this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2025
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[–] grue@lemmy.world 158 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Shutting Off X's Algorithm

Hey EU, that's not how any of this works. First of all, you do not have any control over that -- even if you demand it be done, there's no way to verify compliance. Second, there's always an "algorithm." There can't not be an "algorithm;" that would mean it would display nothing at all. Even the choice to just display tweets chronologically is still a choice, and implemented in the form of an "algorithm."

What you do have the power to do -- and what you should do -- is simply just straight-up block X entirely.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 126 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Worked brilliantly for the Brazilian government. Lulu pulled the plug for... a week? BlueSky suddenly got incredibly popular. Musk panicked and folded on every demand. And the amount of pro-Bolsonaro/coup-posting on Twitter sank like a brick.

[–] vanderbilt@lemmy.world 41 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Realistically I think that is why banning him even as a brief show of force will be very effective. He understands pain, it’s the universal language.

[–] nawa@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago

Literally the only rule Musk follows is the rule of power. Legal shit means nothing, might is right. So yeah, govs should deal with him the same way before it's too late.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 33 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh they can turn off musk's algorithm quite easily: just ban the whole fucking site.

He's folded like origami on this already, and he'll do it again.

[–] zeca@lemmy.eco.br 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

he folded to brazilian courts last year. but now, with trump in power, he may have more means to pressure back.

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If WWIII broke out over the EU blocking Twitter and the US lost would Musk take a cyanide pill?

[–] zeca@lemmy.eco.br 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

who knows... but the us has softer means to pressure europe

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (15 children)

I wouldn’t call reverse chronological order with blocks accounted for an algorithm.

Twitter didn’t always have an algorithm.

Mastodon does not have an algorithm. Or am I not being inclusive enough in my definition?

[–] zeca@lemmy.eco.br 32 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

to not piss off computer scientists and mathematicians with their dear word "algorithm", you may want to narrow it down with the expression recommendation algorithms.

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[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 13 points 2 weeks ago

Even trivial sorting algorithms are still called algorithms.

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

An important thing to consider: Mastodon doesn't have an "algorithm" for presenting posts in your subscription feed.

That doesn't mean it "does not have an algorithm" entirely, though. There's a couple of non-trivial ones being used to recommend friends and calculate the trending posts and tags that show up on the front page, and they do actually consider likes/shares as part of scoring.

https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/blob/54e20301462b381f27c50ed305abeedde1ace878/app/models/trends/statuses.rb#L98

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[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 123 points 2 weeks ago (23 children)

just grow a pair and ban twitter, spacex, starlink, and tesla from operating in europe already.

there's no good reason to let them operate.

[–] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 47 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They’re mostly all national security threats, especially with Elon and Putin having a special relationship.

I mean AfD is also pro-russia AND have neo-nazi's in its ranks.

They are at 20% in polls just before the german election.

I don't think many people have as many issues as they should have with russia or they just don't care.

[–] Defectus@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Tesla is getting a buttload of cash from the EU soon in climate compensation (also Volvo but not so much).

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[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 35 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Fractured internet here we come

[–] ECB@feddit.org 22 points 2 weeks ago

I know this is unpopular and goes against the ideals of the early internet, but the open internet (especially social networks) is hugely damaging at the moment.

This isn't just "people having different opinions", but rather full-scale cyber warfare that's currently happening. It's also only going to get worse...

Propaganda works, and it works quite well. Nobody is fully immune.

So unless you feel like having Musk/Russia/China dictate your life (through forcing their shit agenda), banning their attack vectors is really the only play.

[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 2 weeks ago

It's already here

[–] theUwUhugger@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (12 children)

Oh cum on! Don’t tell me you gonna try for twitter?

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[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Let me paraphrase a Hungarian saying in English, related to doing the bare minimum:

Thank you for going to the toilet and not taking a shit right where you were!

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Better shut off the complete platform. And issue an international arrest warrant for foreign poitical influence / election interference.

[–] Nunar@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 27 points 2 weeks ago

Kill X already

[–] sleepmode@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

Just do it. Stop yapping, start doing. The hemming and hawing and trying to be proper about this shit is infuriating. They don’t play by the rules so, fuck it - pull a Brazil and yank the rug out. It worked.

[–] arc@lemm.ee 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Democracies have to start making laws that stop assholes like Musk from interfering in their domestic politics - including and up to imposing heavy fines, service shutdown and personal criminal liability. If a person is not a national and domiciled in that country they should have no right to influence that election through campaign contributions or any other assistance.

[–] endeavor@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Musk and russia. Russia has been a far greater problem and is also behind many stupid musk takes.

[–] Geobloke@lemm.ee 8 points 2 weeks ago (10 children)

The government is allowed to mess with cokes recipe because we don't want it to be too bad for people's health. I don't see why we shouldn't mess with algorithms to protect our personal and national health

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[–] mrslt@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, please.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago
[–] mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Lets use their playbook: The only way to protect the electoion in less than 2 months, is to block Twitter and Facebook in germany completely.

Let them go to the courts, I'm sure we can find a lawyer or 2 skilled enough to draw out the process for 6-8 weeks. After that, whatever, unblock them, pay some "sorry we were wrong" money.

Then we have 4 years to solve the problem in a more permanent way.

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[–] Klnsfw@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

Please, do it.

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