media such as twitter is heavily censored.

The trick is gross but effective: treat ideas threatening to the system as illegal so they can be fought using the legal system instead of the political one. It's a power grab to silence Europeans. Same old trick used in China, Iran, any autocracy really.

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RandomLensman 917 days ago
There is nothing heavily censored. You have new parties rising up, for example, nothing stopping that.
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lispm 917 days ago
> to ensure that the algorithms operate with as little manipulation as possible so that every individual has equal voice/reach on these platforms

The companies do that? In which alternate world do you live?

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exceptione 917 days ago
Please realize that the anti-vaccine nonsense is content driven by hostile regimes, ie China and Russia.

I will give you some links:

- https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-china-covid-disinformation-ca...

- https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/foreign-disinformation-...

- https://www.politico.eu/article/antivax-conspiracy-lean-pro-...

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logicchains 917 days ago
Who said anything about vaccines? Some European countries have been penalising people for entirely organic anti-immigration sentiments.
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exceptione 917 days ago
I have never heard of people being "penalized". If you violate the law, for example by discriminating someone, you can get a penalty indeed.

You can have all your "anti-immigration sentiments", but you are not going to be penalized. You can be completely opposed against immigration, and if you have some good arguments, you can calmly post them anywhere. I fear that "sentiment" is doing a lot of work here.

Besides: what looks like organic in extremist circles is often not. You start with a business model and you will gather a herd. You just have to feed them.

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lispm 917 days ago
European countries are under attack by the Russian regime, if you missed it. Immigration was and is used as a weapon to destabilize European countries. Russia was/is financing immigration hostile parties and organizations in Europe.

An example:

https://www.dw.com/en/poland-says-belarus-russia-behind-new-...

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/09/22/le-pen-s...

Because of the Russian war against the Ukraine, Europe currently hosts millions (> 4 million) of additional refugees.

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