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Reddit has banned nearly 7,000 hateful subreddits since June 29th
Reddit has banned nearly 7,000 hateful subreddits since its new content policies went into effect.
Microsoft releases a free tool to fight online child abuse
Microsoft has developed a new technique to detect and report predators who attempt to lure children online. Dubbed "Project Artemis," the technology will be made available for free to qualifying online service companies that offer a chat function.
Facebook’s ‘privacy-focused’ plan is another diversion
When Mark Zuckerberg took the stage at F8 2019, he once again outlined the company's new "privacy-focused" vision. It's a message he's been spreading over the past few months, and it will focus on six key principles: encryption, interoperability, ephemerality, safety, secure data storage and private interactions. While Zuckerberg went all in on how Facebook-owned apps will soon work seamlessly together, and how private conversations will play a key role, he seemed unaware the new plan could create problems of its own.
Former Facebook moderator sues over mental trauma
Facebook's content moderators don't have an easy task. They often have to see the very worst of what people post, including graphic violence and sexual abuse. And while the social network has resources to help, at least one former worker doesn't believe that's enough. Ex-contractor Selena Scola has sued Facebook for allegedly "ignoring its duty" to protect moderators who deal with mental trauma after seeing disturbing imagery. Rather than create a safe environment, it's producing a "revolving door of contractors" who are permanently scarred by what they've seen, Scola's lawyer Korey Nelson said.
Facebook pulls back the curtain on its content moderators
When someone reports an offensive post on Facebook (or asks for a review on a message caught by its automatic filters, where does it go? Part of the the process is, as it always has been, powered by humans, with thousands of content reviewers around the world. Last year Facebook said it would expand the team to 7,500 people, and in an update posted today explaining more about their jobs, it appears that mark has been hit. The size is intended to have people available for review in a post's native language, although some items like nudity might be handled without regard to location. Of course, there's extensive training and ongoing reviews to try and keep everyone consistent -- although some would argue that the bar for consistency is misplaced. Facebook didn't reveal too much about the individuals behind the moderation curtain, specifically citing the shooting at YouTube's HQ, even though it's had firsthand experience with leaking identities to the wrong people before. It did however bring up how the moderators are treated, insisting they aren't required to hit quotas while noting that they have full health benefits and access to mental health care. While it might not make understanding Facebook's screening criteria any easier -- or let us know if Michael Bivins is part of the rulemaking process -- the post is a reminder that, at least for now, there is still a human side to the system.
YouTube moderators inadvertently removed right-wing channels
YouTube's crackdown on conspiracy theories in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting has had some unintended casualties. The streaming video firm has confirmed to Bloomberg that its human moderators inadvertently removed videos and took down channels from right-wing and pro-gun outlets. Newcomers to YouTube's moderation team can "misapply" its policies, a spokesperson said, which led to "mistaken removals" of content. The site vowed to reinstate material it had incorrectly pulled.
Ask Massively: Everything in moderation
Happy Fourth of July, Americans, and happy new columnist day to Massively! Yes, it's official: Anatoli Ingram will be joining the Massively staff this month as our new Guild Wars 2 columnist. Those of you who dwell in the land of comments and trolls might recognize him from his erudite posts as Ring Bonefield. We're thrilled to have him on board to lend a pen and a critical eye to such a popular game, and we were equally thrilled at the impressive pool of applicants. Thank you all for applying! Speaking of commenters, we have comments on the brain today in Ask Massively. Let's review how -- or more specifically, when -- we moderate the comment section.
Welcome to the new Engadget commenting system, Livefyre
Greetings readers and commenters. We here at Engadget are always working hard to provide you with the best reading experience we possibly can. To do this, we're making a clean break from our old commenting system -- starting anew in the interests of elevating the discourse that occurs in our comments. Yes, we know that change can be inconvenient at best and scary at worst, but fear not, dear readers, for Livefyre is here to improve your Engadget commenting experience. All you have to do is create a Livefyre account or login using your existing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or OpenID credentials. And before you ask, no, your Disqus account cannot be ported to the new system. Everyone needs a fresh start sometimes, okay? This is one of those times. Eager to learn more? Want to help make our comments better? The answers you seek are after the break.
Commenting on Engadget: a refresher, and how you can help
It's been far, far too long since we've had an excuse to run that rad picture of dinosaurs with laser guns. It's also been some time since we offered up a gentle reminder about the delicate dance that is the Engadget comments system -- and since things seem to have gone off the rails a bit lately, we've found a good way to accomplish both tasks. After the break, you'll discover everything you need to know in order to become a valued member of the world of Engadget commenting. As ever, we reserve the right to delete those comments that we deem to be trollin' or hatin' -- and to ban repeat offenders. We don't like banning people, and we realize that haters do have to hate, but we do want to encourage active and open debate. This is the best way for us to do that. Of course, to keep things on track we need some assistance, and while a few, proud comment moderators have been helping out for months now, it's time to invite a few more into the fold. More information on how to become a member of the elite moderating forces after the break.
Commenting on Engadget: a refresher
Hey there, it's time for yet another refresher on the wonderful world of Engadget comments. After the break you'll find our "human's guide" to commenting, a sort of care and feeding guide for your Disqus account. If you've been here for awhile (hello, you) it should be mighty familiar but, since the flow of the commenters has hugely increased lately, we're going to be more strict for awhile, deleting any comments we deem to be trollin' or hatin' and banning repeat offenders. We don't like banning people, and we realize that haters do have to hate, but we love encouraging active and open debate down there. This is the best way for us to do that. Read on for some guidelines to keep in mind.
Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing pt. 2
Problem number two is Sony's lack of action. Moderators are few and far between, the automated system in place doesn't work too well, and people feel that they can get away with whatever they want. There's no sense of authority or control in Home, and that's a detriment. Now, I'm not pushing for everyone to be horribly oppressed, but there needs to be some sense of order and control that's apparent to the players. When word spreads that you can't get away with certain behaviors, the behavior begins to diminish over time.And, finally, problem number three -- there are avatars involved. Even if your turn off their voice chat and visual text chat, you still have a crazy annoying avatar chasing after you, clipping your torso when you go to bowl that next frame. The answer to this problem is to simply ignore him, as he will probably go away, but this phenomenon is still annoying and not fun for any user. You just want to play your game sans problems, right?Xbox Live seems to have have found the solution to these problems by sheer accident. Then answer is simply to avoid these problems by not doing them. It doesn't over-promise content, it does provide control for the users, and it avoids visual avatars in most games. (Except in the case of the Xbox Live vision camera; we're just going to temporarily forget about that. Especially as it only works with a few games.)The success comes from the fact that if you mute someone and report them for harassment, Xbox Live makes sure you avoid that player in your online play. If the automatic matchmaking has a choice between game A and game B, and game A has a person you hate in it, you'll be placed in game B without noticing it. Home does not have that luxury because the entire world is linked together. You mute someone and there's no guarantee that you'll never see him again.So what can Home do? I say introduce the ultimate ban -- avatar removal. You mute someone and it removes their avatar from on screen for you. You don't see them, you don't hear them, you don't worry about them. Sure, you might end up banning half of the Home community, but now you have control over what you see and do in Home.In the end, that's what it all comes down to -- user control. Let the user determine their own experience; don't force it on them. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who really likes all of the controls that Xbox Live provides, even if he can't buy a virtual couch for his Xbox Dashboard. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.
Funcom seeks volunteer forum moderators
Funcom posted a bulletin seeking volunteers to moderate the official Age of Conan forums. The game will be launching in just over a week, so if you're a particularly passionate member of its community, this is probably a good time to jump on board.All you need: strong English language skills, an infraction-free couple of months of history on the AoC forums, "organization skills," and a little bit of forum moderation experience. It's too bad it's not a paying gig, but there's no doubt that there are people out there who are committed enough to the game that they'll help out for free. So if you're one of those people, head on over; Funcom has provided a application for you to fill out.Just don't be too shocked when you end up spending hours every day battling level 80 elite trolls.
