Edit: This seems to have been caused by some sort of algorithm censoring certain trending hashtags, not bootlicking admins. More info here: https://floss.social/@admin/114041922033317834
In a reminder that you don't have to be a billionaire to be a bootlicker, and that one needs to remain critical also while on the Fediverse, floss.social is blocking anti-fascist hashtags.
[I have chosen to redact this toot - the user deleted their post in response to admins clarifying what happened, so out of respect I remove this copy as well. The gist was that users could not post toots containing #antifa or #noAfD]
https://floss.social/@OddDev/114040886
I realize this might be slightly outside of the topic of this community ("Dedicated to antisocial behavior of social media corporations"), but I think it's important enough to nevertheless be of relevance.
With apologies for my bootlicker comment. Though we need to remain critical on the Fediverse, the lesson here might also be that we also need to be charitable and not jump too quickly to conclusions—which I just made myself guilty of. :)
It's interesting how Instagram (allegedly) accidentally banned #democrat after the US election, and now a similar problem was identified on a major Mastodon instance before the German election.
I have to ask for more info since trending hashtags are something I actively monitor as well on my instance. If a hashtag gets overused and plakates eveyones screens I will also block it
The question is do they also block #remigration and other fascist ones or maybe try to block politics in general?
Not saying its okay. I just want to know what the actual situation is.
It seems to have to do with anti-spam measures and trending hashtags, so indeed something to look into. I guess it illustrates how easily algorithms can end up working against freedom of expression, even if the starting point is one of good intentions.
I'm not sure "algorithm" is the right word here. The trending system is nice but blocking a word from there is not the same as algorithmic manipulation (say, pushing stuff based on your viewing habits). Sorry, I might be being pedantic here. Feel free to correct me.
I guess we tend to see algorithms as very complex systems, but can't they also be very simple?
if(is_trending){block}is already an algorithm of sorts, and when applied to moderation it can cause problems even if written in good faith.But I might be wrong or misleading - wouldn't be the first time today!
I think an algorithm is more complex tbh. At least a little.
You can check wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithm
The earliest algorithms were used to calculate complex math problems. I think what it means in social media is weighting posts by your viewing habits or say, the daytime, your gps position etc. It kind of ads a one here and there so to speak. Moderation is massively different imo.