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Tech layoffs ravage the teams that fight online misinformation and hate speech (schaudenfreud alert)
CNBC ^ | May 26, 2023 | Hayden Field and Jonathan Vanian

Posted on 05/28/2023 8:08:32 PM PDT by DoodleBob

...Across the tech industry...wide swaths of people tasked with protecting the internet's most-populous playgrounds are being shown the exits. The cuts come at a time of increased cyberbullying...and as the spread of misinformation and violent content collides with the exploding use of artificial intelligence.

...

Twitter effectively disbanded its ethical AI team in November and laid off all but one of its members, along with 15% of its trust and safety department, according to reports. In February, Google cut about one-third of a unit that aims to protect society from misinformation, radicalization, toxicity and censorship. Meta reportedly ended the contracts of about 200 content moderators in early January. It also laid off at least 16 members of Instagram's well-being group and more than 100 positions related to trust, integrity and responsibility, according to documents filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.

...

"I don't think we should reflexively think that having fewer trust and safety workers means platforms will necessarily be worse," said Iyer... "However, many of the people I've seen laid off are amongst the most thoughtful in rethinking the fundamental designs of these platforms, and if platforms are not going to invest in reconsidering design choices that have been proven to be harmful — then yes, we should all be worried."

...

Newly unemployed workers in those fields from across the social media landscape told CNBC that there aren't many job openings in their area of specialization as companies continue to trim costs. One former Meta employee said that after interviewing for trust and safety roles at Microsoft and Google, those positions were suddenly axed.

An ex-Meta staffer said the company's retreat from trust and safety is likely to filter down to smaller peers and startups that appear to be "following Meta in terms of their layoff strategy."

(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bigtech; censors; censorship; dissent; freedomofspeech; freespeech; google; linguisticgymnastics; misinformation; safety; schaudenfreud; trust; trustandsafety; waronfreedomofspeech
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To: Ge0ffrey

Funny you should ask....I spent a few weeks lady winter looking for an industrial standard of misinformation. There is none.

Now, dictionary.com says “Misinformation is false information that is spread, regardless of intent to mislead...So, disinformation is misinformation that is knowingly (intentionally) spread.”

Thus, it comes down to INTENT. But intent isn’t always visible or discernible. That leaves arbitration up to the Godz who got fired.


21 posted on 05/29/2023 5:33:15 AM PDT by DoodleBob ( Gravity’s waiting period is about 9.8 m/s²)
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To: DoodleBob

They can learn to mine coal.


22 posted on 05/29/2023 5:58:25 AM PDT by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: DoodleBob

All those layoffs...

And I’m still banned on Twitter.

Wonder how many inherent conservatives are still banned on Twitter.

Guess censorship doesn’t require that many jobsworths after all, does it...


23 posted on 05/29/2023 6:00:19 AM PDT by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: mewzilla

Not sure how inherent got in there...


24 posted on 05/29/2023 6:01:00 AM PDT by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: Colorado Doug

No progressive has yet been exterminated in the war on coal


25 posted on 05/29/2023 6:02:31 AM PDT by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Juneteenth is inequality day )
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To: joma89
These people should learn to code. Oh wait...

Nicely Done!

26 posted on 05/29/2023 7:38:02 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
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To: joma89

They probably couldn’t code worth a lick.


27 posted on 05/29/2023 7:39:20 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

28 posted on 05/29/2023 9:30:10 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: DoodleBob

Wonder if the government contracts for suppressing free speech dried up?


29 posted on 05/29/2023 9:32:35 AM PDT by IamConservative (I was nervous like the third chimp in line for the Ark after the rain started.)
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To: Navy Patriot
Meta reportedly ended the contracts of about 200 content moderators in early January. It also laid off at least 16 members of Instagram's well-being group and more than 100 positions related to trust, integrity and responsibility, according to documents filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.

Dumping control freak commies in exchange for freedome of speech?

Sounds like a good trade off.

30 posted on 05/30/2023 3:50:01 AM PDT by GOPJ (American companies: YOUR Ad Agency needs to look like America NOT like a San Francisco Gay bathhouse)
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