New York Times: Advertisers Boycott YouTube After Pedophiles Swarm Comments on Videos of Children. “Nestlé, Epic Games and other major brands said on Wednesday that they had stopped buying advertisements on YouTube after their ads appeared on children’s videos where pedophiles had infiltrated the comment sections.” Just a little over a month after AT&T returned to YouTube after yanking its advertising over offensive videos.
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Digital Trends: Facebook removes one-click comment test after users call the tool ‘dystopian’
Digital Trends: Facebook removes one-click comment test after users call the tool ‘dystopian’. “Facebook started testing an auto comment feature and promptly disabled it after users called the tool’s suggested comments on news coverage of a shooting ‘dystopian.’ Facebook users recently spotted comment suggestions on multiple types of Facebook posts, but the idea of an algorithm suggesting a comment for a disaster didn’t sit well with users. According to BuzzFeed, Facebook disabled the test after uproar over the feature.”
Search Engine Journal: Google to Let Users Leave Comments on Search Results
Search Engine Journal: Google to Let Users Leave Comments on Search Results . “Google is preparing to roll out a new feature that will allow users to leave comments on search results. This feature was revealed in an official Google help document that explains how users can leave comments and read comments from others.” I read this and cackled out loud. What could possibly go wrong?
New York Times: The Internet Trolls Have Won. Sorry, There’s Not Much You Can Do.
New York Times: The Internet Trolls Have Won. Sorry, There’s Not Much You Can Do.. “This column is going to be a bit unusual. Typically, I write about a broad tech problem and offer some solutions. But this week, I’ve stumbled into a topic that many agree has no easy fix: online comments. Over the last decade, commenting has expanded beyond a box under web articles and videos and into social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. That has opened the door to more aggressive bullying, harassment and the ability to spread misinformation — often with difficult real-life consequences.”
New York Times: Women Making Science Videos on YouTube Face Hostile Comments
New York Times: Women Making Science Videos on YouTube Face Hostile Comments. “After studying 23,005 comments left on videos about science and related topics, a researcher says, ‘I could see why people would not want to be on YouTube.'”
Bringing the Public Back In: Can the Comment Process Be Fixed? (New America)
New America: Bringing the Public Back In: Can the Comment Process Be Fixed?. “The public deserves a voice in the decisions we make as a democracy, including the regulations that govern our economy, foster competitive markets, and protect individual rights. In recent decades, the public comment process for agency decision-making has been the principal way in which government agencies understand and reflect the view of not only experts but average citizens whose lives will be affected by these choices. In order to participate meaningfully in decisions, citizens also need access to information about the agency and the data it has collected. But these processes—the public comment process, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and other transparency rules—are facing profound threats.”
The Next Web: Facebook is testing ‘private comments’ to save you from idiots
The Next Web: Facebook is testing ‘private comments’ to save you from idiots. “Facebook is experimenting with privacy settings that apply to individual comments. This means that you could write a reply to a thread, but only pre-approved individuals can see it. “
