What's the point of censorship (again) - social media version

The Sandbox General
1

Apparently, tiktok and the like censors words like “kill” or “die”, like you can’t tell someone to kill themselves since it cannot get past the censorship filter, so people are simply replacing the phrase with “unlive yourself”, and you see this a lot on social media.

What’s the point of this kind of censorship again? Everyone clearly knows what everyone else is saying. You can’t ban an idea.

It’s the new version of telling kids they can’t say fuck or shit or bitch when we all know they say it on the regular and know the words.

2

Doesn’t China also censor Winnie the Pooh or something as well because people use it to make fun of their dictator? Authoritarian gonna authoritarian

3

Yeah, and people find new terms to replace it. It’s stupid

4

In fairness in China they manage to have basically a closed system so you can just about censor entire ideas (like that tennis player). But unless you’re water tight censorship is pretty silly, agreed

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5

Yeah, goes back to the days of 1337 sp33k.

Maybe one day we will invent a better AI to monitor our citizens.

Though probably nobody really cares that much, and this whole deal is a matter of demonstrating effort.

6

The kill or die - I believe - is there have been situations where cyber-bullying have lead to a student committing suicide.

do a search on “cyber”

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Yeah, but the intent is still there, just replaced by a different word. You can’t ban online bullying.

8

why not?

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9

Online bullying is primarily through words. People can play switcheroo with words and phrases, like the case in point.

10

because social media was getting insanely nasty. i’m glad they are trying to control it. they need better filters so people can’t get around them.

the world is a better place when people don’t feel free to insult each other non-stop. that’s what social media was becoming. or actually still is, but some buzz words do get you temp banned.

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and Social media can’t adjust? Or shut down people who are reported, even if not caught by AI?

oh my, the censored a word, they will never realize I am using different words?

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Who’s they? The algorithms? No the algorithms actually cannot detect stuff like this which is why people are successfully getting around them.

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and algorithms can’t be changed? They - programmers, those who set the censorship rules

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14

I reported something once that I thought would get around the filter, and turned out, the filter did get better and the person was censored. i forget what that was though. there are still many things that get around the censor, but i think they are improving them.

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They can, and it becomes a cat and mouse game. But the toxicity is still there.

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Double plus ungood.

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“Hust Jill Yourself.”

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it’s “Don’t Hold Us Accountable For Others’ Actions” theater.

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19

“Let’s Go Brandon”

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20

what Bro said.
From the TikTok corporate perspective it diverts attention from their moderation. It may not have any effect on the actual number of bullying induced suicides or other negative impacts of hateful behavior on TikTok but it does indicate in a legal that they did something.

Responding to the OP’s question, If you haven’t figured out yet American marketplace is amoral, profit driven, and bound by a legal system. So if you are not sure of a corporation’s behavior look at it from a perspective of does it increase profit, does it reduce financial risk.

TikTok censoring kill or die on their site:

  1. Reduces legal risk for the corporation
  2. Indicates they care without being heavy handed
  3. May actually reduce bullying or the negative use of those words and the thoughts that go with them.