PM Calls Facebook Irresponsible For Allowing Beheading Clips

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PM Calls Facebook Irresponsible For Allowing Beheading Clips

Posted by timothy on Monday October 21, 2013 @11:15PM from the please-don't-do-that dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt: "David Cameron has attacked Facebook as irresponsible for lifting a ban on videos of beheadings being posted on its site. The prime minister said the social network must explain its decision to allow images showing decapitations to worried parents. Facebook has said users should be free to view such videos and then condemn the content. Cameron wrote on Twitter: 'It's irresponsible of Facebook to post beheading videos, especially without a warning. They must explain their actions to worried parents.' Facebook introduced a temporary ban on such videos in May but has since decided to remove the block on the grounds that the site is used to share information about world events, such as acts of terrorism and human rights abuses."

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Helping him censor the web for him now by alexkaskasoli · 2013-10-21 23:19 · Score: 4, Insightful

Unfortunately this will likely help him in his quest for web censorship...
Excellent by AmiMoJo · 2013-10-21 23:20 · Score: 5, Insightful

This is wonderful news. Facebook will now be blocked by default in the government porn filters, and thus far more people will opt out of them. Turns out Facebook is actually useful for something.

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1. Re:Excellent by fatphil · 2013-10-22 00:40 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I was expecting your post to veer in this direction:
  
  This is wonderful news. Facebook will now be blocked by default in the government porn filters, and thus far more people will just give up on using facebook, and it will be forgotten about and disappear. Turns out the government is actually useful for something.
  
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  Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
Won't somebody think of the children... by Martz · 2013-10-21 23:21 · Score: 4, Insightful

'It's irresponsible of Facebook to post beheading videos, especially without a warning. They must explain their actions to worried parents.'
So much fail...
Facebook doesn't post any beheading videos. It's users do.
I thought we were allowed to be irresponsible as long as it's legal?
If my Facebook friends don't like the content that I may or may not post, then they can hide it or unfriend me.
Looks like he's trying to win Family Votes, and slashdot is helping to peddle this crap.
Shame on you timothy. Shame on you.
1. Re:Won't somebody think of the children... by Barsteward · 2013-10-21 23:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I think banning porn videos, bare breasts etc but not beheading videos shows a complete hypocrisy especially with this statement from the dick heads.
  
  "Facebook has long been a place where people turn to share their experiences, particularly when they're connected to controversial events on the ground, such as human rights abuses, acts of terrorism and other violent events. People are sharing this video on Facebook to condemn it. If the video were being celebrated, or the actions in it encouraged, our approach would be different," Facebook said in a statement.
  
  --
  "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
2. Re:Won't somebody think of the children... by daem0n1x · 2013-10-21 23:55 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Then allow people to post nudity and sex. I can't see how naked people can be considered worse than a guy getting his head cut off. American puritanism in its worse.
  And before all the jingos start telling me "if you don't like American puritanism, then don't use Facebook", I declare: I don't use it.
3. Re:Won't somebody think of the children... by gstoddart · 2013-10-22 00:14 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Facebook doesn't post any beheading videos. It's users do.
  You're right. But Facebook chooses if that's what they're willing to allow on their site.
  Somehow I doubt this is some noble thing about freedom of expression like they're saying -- I strongly suspect it's more about the advertising revenue generated.
  Zuckerberg and Facebook can claim some principled stand, but from what I've seen, it's likely just plain old greed.
  I'm not convinced they're actually capable of being principled on these things -- they want to do two things, make as much money as possible, and collect as much of your personal information as they can (so they can make as much money as possible). But lets' not pretend that Zuckerfuck is, or ever has been, a principled actor in all of this.
  
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4. Re:Won't somebody think of the children... by Baloroth · 2013-10-22 01:43 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  And yet it's the UK that is rolling out a country wide porn filtering system that you have to opt out of.
  
  --
  "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
Re:PM? Which country by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-21 23:25 · Score: 5, Insightful

There's a bunch of countries in the world with PMs. I have no fucking idea which one David Cameron runs. How bout throwing us a bone and just telling us which country we're talking about?
Why not do what everyone else who lives outside the USA is expected to do (when they see the name of some US-based politician) and just Google it?
Think of the worried parebts by Chrisq · 2013-10-21 23:35 · Score: 4, Funny

The prime minister said the social network must explain its decision to allow images showing decapitations to worried parents.
I would strongly advise worried parents not to watch decapitation clips.
Re:PM? Which country by cbope · 2013-10-21 23:42 · Score: 3, Insightful

Nah, he's just a 'Murican!
Seriously, this is a MAJOR problem with the so-called "news" in the US. It's so US-centric (and crime and entertainment-centric) that even the prime minister of the UK is not known by name.
Re:PM? Which country by 91degrees · 2013-10-21 23:59 · Score: 5, Insightful

He's criticising Slashdot. Whether he googles or not, Slashdot should still have provided this information. There's no reason not to say "British PM".

Perhaps he should know. Perhaps everyone should, but for any snippet of information, there will be a non trivial number of people who are not aware of it. Good journalists provide the information concisely withut forcing the reader to get key details elsewhere.
Re:PM? Which country by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-22 00:00 · Score: 5, Funny

I have no fucking idea which one David Cameron runs.
That's OK. David Cameron doesn't know either.
Damn... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2013-10-22 00:02 · Score: 4, Insightful

Is there any part of the internet (aside from its utility for dystopian surveillance) that hasn't caused David Cameron to open his horrible, gormless, marshmallow-face and drone on about 'the children' and 'irresponsibility'? It's as though his government has entirely run out of substantive policy or something...
Re:Independence..... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2013-10-22 00:06 · Score: 4, Insightful

so what happened last time the British tried to enforce their morality across the pond....
I don't remember the American Revolution having much of a moral element.... In fact, while we've done a great deal to get over it, the US was substantially stocked by a mixture of moralizing assholes too moralistic to get along in Britain (ye olde puritans) and would-be feudal lords who couldn't compete with the incumbents at home and therefore went abroad (ye olde slave plantation regions).

Some political discontent, some economic interests; but King George wasn't exactly getting all up in our right to own filthy erotic lithographs...
Re:PM? Which country by TrollstonButterbeans · 2013-10-22 00:10 · Score: 5, Funny

David Cameron is British. A few years ago, he moved to the US to play soccer in California.

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Headless breasts? by bradley13 · 2013-10-22 00:12 · Score: 4, Insightful

As pointed out elsewhere, Facebook has the same odd puritanical streak as found throughout the USA. You can watch people being beheaded, but they still firmly forbid pictures of breastfeeding moms. The sight of a female breast might excite prurient passions, whereas watching a murder is just spiffy.

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Re:PM? Which country by metrix007 · 2013-10-22 02:47 · Score: 3, Informative

Yeah, No.
The UK isn't nearly as influential as the US. No country is. (Not American btw).
If you live in Europe then yes, the UK is influential and the name of the British PM should be common knowledge.
If you live on a different continent, I don't see why it's necessary.
The again, I'd say knowing the leaders of all the G8, even G20 countries is basic knowledge most adults *should* have.

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