Section 230 created the business model of modern online platforms, @matthewstoller writes.
“There is no way to run a targeted ad social media company with 40% margins if you have to make sure children aren’t harmed by your product.”
Read our original report on YouTube's "video games to guns" problem, here:
TTP - YouTube Leads Young Gamers to Videos of Guns, School Shootings
YouTube says it delivers ‘responsible’ video recommendations. But its algorithms steered accounts for young gamers t...
www.techtransparencyproject.org
TTP’s full report contains more details about the way YouTube serves dangerous firearms content to teen users while profiting from their engagement. Read more, here:
TTP - Spot Check: YouTube’s New Age Restrictions on Gun Videos
YouTube restricted firearms content for users under 18. But teens still have access to prohibited videos.
www.techtransparencyproject.org
Here, a search for “glock” includes a suggestion for “glock switch” – a small device which turns Glock pistols into automatic weapons. YouTube said videos featuring switches would be age-restricted, but still suggested that the underage account search for them.
YouTube also makes “search predictions” as a user types into the platform’s search bar. TTP decided to test this feature using the 14-year-old account…
YouTube, which is owned by Google, makes money by selling advertisements. To keep you engaged, the platform relies on algorithms capable of “accurately predicting the videos you want to watch,” according to its public materials.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to a SEC filing obtained by TTP, one crypto firm sold back energy valued at $125 million in the aftermath of winter storm Uri.
TTP - Cryptocurrency Miners' Sweetheart Deal with Texas Threatens an Already Fragile Grid
Miners Say: “Trust Us.”
www.techtransparencyproject.org
Elon Musk's decision to monetize verification without robust identity checks was "short-sighted and ultimately disastrous," @vtanger writes. New reporting by @RMac18 & @kateconger suggests that things were even more chaotic behind the scenes... https://futurism.com/mistake-elon-musk-begged-twitter-staff-turn-off-new-feature
There's no question that Andrew Tate's ideology is hateful & dangerous – so why is YouTube still platforming him, over two years after he was banned? As @mmfa points out, "interview" channels have allowed him to make a mainstream social media comeback. https://www.mediamatters.org/google/why-youtube-bans-arent-working-anymore