this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
824 points (96.0% liked)

Technology

58303 readers
9 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

YouTube and Reddit are sued for allegedly enabling the racist mass shooting in Buffalo that left 10 dead::The complementary lawsuits claim that the massacre in 2022 was made possible by tech giants, a local gun shop, and the gunman’s parents.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

interesting… whether the sites will be found liable…. it’s pretty unlikely, but it sure does shine a spotlight on how each are magnets for alt-right crazies. I wonder if that will have any effect on their moderation?

I doubt it.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They're also "magnets" for progressive, liberal, conservative and all other crazies and normal people. That's mostly because everyone uses them. It's the most popular video sharing site and (one of?) the most popular social media site.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

yeah, but progressives and liberals and all other "crazies and normal people" aren’t the ones committing mass shootings all the time.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Right, but since YouTube and Facebook are two of the most popular sites in the world, they aren't really just magnets for alt-right crazies, since they appeal to almost everybody.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

right, but “everybody” aren’t the ones committing mass shootings all the time. that’s an alt-right crazies problem.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Ok so isn't the issue at hand whether the sites are to blame?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ok so isn’t the issue at hand whether the sites are to blame?

let’s break this down so I can answer you in what I think is an honest way:

  1. Are the sites legally responsible for the content they host, generally speaking and/or in this context of radicalization and such subsequent results as these?

and

  1. Do these sites bear any social/moral responsibility to moderate their more extreme content in good faith to try to prevent this sort of result?

and

  1. Is there an overlap of 1 and 2?

1 - this is for a court to decide. I’m not familiar enough with the very specifics of case law or with the suits being brought to know exactly what is being alleged, etc. I can’t opine on this other that to say that, from what I do know, it’s unlikely that a court would hold these sites legally responsible.

2 - I fully believe that, yes, sites like these, massive, general-use public sites have a social and moral responsibility to keep their platforms safe. How and what that means is a matter for much debate, and I’m sure people here will do just that.

3 - is there overlap? again, legally, I’m not sure, but there might be, and in the near future, there might be much more. also, should there be more? another subject for debate.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

They aren't being sued for being "magnets."

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)