The censor ship sets sail

[greatbear]

I've kept mum in my own entries about the recently enacted "flag this post/journal" nonsense, though I have chimed in other's posts regarding it. It's time I said my piece.

I am sorry that I paid into this thing to have a permanent account. Nothing SixApart/Livejournal could have done could have upset me more, save for possibly making such determinations of content suitability themselves. There are plenty of mechanisms in place for readers to deal with content they feel is objectionable. But to put in place an automated system that allows any LJ member to take it upon themselves to rate a blog or entry against their own scale of appropriateness is vile. Such a system is ripe for serious abuse, given the fact that the blog owner has no recourse to reverse decisions made through the system.

I did a little experiment to self-rate my journal as having "Adult Concepts". When Jeff viewed my blog as a non-LJ user, every entry was reduced to a link stating to the effect that the following post might contain adult content. No content save for that statement, the post title and entry tags. It looked more like a toxic waste dump full of danger signs than a blog. I reversed the setting back to 'No Adult Content', which is actually untrue. I specify that this journal may contain explicit content in my user info. That should be more than enough.

I am sure that everyone remembers the infamous "Wardrobe Malfunction" from a few Super Bowls back where Janet Jackson's titty was flashed onscreen for a fleeting moment. The FCC soon received thousand upon thousands of complaints regarding the incident, which led to the serious fine levied against the network as well as tightening regulations regarding adult content during prime time television. A while after the incident and the noose tightening, it was determined that a majority of the complaints regarding the incident, in the upper 90 percent range, came from a single source, the Parents Television Council. This conservative organization rallied members and their constituents to fill in web forms by forwarding links to like minded individuals, whereupon the PTC the forwarded the complaints to the FCC. A single organization with an agenda was easily able to start a campaign and draw in support for a cause. This did not represent a viewpoint of a majority of people, nor did it represent a median slice of popular opinion. It was a directed campaign agenda against a specific target.

Putting a decision up to an internet vote can have unintended consequences. Just ask Mister Splashy Pants.

Now, I present to you a scenario that could easily occur here. One or more people can easily take a trip through a set of journals, say, by following a particular interest or community that has some factor they feel needs to be censored This does not even have to be anything more than ideology at work. A small christian group with virtual torches and pitchforks against various gay journals, for example. A small concerted effort of clicking a few links by some people and the damage is done.

Needless to say, it can work both ways. Those wronged can retaliate in the same way. Then where does it end? It ends up being a kind of virtual warfare with very real outcomes. My little walled garden of people on my friends list would not be affected as far as I can see, but the chilling effect will cause many of those people to stop posting or change their style, or perhaps delete their blogs entirely.

I hope cooler heads prevail in this. The flagging mechanism seems to be the simplest means that people could come up with at the corporate level to cover their asses when it comes to 'explicit content'. It seems to me the worse thing that could have been done.

I cannot help but feel that the whole '2 girls 1 cup' thing had something to do with it. The timing is way too suspect.

EDIT: It's come to my attention that Sixapart has sold LJ to a Russian company. The plot thickens. And I doubt any good will come from it.

EDIT EDIT:

Comments

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Interesting and I'll admit I never saw the clip two girls, one cup bit but from hints from others, I doubt I'd want to anyway.

It's a sad shame that there are groups of people who will appose anything they disagree with and try to shut whatever it is down. I don't know all the reasons behind this flagging thing and I suspect some of what you are saying may be true to some degree but someone else ventured to guess it was probably perpetuated by outside forces and this is what got put into place. Don't know if you get LJ news but they get hundreds of comments to changes, updates etc to this site and I have a feeling they may well make modifications, but I also heard tonight that they will no longer be apart of Six Apart, but to a new group called SUP, that currently does their Russian arm and will allow Livejournal INc to remain as is and with more autonomy than they ever had with Six Apart and that could bring about some changes to this flagging system but I'll believe it when I see it though.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Funny you mention the sale of LJ, as I had just found out after I posted this and was in the process of editing my post to reflect it. If this foretells what's to come, I am out of here.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Don't be too quick to judge things until we see what actually happens, that's what I'm thinking.

I wonder some of what we've seen in the past year or so that LJ has been a part of Six Apart is Six Apart itself and this is how LJ has had to comply as well as through outside sources such as some of the religious whackos of the extreme left and right.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

We'll see. I have too much of an investment, friendship wise, in LJ. The entire LJ community is too big to much around with capriciously.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Hell, I'd rather deal with Putin's hand in LJ than the ad/spy network that is Farcebook.

[teddyb.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comments on this, Phil. I hadn't heard about it until I read your post, but I think you are absolutely right on target in identifying the potential negative effects.

Like you, I have a heavy investment in my LJ friendships, and and I'd hate to let that go, but I have no intention of letting self-appointed net-nannies control what I post and what I read.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Other than a fleeting presence in Bearciti, this is my last place of general online interaction. I suppose if this fails, that'll be it for me.

[kevinesmeier.livejournal.com]

This flagging business doesn't sound right to me either.

Do they think the LJ community is really going to police itself fairly?

OMG no.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

It's like letting the Hatfields police the McCoys and vice versa.

One important note

[kevinesmeier.livejournal.com]

You can only flag public posts. The flag option doesn't exist for posts that are "friends only" aka "protected".

Re: One important note

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

I can understand that. I did not want to end up with a friends only LJ though.

[nyrimmer.livejournal.com]

I doubt any good will come out of this.It sucks. I don't think I want the Russians having control of my social communications so I'm probably gonna bail out. I'm gonna give it some time but I don't think it's going to work out for those of us who want to express ourselves freely here. Anyone know of any other site that is what this used to be ? Maybe there is an opportunity here for some enterprising geeks to start something better so we can all dump the Russians.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Well, there are lots of other blogging sites, I have a blogspot account that I have never posted into, I have it so I can view friends' entries. I have my own domain, but that's not good except for my own stump. I am hoping it works out for the better, but I am not holding my breath

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

I'm not all that keen on the KGB having ready access to everything I post but, come on guys, we know the FBI/CSIS stashes away copies of our websites, postings, and email, and records what sites we visit and how long we linger there - no matter where the servers are located; if they can do it, the KGB is surely capable of the same. And when has it EVER been prudent to post confidential info online?

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but now they have access to our credit cards. (well, much easier access, anyway).

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Hm, hadn't thought about that. Well now. Perhaps I will be moving off LJ.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Ya know, I tend to fear our own government peering into my info more than the Russians. The former has a lot more help from the telecommunications and banking companies to do it.

[nyrimmer.livejournal.com]

I'm 58 years old.I grew up under the threat of incineration by these jerks and now they're our friends? I don't think so. Them and the chinese can go take a flying leap off a cliff for all I care.Got no use for them ,never have never will, and what is the point of being on here if you don't feel it's prudent to post your feelings anyway?This seems to be the new world order at work here.I guess we all should get used to it 'cause it isn't going away anytime soon.I'm sure glad I'm old! Won't have to stick around to see this shit as it gets really ugly and make no mistake about it , it will get ugly this is only the beginning .It's not even the governments that we need to fear anymore it's the god damn corporations .Face it ,they own the governments.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Well, the corporations do all the dirty work that governments are beholden by laws not to do, and they turn over the info willingly to the government when asked. I didnt think I'd see my country turn into a totalitarian regime, but this is as close as it's gotten yet, and there seems like no turning back now.

Wow

[brokebackvol.livejournal.com]

Glad I a free account now!!

Re: Wow

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I did not expect that having a permanent account would turn sour, at least not so soon.