What's in the News? 2.0

[Oniya]

how youtube encourages people to watch more extreme of videos and voices via their system with recommendations that lead to far right extremists, conspiracy theorists, and Neo Nazis such as Steven Crowder, Lauren Southern, Stefan Molyneux, Paul Joseph Watson, and more. It contains information from former workers at youtube on how the algorithms were designed explicitly without care for preventing harm, and that the goal was engagement, views, and view time, or in other words money.

I read a very disturbing article recently about how the YouTube algorithm can lead pedophiles to people's home videos.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/world/americas/youtube-pedophiles.html

[clonkertink]

I think one of the problems is that the algorithm isn't really designed. It's self-creating, thanks to the power of machine learning. Youtube told the computer, "find an optimal way to get people to keep watching videos." And the algorithm said, "Done! People keep watching videos when I show them progressively more extreme content."

This isn't to absolve youtube (or any social media site) of responsibility for their algorithm's behaviours. I think the ethics of machine learning is going to be one of the most important fields of study in the coming decades. Any time I see the topic come up, it reminds me of this TED talk here.

https://youtu.be/iFTWM7HV2UI

[Tolvo]

I was talking about it here in this post.

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=299203.msg14908759#msg14908759

Unsure if others read those as well or not, but figured I'd link it(It was two pages ago and near the bottom of the page). More sources on this and other issues on youtube. Youtube's reliance on neural networks and algorithms has had a really negative impact, especially given the company's lackluster attempts to solve problems of extremism. Some things are good changes, like now underneath videos on the subject of something that has popular conspiracy theories it links to wikipedia at the bottom of the video as a part of it about the conspiracy theory(Though wikipedia also has lots of problems but at least it does help explain a bit more). But their encouragement of harassment and hatred after events like these, is extremely worrying. They will demonetize videos by trans and queer creators rather regularly while pushing extremely bigoted videos which are more often available to be monetized, though most of them rely on crowd funding. They're now in talks for certain cities about whether or not to ban youtube from Pride Parades.

[TheGlyphstone]

Anyone remember the Microsoft chat bot that trolls turned into a hhate spewing racist via machine learning abuse?

[Skynet]

Tay, I believe?

[gaggedLouise]

Iran has decided to begin stockpiling enriched uranium again, breaking the agreed limit by the end of the month. This effectively means the Iran nuclear treaty is dead, and that Trump managed to break it down. :(

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48661843

[ShadowFox89]

When you have a deranged fat man sabre wrattling towards you, you're going to take every measure possible to ensure your safety. I honestly don't blame Iran.

[gaggedLouise]

When you have a deranged fat man sabre wrattling towards you, you're going to take every measure possible to ensure your safety. I honestly don't blame Iran.

Neither do I. From their point of view, they have been ringed for almost twenty years by countries that either have nukes or where other states might launch their nukes: Russia, Kazakstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, India, Saudi Arabia, The UAE, Iraq, Israel, Turkey, Syria...

I don't like the regime at all, but it's not hard to understand their need for precautions, and it would be naive to think that the pressure would disappear if only they were a more democratic country but still didn't want the US to meddle with them.

[Callie Del Noire]

Neither do I. From their point of view, they have been ringed for almost twenty years by countries that either have nukes or where other states might launch their nukes: Russia, Kazakstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, India, Saudi Arabia, The UAE, Iraq, Israel, Turkey, Syria...

I don't like the regime at all, but it's not hard to understand their need for precautions, and it would be naive to think that the pressure would disappear if only they were a more democratic country but still didn't want the US to meddle with them.

Well, considering the last democratic government they had was pulled down by the US and replaced by the Shah do you blame them for being scared of the West in general and the US in specific?

[Tolvo]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/17/claim-alex-jones-child-sex-abuse-images-sandy-hook-victims

https://www.ctpost.com/local/ctpost/article/Lawyers-Alex-Jones-sent-child-porn-to-Sandy-Hook-14005437.php

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/alex-jones-child-porn-emails-sandy-hook

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/17/infowars-alex-jones-sent-child-porn-sandy-hook-lawyers-docs-say/1481412001/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyers-infowars-host-alex-jones-child-porn-63770292

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/18/alex-jones-documents-sent-to-sandy-hook-families-contained-child-porn.html

Content warnings for pedophilia and transphobia.

In the midst of the court case against far right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who harassed and targeted the families of the children murdered at Sandy Hook, it has been found that in various documents he sent to the lawyers suing him there was embedded child pornography. The turned it over to the FBI, who confirmed they did contain child porn and that they did come from Alex Jones and his lawyer. Jones is claiming they were planted, at first alleging the people suing him did it and threatened them while beating a phone of one of them, and offered a million dollars for their head on a pike life on stream amid other threats. He has since backed down to claiming that someone planted it in his emails and he simply didn't know, then they were sent without realizing there was child porn within them.

I have to say for all the things Alex Jones has done, this is probably something that may have doomed him most since this is an explicit trail and even if he isn't a pedophile, he sent child porn to a law firm and threatened pretty blatantly the people suing him. I don't really know how he can in any way worm his way out of this one given the FBI confirmed the child porn was from him.

[Beorning]

Here's one of the biggest news subjects over here right now:

Trigger warning for violent crimes against children

https://www.tvn24.pl/tvn24-news-in-english,157,m/poland-detained-man-admitted-to-murdering-a-10-year-old-girl,945511.html

Last Thursday, in a small town of Mrowiny, a 10 years old girl went missing when coming home from school. After a few hours' search, she was found dead in the nearby forest... According to the police, the girl has been brutally stabbed multiple times - and there was also signs of sexual harm on the body.

For the next few days, everybody assumed that horrific crime was committed by a sexual predator... but, on Sunday, the supposed perpetrator was found - 22 years old man. Apparently, his motive was *not* sexual... He was in some sort of loose relationship with the girl's mother - and he was jealous of the strong relationship between the girl and the mother. So, he coldly decided to murder the girl to be able to be close with the mother... And the supposed traces of sexual abuse of the girl? The guy actually planned everything through and deliberately made the girl's body look like she had been molested by the killer. He also planned an alibi for himself... All in all: a totally cold, calculated murder.

Ugh. :(

[Lustful Bride]

UK has first 3d Printed Gun conviction. Suspect had a weapon 3D printed that was designed and capable of firing live ammunition, though claimed it was for a film project. Which doesn't make much sense since you can just buy a toy or BB gun, paint it and then film. With CGI you don't even need a replica that can fire blanks and lots of student films use CGI for the gun effects. (Even Hollywood movies do so now)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/uk-makes-first-conviction-over-3d-printed-gun/ar-AAD7lbl?ocid=spartandhp

[Markus]

Well, considering the last democratic government they had was pulled down by the US and replaced by the Shah do you blame them for being scared of the West in general and the US in specific?

Well one way or the other, things are definitely heating up in the middle east.

US confirms drone was shot down by Iranian missile

[Callie Del Noire]

The world dismays me more and more..

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/20/petition-netflix-cancel-amazon-prime-good-omens-christian-neil-gaiman-terry-pratchett?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR3ghmFEBuqMtdPQfICF58SdXp1PWVjQcZqvx1K84GDk26wfFryEmFYTfek

Well one way or the other, things are definitely heating up in the middle east.

US confirms drone was shot down by Iranian missile

I honestly think that, given our current order of battle in the military, that one more ‘war’ would be too much

[Sara Nilsson]

https://gizmodo.com/u-s-government-says-its-not-required-to-provide-migran-1835688631

The U.S. Justice Department argued in federal court this week that government agencies like Customs and Border Protection have no responsibility to provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap to migrant kids who are currently held in America’s vast network of concentration camps. Human rights organizations have previously reported that migrants don’t have access to these and other basic toiletries while in U.S. detention, increasing the individual health risks and the potential for a widespread health outbreak.

I am at a loss for words.

[legomaster00156]

https://gizmodo.com/u-s-government-says-its-not-required-to-provide-migran-1835688631

I am at a loss for words.

We continue to treat immigrants with all of the respect and dignity they are entitled to as human beings... 

[Regina Minx]

https://gizmodo.com/u-s-government-says-its-not-required-to-provide-migran-1835688631

I am at a loss for words.

Jesus wept.

[legomaster00156]

Well, if anyone wants good-ish news, the insane theocratic pedophile Roy Moore is running for Senate again. Possibly the only Republican (I considered quotation marks, but no, he is very much a modern Republican) who Doug Jones can beat, and has beaten.

[Kitteredge]

Well, if anyone wants good-ish news, the insane theocratic pedophile Roy Moore is running for Senate again. Possibly the only Republican (I considered quotation marks, but no, he is very much a modern Republican) who Doug Jones can beat, and has beaten.

Much has been made of Moore as a pedophile, but to be honest I think Jones won as much because he prosecuted the white terrorists who bombed and murdered the little black girls in the Civil Rights era. The black turnout was very high for the very rare white figure who gives a shit about black people in that state (or much of anywhere).

[Markus]

I honestly think that, given our current order of battle in the military, that one more ‘war’ would be too much

Its all happenin folks.

Trump 'pulls back after approving military strikes'

[Tolvo]

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/20/uk/uk-mark-field-greenpeace-protester-intl-hnk/index.html

A UK politician is being investigated for slamming a protester against a pillar at a dinner event where she was unarmed and was walking past him. He grabbed her by the throat and forced her out of the venue. Surprisingly he has apologized and said while he did it out of fear for security reasons that he assaulted the woman and clearly used excessive force. She is from Greenpeace. It's honestly surprising to see an actual apology like that, people tend to just endlessly double down and deny these days. Various of his fellows before his apology came out defended his actions and said it's what anyone should do and that she was lucky he showed restraint.

[gaggedLouise]

Its all happenin folks.

Trump 'pulls back after approving military strikes'

Trump and Bolton have been working for a year or so to get their war against Iran, and they're unlikely to have to wait much longer. It's not just that they really want it (no matter what Trump is babbling about being a man of peace who likes negotiations) - they have also mentally painted themselves into a corner. There's been so much bluster and talk about Iranian challenges and stuff that it would be very difficult for these two men to *now* climb down from their sabre-rattling and begin any meaningful negotiations or other non-military measures against Iran. Trump wants this to look like, if not March 2003, at least some sort of hard unified offensive against the mullahs.

[Iniquitous]

Trump and Bolton have been working for a year or so to get their war against Iran, and they're unlikely to have to wait much longer. It's not just that they really want it (no matter what Trump is babbling about being a man of peace who likes negotiations) - they have also mentally painted themselves into a corner. There's been so much bluster and talk about Iranian challenges and stuff that it would be very difficult for these two men to *now* climb down from their sabre-rattling and begin any meaningful negotiations or other non-military measures against Iran. Trump wants this to look like, if not March 2003, at least some sort of hard unified offensive against the mullahs.

Want to know why 45 backed down?  Because Putin.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/449546-putin-warns-war-between-us-and-iran-would-be-catastrophe

Daddy Putin stepped in, 45 tucked tail and obeyed.

[gaggedLouise]

Want to know why 45 backed down?  Because Putin.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/449546-putin-warns-war-between-us-and-iran-would-be-catastrophe

Daddy Putin stepped in, 45 tucked tail and obeyed.

Very interesting! :)

- and then just happened to land on this strange news story, at the same very respectable news site:  https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/449660-hail-satan-opening-prayer-at-alaska-government-meeting-prompts-walkouts

[Sara Nilsson]

Very interesting! :)

- and then just happened to land on this strange news story, at the same very respectable news site:  https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/449660-hail-satan-opening-prayer-at-alaska-government-meeting-prompts-walkouts

Yeah I saw Lucien's post about it, it was really a wonderful invocation. Then again, as a member of TST I may be a tad biased.