[kictanet] The Tricky Power in Facebook's Hands...

Sat Sep 10 09:47:54 EAT 2016

This is a thorny issue!  Everything written is offensive to somebody.
If I express a religious view, or a political view, there are bound to
be others having an opposing view.  This is normal.  But if my view is
grossly offensive to the majority, should it be 'removed'?  How can
any algorithm make these choices?  ...And if the majority view
suppresses all minority views, are we not advocating totalitarianism?

More questions than answers, I'm afraid.

Have an inoffensive weekend, people ;)

Tony

On 10/09/2016, Ebele Okobi via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37318040
>
>
> Facebook says it will allow an iconic photograph of a girl fleeing a Napalm
> attack taken during the Vietnam war in 1972 to be used on its platform.
>
> It had previously removed the image, posted by a Norwegian author, on the
> grounds that it contained nudity.
>
> The move sparked a debate about Facebook's role as an editor.
>
> The editor of Norway's largest newspaper had written an open letter to
> Facebook's chief Mark Zuckerberg calling the ban "an abuse of power".
>
> The tech giant said it had "listened to the community" and acknowledged the
> "global importance" of the photo.
>
> "Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the
> value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community
> by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we
> are aware it has been removed," it said in a statement.
>
> "It will take some time to adjust these systems but the photo should be
> available for sharing in the coming days.
>
> "We are always looking to improve our policies to make sure they both
> promote free expression and keep our community safe."
>
> [Aftenposten editor and Napalm girl photo]Image copyrightAFTENPOSTEN/NICK
> UTImage captionEspen Egil Hansen is editor of Aftenposten, Norway's largest
> newspaper.
>
> Facebook says it will allow an iconic photograph of a girl fleeing a Napalm
> attack taken during the Vietnam war in 1972 to be used on its platform.
>
> It had previously removed the image, posted by a Norwegian author, on the
> grounds that it contained nudity.
>
> The move sparked a debate about Facebook's role as an editor.
>
> The editor of Norway's largest newspaper had written an open letter to
> Facebook's chief Mark Zuckerberg calling the ban "an abuse of power".
>
> The tech giant said it had "listened to the community" and acknowledged the
> "global importance" of the photo.
>
> "Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the
> value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community
> by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we
> are aware it has been removed," it said in a statement.
>
> "It will take some time to adjust these systems but the photo should be
> available for sharing in the coming days.
>
> "We are always looking to improve our policies to make sure they both
> promote free expression and keep our community safe."
>
> [Erna Solberg]Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionNorwegian Prime
> Minister Erna Solberg said it demonstrated the power of social media.
>
> The Norwegian prime minister - who had earlier posted a copy of the photo on
> Facebook herself only to see it removed - welcomed the U-turn.
>
> "That's very good, I'm a happy prime minister," Erna Solberg told BBC Radio
> 4's The World Tonight programme.
>
> "It shows that using social media can make [a] political change even in
> social media."
>
> Tom Egeland, the author whose Facebook account had been suspended over the
> affair, also expressed his pleasure.
>
> "Now I'm happy!" he
> tweeted<https://twitter.com/tomegeland/status/774312424031879168>.
>
> "This does not alter at all the difficult issues that involve Facebook and
> the Norwegian media. But tonight I'm just happy."
>
> Tech or media?
>
> But Espen Egil Hansen - the editor of Aftenposten, who had brought the issue
> to prominence - said he still had concerns.
>
> "When it comes to this photo specifically I would say that it was a sensible
> decision by Facebook. That's what we editors have to do sometimes - realise
> that we made a mistake and change our minds," he wrote in Norwegian on the
> newspaper's
> site<http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/Facebook-snur-om-Vietnam-bildet-604244b.html>.
>
> "But the main point of my article, and the point that I have asked Mark
> Zuckerberg to engage in, is the debate about Facebook's power that results
> from so much information going through its channels. And that still stands.
>
> "He should begin to take part in this discussion, for there are no simple
> solutions. Facebook must recognise that it has become an information filter
> - and that raises problematic issues."
>
> Last month, Mr Zuckerberg told an Italian audience that he did not want his
> firm to become a news editor.
>
> "No, we are a tech company, not a media company," he
> said<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-zuckerberg-idUSKCN1141WN?utm_source=Daily+Lab+email+list&utm_campaign=107c14838f-dailylabemail3&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d68264fd5e-107c14838f-395963781>.
>
> "The world needs news companies, but also technology platforms, like what we
> do, and we take our role in this very seriously."
>
>
> Ebele Okobi | Public Policy Director, Africa
> m. +44 (0) 771 156 1315<tel:+44%20(0)%20771%20156%201315>
> 10 Brock Street | London<x-apple-data-detectors://0/1> | NW1 3FG
> ebeleokobi at fb.com<mailto:ebeleokobi at fb.com>
>
> [6F376569-CC77-422B-BAD3-794055B1E02B]
>
> On Sep 10, 2016, at 6:20 AM, Nanjira Sambuli via kictanet
> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
> wrote:
>
> 1.
> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/08/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-napalm-girl-photo-vietnam-war<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_technology_2016_sep_08_facebook-2Dmark-2Dzuckerberg-2Dnapalm-2Dgirl-2Dphoto-2Dvietnam-2Dwar&d=DQMCaQ&c=5VD0RTtNlTh3ycd41b3MUw&r=ArvepG4_wcNu_X9xi3nb_Xa9WsGLVfmK6mwPdVONOTE&m=IUfDbFCh8dUEJ0iyXugtDi6l2ovxKMldUJnxljATFxA&s=uxPwBMQSkBv9kWc7MFDUquQmK9N8ii_aaY9r4IXi_l0&e=>
> 2.
> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/09/facebook-deletes-norway-pms-post-napalm-girl-post-row?CMP=fb_gu<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_technology_2016_sep_09_facebook-2Ddeletes-2Dnorway-2Dpms-2Dpost-2Dnapalm-2Dgirl-2Dpost-2Drow-3FCMP-3Dfb-5Fgu&d=DQMCaQ&c=5VD0RTtNlTh3ycd41b3MUw&r=ArvepG4_wcNu_X9xi3nb_Xa9WsGLVfmK6mwPdVONOTE&m=IUfDbFCh8dUEJ0iyXugtDi6l2ovxKMldUJnxljATFxA&s=8gd_B_sW3vArlPR-lhnpXG_d36KeP9yB49gjTu0ZzyE&e=>
>
> Regards,
> Nanjira.
>
> Sent on the move.
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-- 
Tony White