Snapchat Faces An Outcry Against 'Whitewashing' Filters (mashable.com)

Last month Snapchat was thrown under the bus for a feature that many found downright racist. The photo-sharing app had added a face-altering filter that made users look like Bob Marley. Less than a month to it, Snapchat is getting blasted over another controversial feature. Several users are reporting about a "whitewash" filter that aims to "beautify" their looks. Mashable reports: Users of the app have noticed that many of the face-altering filters "whitewash." Upset Snapchatters point to the flower crown filter and the beautifying filter, both of which seem to lighten skin and eyes and contour the face to make one's chin and nose appear smaller. Since the debut, and subsequent popularity, of the Coachella-inspired filter, Snapchat users have taken to forums to voice their disproval with the app.

Comments

Re:oh for fucks sake

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh shut the fuck up.
Asians have always been obsessed with white skin.
To them having dark skin is traditionally a sign that you are a poor field peasant working in the fields.
Nothing to do with so called western beauty standards.
People jump to the conclusion that this is some kind of conspiracy by white people at every opportunity.

Re:News for nerds

[Pfhorrest]

These threads are nothing but excuses for flamewars, and invite all the retards from both sides of the spectrum, posters and mods alike, to stir up a goddamn shitstorm. In this thread, the reactionary-tards seem to be winning.

So fuck all your mothers' cunts with a rusty cactus and then kill yourselves you worthless goddamn niggerfaggots.

Re:News for nerds

[AmiMoJo]

Because these stories get a little out of hand.

From your reaction, I'd say it's the anti-SJWs that have gotten out of hand. Look at exactly what this story is about. Okay the summary is the usual Slashdot clickbait with slightly inflammatory language, what else is new? But look at the actual story.

It's not someone telling you that you must take a position, or even claiming that there is some overt racism here. It's just pointing out that, like filters which automatically airbrush images to make people look unnaturally thin there are social problems created by airbrushing people's skin lighter.

As nerds, as the people who often create these systems, don't you think it's relevant? If not, well, okay, scroll on. I'm not that interested in some of dinosaur stories or the Ubuntu release stories, but I don't interpret them as trying to force me to care or switch to Linux or whatever.

We are living the dream where technology is part of every day life, but that means that technology is no longer neutral. Imagine you built a Star Trek replicator. In the lab it's neutral, but once in people's hands you might argue there is some moral responsibility to design it so it can't be used to manufacture anthrax.