hatespeech
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French anti-racism groups target Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Twitter, YouTube and Facebook will face legal complaints from three anti-racism groups in France, according to Le Monde. The French Jewish student union (UEJF), SOS Racisme and SOS Homophobie claim that the social networks failed to take down illegal hate speech material as required by French law. After a week-long test by the groups, the companies deleted only a fraction of videos, tweets and comments with themes like racism, homophobia and holocaust denial, they say.
Facebook, Google and Twitter agree to delete some hate speech
Germany has long complained that major internet services don't do enough to fight hate speech, and it now looks like those companies are going to do something about it. Facebook, Google and Twitter have all promised Germany that, "as a rule," they'll delete criminal forms of hate speech (such as inciting people to violence) within 24 hours. The push for action comes primarily in response to increased racism following Europe's refugee crisis, but it's not unexpected in light of the country's decades-old battle with hate.
Mozilla to fire suspected employee posting hate speech on Reddit
Mozilla is showing an even stronger commitment to a diverse workplace, thanks to a new pledge by its CEO to fire an "employee" who feels otherwise. In a project meeting, Chris Beard called out a Reddit user by the name of aoiyama who claims to work for the firm, saying that their use of hate speech will not be tolerated. The individual has expressed delight in the recent departure of Christie Koehler, saying that "everyone was glad to see the back" of the firm's community organizer. The user then added that "when she and the rest of her blue-haired, nose-pierced asshole feminists are gone, the tech industry will breathe a sigh of relief."
Facebook clarifies what you're allowed to post on its social network
Facebook's content guidelines have sparked confusion, to put it mildly -- a lot of people are unsure as to whether or not they have to use their legal names, or whether it's safe to post breastfeeding photos. At last, though, the social network is clearing the air a bit. It just posted new Community Standards that don't change the company's stance, but should remove some of the gray areas. For one, it's emphasizing that you only have to use your "authentic identity," not the name your government recognizes -- important if you identify with a non-traditional gender. Facebook also clarifies that you can mention hate speech for the sake of social commentary, and refines its views on harassment, nudity and what happens to your account when you die. A few sections are completely new, such as one explicitly forbidding revenge porn and other forms of sexual exploitation.
French law would make Google, Facebook accomplices to hate speech
France is eying new laws that would make the likes of Facebook and Google accountable for hosting extremist messages. As Bloomberg tells it, the new talk is a direct response to terrorist attacks from earlier this month, and should the draft law pass, it'd make online entities "accomplices" for hosting hate speech or terrorism sites. French president François Hollande addressed the sharp increase in terrorist recruitment over the internet, saying: "We must act at the European and international level to define a legal framework so that Internet platforms which manage social media be considered responsible and that sanctions can be taken."
PlayStation Home full of immature jokers, unlike other virtual communities
It's not been a good month for Sony. Layoffs, poor holiday sales for the PS3 and a wee bit of hacking over at PlayStation Home surely have the electronics giant hungry for some good press, which has made the newest PR kerfuffle over at the nascent online service quite unfortunate. According to Ars Technica, Home has become something akin to the nightmare futurescape of The Warriors, a service "incredibly unwelcoming to women, with female players quickly mobbed as players dance around them or type sexual come-ons... a disturbing look at the worst part of human nature." This is heady stuff, but as the company is quick to point out, the thing is still in Beta, and it's still evolving -- hopefully, as it becomes more popular the free service will move itself out of the adolescent ghetto. In the mean time, they've been rocking a bit of good old fashioned censorship, banning words like "gay," "Jew," and "Hell" -- perfectly understandishable if you've ever spent a minute on any online gaming service, but highly uncool if you're trying to build any sort of inclusive social network. In the meantime, what's a homosexual Jewish Satanist to do? There's always Second Life...
