Google It's Time To Stop

I'm sure most of you have heard by now of YouTube's new machine learning strategy to suppress "controversial" videos, by hiding them from the suggestions, disabling ads, disabling likes, comments, etc. What is less discussed is the section of their plan which includes showing videos debunking what ever you search for. This is directly from the Google blog:

We’ve started rolling out features from Jigsaw’s Redirect Method to YouTube. When people search for sensitive keywords on YouTube, they will be redirected towards a playlist of curated YouTube videos that directly confront and debunk violent extremist messages.

An update on our commitment to fight terror content online

They say this will be used to "debunk violent extremist messages" but this seems like an extremely weak argument considering YouTube is already packed with videos where people attack the flaws in extremist Islamic belief systems, actually it's those very people YouTube doesn't seem to like very much, which seems highly ironic to me.

Yesterday I was watching some political videos from people I like such as Ron Paul and Jordan Peterson and I'm seeing suggested videos in the side bar with names like "Why Ron Paul is an Idiot" or "Why Jordan Peterson is a Man Child". I wasn't really too concerned because I some times like to watch videos with differing opinions and I can just ignore them if I want.

However today I'm watching a video from LinusTechTips where they test "Apple's forgotten game console from 1996" and the suggested video "up next" is titled "Why LinusTechTips is Wrong". Seriously... I haven't watched the video so it may be making a legitimate point but come on this is ridiculous. I'm sure Linus is wrong on many occasions but that's much of the fun of watching.

This is why this whole machine learning approach worries me... first of all how can it know what should be debunked and what shouldn't? At this point it clearly doesn't have a clue, it's debunking tech channels for Christ sakes. Even if it could be programmed properly to focus on specific issues, what person(s) gets to decide those issues and which side of the debate is true?

Especially when it comes to highly subjective topics such as women being less advantaged than men. One of the Google employees recently made the argument that less women will get involved in tech, especially back-end stuff, simply because of personality differences between men and women, just as their are more female hairdressers and more male construction workers.

But of course Google has a preconceived notion of what the truth actually is, and that truth is the white male patriarchy is holding women back in the tech sector and they'll debunk any attempt to suggest otherwise. This is an extremely slippery slope especially when you hand over control to algorithms which can easily make mistakes... it's time to stop.

So much for letting people make up their own minds of what is true or garbage.. Control of everything is the goal right down to yours and other people's thoughts..

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

It does seem authoritarian that YouTube would take this approach and marginalize videos that don't pass the court of public opinion, or the incessant reporting of an offended mob, because the two are indistinguishable. It is especially troublesome because it is the unpopular opinions that should be protected most of all.

Good to see a spike in Google threads all the sudden. Great minds think alike...

If only everyone actually realized what the true agenda with this BS and the BS they appear to be protecting is really all about...



Soon.

Youtube is a loss maker for Google at this point.

This just makes it even more so.

Maybe they don't want it anymore? That's the only way to justify this from a business perspective.

Of course they don't care about the business perspective, for them it's about promoting a certain ideology and certain worldview.

Incidentally it is not an ideology or worldview that is popular, at all, on their website.

Lol...watched that Linus is wrong video about an hour ago. Pretty bad. Didn't realize there was a nefarious algorithm behind it.

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
Good to see a spike in Google threads all the sudden. Great minds think alike...

If only everyone actually realized what the true agenda with this BS and the BS they appear to be protecting is really all about...



Soon.

Notice how we are moving closer and closer to the Ministry of Truth as in the novel "1984"? Wonder what our punishments will be for not obeying after they take control of dissenting speech on the internet? Hell, look at the EU where people are being arrested for internet hate speech.....

Before you know it you've given an inch and they've taken a mile.

I think I'm going to recommend my kids leave western civ and the internet alone. Hole up on a beach in SE Asia.

if i had the brain or the resources i create what youtube needs:
competition.

I can't believe it's gotten to this point, what's next? they will automatically unsubscribe from people who's content "might cause offense"?

originally posted by: BadBoYeed
Lol...watched that Linus is wrong video about an hour ago. Pretty bad. Didn't realize there was a nefarious algorithm behind it.

Well that's the thing I don't think the people who made the video had any nefarious intent, Google can just say they're suggesting videos from everyday users. However I think they titled the video that way intentionally because they could see a trend of Google suggesting videos which oppose what ever you're looking for. They probably figured it was a good way to game the algorithm and get more views.

originally posted by: IShotMyLastMuse
if i had the brain or the resources i create what youtube needs:
competition.

I can't believe it's gotten to this point, what's next? they will automatically unsubscribe from people who's content "might cause offense"?

There are already 4 to 5 new platforms being developed. I know Hatreon is being used as competition to Patreon on the funding of content creators who have been banned from being compensated for their work. Gab.ai is working on a video platform for people where they can be tipped for their work. Things are changing but how long will the internet be free?

Imagine the possibilities with this.

Certain aspects of the American Left, particularly within the BLM movement, have the somewhat unique opinion that science should be decolonised. Which means any advancements made by white people (a fair chunk of them to say the least) should be suppressed on the basis of skin colour of who discovered and created things.

What they offered instead was promoting "African science", which was basically African shamanism picked up from random tribes. Which you know isn't science at all but religion.

If Google were to fall ill to this particular strain of SJW stupidity then their fancy 1984 AI would be used to suppress and "debunk" all the science videos that explain how the very technology came to be.

Not gonna lie, I find this amusing. I've seen several threads now complaining about these corporate products, as if there aren't alternatives. Yet people act as if they're being forced to use Google's products.

Here's an alternative idea: If so many of you right wingers are really against Google's policies, then stop using their products. In fact, you could probably launch a large movement towards some of the alternatives and significantly hurt Google's ad revenues in the process. Just as I refuse to use products from companies that I disagree with, so should you.

For example, I've never used Google Earth or Chrome. My web browser (an unpopular derivative of Firefox) has several non-Google search engines in it, with a non-Google one being the default search engine. And there a lot of video sites out there that have nothing to do with Youtube.

I do have an Android powered smartphone, but it isn't set up w/my cell phone provider. I only use it for taking pix & videos, its wireless functions have been disabled, and it's never been registered in my name. I use a really old "dumb phone" for actual calls & text messages. Why? Because I also disagree with some of their policies. I don't hate them enough to completely boycott them, but I keep my use of their products to a minimum anyway (just as I do with Microsoft products).

originally posted by: IShotMyLastMuse
if i had the brain or the resources i create what youtube needs:
competition.

I can't believe it's gotten to this point, what's next? they will automatically unsubscribe from people who's content "might cause offense"?

Already happening. Big uproar about it in December last year.

They said it wasn't happening despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It's still going on for some people.

I know not too long ago TheAmazingAthiest would systematically lose about a thousand subscribers for every video he put up regardless of how well received it was. He picked up subs when he posted nothing.

Somewhat suspicious most would think. No irregularities at all according to Google.

They really are an atrocious company.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

Not gonna lie, I find this amusing. I've seen several threads now complaining about these corporate products, as if there aren't alternatives.

There are no equal alternatives, YouTube has many of my favorite content creators and I wont leave until they leave. At the end of the day YouTube can do what they want, but bad business choices will ultimately lead to the collapse of the company as everyone decides to leave. Who will be laughing then.

originally posted by: enlightenedservant

For example, I've never used Google Earth or Chrome. My web browser (an unpopular derivative of Firefox) has several non-Google search engines in it, with a non-Google one being the default search engine. And there a lot of video sites out there that have nothing to do with Youtube.

There isn't any real competition. Google for all intents and purposes has a monopoly on the market when it comes to internet video.

It's also not a left-right issue. It affects all those across the spectrum if they happen to find issue (which is easy to do) with Googled ideology of choice. It happens to be one with no basis in reality and falls apart from the slightest scrutiny.

It's the equivalent of google declaring evangelical creationism to be 100% accurate and true, and any criticism of it is the work of the devil which must be silenced.

personally think it's a good thing.
the goal of youtube was an entertainment vehicle, not a documentary channel nor a medium for breaking news.
yes, nimrods like alex jones made money through their own version of 'entertainment' however, when his lies can lead to an equally mentally challenged guy taking a guy into a pizza shop, something's gotta give.

i understand the opening poster needs his fix of lies to keep him scared, he relies on far right lies to wrongly judge a religion but, that isn't what an entertainment channel is about.
if the bbc or itv had nigel farage front a show about islam or hitler with jews it wouldn't be entertainment it would be propaganda.

in an age where people like the opening poster crave lies and misinformation to justify their outlook it's important the next generation don't fall into that loop.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder
a reply to: Ohanka

Who says they have to be equally popular alternatives? There are a lot of other video sites out there. And if you and others are really so against Google, you can petition your favorite uploaders to also open accounts on those alternatives. Have you even checked to see if your favorite uploaders already use those alternatives?

If enough of you really feel this way, you can help those alternatives become the new popular ones. I'm old enough to remember when Webcrawler's search engine, MP3.com, Myspace, and AOL (w/their free cds) dominated the web. They fell out of favor because users actually migrated to alternatives instead of sticking w/something they don't care for. Sound familiar?

To be blunt, it just sounds like excuses to me. Have any of you even looked into alternative search engines like Ecosia or DuckDuckGo? You don't even have to like or use them specifically; the point is that they're just 2 of the many search engine alternatives that already exist. It's like complaining about Google while using GoogleDocs instead of some open source alternative like LibreOffice. Or complaining about Microsoft while still using MovieMaker & Internet Explorer instead of some free alternative.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

I already use DuckDuckGo. A fine service.

There is no alternative to YouTube. No one has the infrastructure to replicate it for the time being. Do you even know what a monopoly is?

I think in the near-ish future there will emerge an alternative once YouTube becomes totally unfriendly to content creators that it is simply not a viable medium anymore. It's already going that route as it is.

The actual company YouTube is a loss maker thanks to their decisions already.

Too late to stop YouTube. Too late to stop Google, amazon, ms, Linux, etc.