# Facebook is run by fucking idiots **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 9, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421 "2016-09-09T11:40:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/41 "2016-09-09T18:56:06Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > No, I specifically noted that there are dozens of other chat platforms. Most have a user base that makes FB’s look like IAS members. Yes, it’s discourse. Yes, it’s public. Yes, they’re all scrambling for the same space, which is why they keep changing their feature sets to resemble each others’. > > But if the argument is that FB is \*not \*the 500-pound gorilla, the go-to for probably the widest demographic base on the net, the assumed “community discourse” platform for most people these days (who aren’t 16 and primarily communicate through selfies), then this is all pretty irrelevant. That, or the argument is that MySpace and Facebook are equivalents in every way, which is too absurdist to even discuss. I think the argument is that you’re claiming Facebook is a “monopoly,” which it isn’t. Something isn’t a monopoly just because it’s the most popular or widely used. McDonald’s does not hold a monopoly on fast food, and your “one-newspaper town” isn’t a one-newspaper town if there are a bunch of alternative newspapers with fewer readers. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/42 "2016-09-09T19:02:33Z")
> [@Archeonomist](#): > > [Facebook gives in](https://www.yahoo.com/news/facebook-reinstates-censored-photo-vietnam-war-napalm-girl-174624512.html) Wow, I actually respect them less than I did before. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/43 "2016-09-09T19:14:39Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > I predict Facebook is going to cave on this pretty quickly. OK, now who wants my picks for Sunday’s NFL games? For all those claiming that Facebook can do what they want, they are a private site, etc… I don’t think most people are arguing that (well, maybe **AB** , but he’s a known whacko). If you read [the letter that the Norwegian editor posted](http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentar/Dear-Mark-I-am-writing-this-to-inform-you-that-I-shall-not-comply-with-your-requirement-to-remove-this-picture-604156b.html), you’ll see that the main argument is that this was a bad decision and contrary to what Zuckerberg and Facebook have said that they want to be, and the Facebook has a history of being ham-handed and inaccessible in cases like this. So the editor pointed that out, publicly, one would think with the hopes that it would start a conversation that might get Facebook to change their mind. And lo and behold, it did. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/44 "2016-09-09T19:25:53Z")
Janis Ian got blocked for a couple of days over [this cartoon](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/31/27/48/3127488c1f6bd101a264c75eef08e3da.jpg). I guess it was just _too_ titillating? Actually, I think some folks were annoyed by her leftiness and banded together to complain. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/45 "2016-09-09T19:50:10Z")
The challenge Facebook has now is to continue to block child porn now EXCEPT when the child porn is deemed historical. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/46 "2016-09-09T20:38:54Z")
> [@Archeonomist](#): > > [Facebook gives in](https://www.yahoo.com/news/facebook-reinstates-censored-photo-vietnam-war-napalm-girl-174624512.html) Them cowards … ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/47 "2016-09-09T23:31:17Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Facebook has to deal with people who try to post child porn, or something that could be seen as child porn. That well known shot from Vietnam is both history AND fits the definition of child porn. Given that Facebook is the largest photo aggregator site with 300 million photos per day - they need an automated way to control things. Mistakes will still happen. The complaints about this are just the type of BS freak out session that Facebook seems to help spread - so I guess they are being bitten by their own success. > [@Algher](#): > > The challenge Facebook has now is to continue to block child porn now EXCEPT when the child porn is deemed historical. I really, really wish that people would educate themselves before throwing around wild and erroneous accusations of child porn. The photo in question is NOT porn. > [@](#): > > Facebook outlines its guidelines on nudity, terrorism and hate speech on its website, including strict rules around child pornography. It, along with other tech companies like Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc. ’s YouTube, employs technology called PhotoDNA to scan for images related to child sexual exploitation based on a database created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. > > Hany Farid, chair of the computer-science division at Dartmouth College, who helped develop the PhotoDNA system, said the Vietnam image would never have been included in the child pornography database. “The standard that we used was 12 years and younger and clearly sexually explicit—this photo clearly does not meet that criteria.”,” Mr. Farid said. [http://www.wsj.com/articles/norway-accuses-facebook-of-censorship-over-deleted-photo-of-napalm-girl-1473428032](http://www.wsj.com/articles/norway-accuses-facebook-of-censorship-over-deleted-photo-of-napalm-girl-1473428032) > [@](#): > > Section 2256 of Title 18, United States Code, defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. > **[Citizen's Guide To U.S. Federal Law On Child Pornography](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-child-pornography)** ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/48 "2016-09-09T23:36:36Z")
You forgot this part: > [@](#): > > Notably, the legal definition of sexually explicit conduct does not require that an image depict a child engaging in sexual activity. A picture of a naked child may constitute illegal child pornography if it is sufficiently sexually suggestive. Now, if you’re creating an algorithm, are you going to err on the cautious side or on the non-cautious side? I guess the question you have to ask yourself is… do you feel lucky? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/49 "2016-09-10T00:06:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Now, if you’re creating an algorithm, are you going to err on the cautious side or on the non-cautious side? I guess the question you have to ask yourself is… do you feel lucky? That must be one of the more difficult jobs that FB has to offer. How the fuck do you even test an algorithm in that area? ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/50 "2016-09-10T01:20:11Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I take it you don’t use FB much … My Facebook feed is 95% reasonable. Sorry you have bad friends. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/51 "2016-09-10T05:00:48Z")
> [@Archeonomist](#): > > [Facebook gives in](https://www.yahoo.com/news/facebook-reinstates-censored-photo-vietnam-war-napalm-girl-174624512.html) Thank goodness. That naked Vietnamese girl is totally hot. (…get it?) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/52 "2016-09-10T14:12:43Z")
I agree with Amateur Barbarian that Facebook is a cesspool of idiocy. It has created the illusion that all opinions have equal validity. It turned me into a person I did not like. I respect not everyone feels that way. That said, they can do whatever the hell they want with their algorithms. We can vote with our dollars, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/53 "2016-09-10T16:02:26Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I really, really wish that people would educate themselves before throwing around wild and erroneous accusations of child porn. The photo in question is NOT porn … [snip] Thank you, **Flyer** , something about the girl reeking of napalm kinda turns me off … something about her makes me want to put her cool clean water and google first-aid for 3rd degree burns … because once them blisters start bursting and the napalm gets into them open sores she’s going to be in a hell of a lot of pain. If Facebook doesn’t allow nudity of any kind, that’s their business … it’s not hard to find places where such is allowed. > [@Jragon](#): > > My Facebook feed is 95% reasonable. Sorry you have bad friends. I don’t have but a couple three “friends” on Facebook, it’s almost all family. It’s these damn millennial nieces of mine who have no tolerance of my 18th Century values towards wimin. “Would you shut up and bring me a beer” inevitably gets me pepper-sprayed. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/54 "2016-09-10T16:08:36Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I agree with Amateur Barbarian that Facebook is a cesspool of idiocy. It has created the illusion that all opinions have equal validity. It turned me into a person I did not like. I respect not everyone feels that way. > > That said, they can do whatever the hell they want with their algorithms. We can vote with our dollars, so to speak. A website turned you into someone you didn’t like … dude … that’s sad … please don’t read anything written by Edger Allen Poe … ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/55 "2016-09-10T16:41:16Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > The challenge Facebook has now is to continue to block child porn now EXCEPT when the child porn is deemed historical. I hate Facebook and don’t use it. But why are you and others using the term “porn” rather than “nudity”, which is more appropriate in this case? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/56 "2016-09-10T17:11:48Z")
I don’t see what’s so hard about creating a perfect algorithm regarding child pornography. All one has to do is program “I know it when I see it” into the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/57 "2016-09-10T18:22:02Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > A website turned you into someone you didn’t like … dude … that’s sad … please don’t read anything written by Edger Allen Poe … I’m quite the fan of Poe. To clarify what I mean by that comment, I spent way too much time preaching about injustice and not enough time doing anything about it. It drove me nuts when my friends did it and then I found myself doing the same thing. I left so I could focus more on actual _doing._ ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/58 "2016-09-10T20:24:59Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I’m quite the fan of Poe. > > To clarify what I mean by that comment, I spent way too much time preaching about injustice and not enough time doing anything about it. It drove me nuts when my friends did it and then I found myself doing the same thing. I left so I could focus more on actual _doing._ I found that fact-checking people’s claims on Facebook really does keep my “friends” list to a minimum … only the dogs seem to not care … although it does bother me sometimes that these dogs have more “friends” than I do … A recent post about the oil pipeline protests in South Dakota claimed that the major news outlets weren’t reporting on the story … so I happily provided links to the AP story, the CNN story, the ABCNews story, the Huffington Post story … and now I have one less “friend” … hahahahahaha ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/59 "2016-09-11T10:33:00Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Who owns and controls Facebook is 100% the issue. It doesn’t matter what the controversy is, FB decides what it allows and what it doesn’t. FB usually doesn’t interfere with user posts, but it can and will at times. > > If the newspaper editor wants to make every page of his newspaper that Vietnam photo, he can do that. But he can’t impose his will on another organization that he doesn’t control. No, it isn’t. The issue is whether the photo should have been blocked. Literally no one has argued that Facebook didn’t have the right to block it. No one was talking about taking Facebook to court or anything. They just objected to it being blocked and explained why. And Facebook actually listened to the argument, realizing it wasn’t actually child porn. I mean, what you said is like when some celebrity says something racist and then their fans come in and say he has the right to say what he wants. Yeah, he does. So what? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421/60 "2016-09-11T12:24:25Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Yeah! The company is run by idiots! And all the users are idiots! And everyone who works there is an idiot! And kids these days don’t know music! And they’re always on my lawn! > > Actual story: Machine learning algorithm misidentifies a famous photo containing a naked little girl for kiddie porn, no doubt due to the in-photo presence of a naked little girl. Newspaper makes hay out of imagining that the CEO of Facebook personally makes these decisions. This. I like The Guardian most of the time but Great Og on a Pogostick are some of [their columnists blithering hysterical idiots](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/09/mark-zuckerberg-censor-facebook-tech-titans). Facebook “wants to censor the past…” Give me a frickin’ break. At worst, Facebook made a judgement call not to publish a particular photo showing a naked girl on the basis some people might think that inappropriate, despite it being historically important. But “want to censor the past?” Fer Og’s sake. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-is-run-by-fucking-idiots/765421.md?page=4)