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YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft Will Create 'Hash' Database To Remove Extremist Content (reuters.com)

bongey writes: Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft are teaming up to create a common database to flag extremist videos and pictures. The database is set to go live in 2017. The system will not automatically remove content. Reuters reports: "The companies will share 'hashes' -- unique digital fingerprints they automatically assign to videos or photos -- of extremist content they have removed from their websites to enable their peers to identify the same content on their platforms. 'We hope this collaboration will lead to greater efficiency as we continue to enforce our policies to help curb the pressing global issue of terrorist content online,' the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. Each company will decide what image and video hashes to add to the database and matching content will not be automatically removed, they said. The database will be up and running in early 2017 and more companies could be brought into the partnership."

1 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. Re:and tomorrow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    This slope is so slippery that there is no possible way to move any direction but down.

    The problem with this reasoning is that it avoids engaging with the issue at hand, and instead shifts attention to extreme hypotheticals. Because no proof is presented to show that such extreme hypotheticals will in fact occur, this fallacy has the form of an appeal to emotion fallacy by leveraging fear. In effect the argument at hand is unfairly tainted by unsubstantiated conjecture.
    source: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.c...

    How is this off topic? Extremists love to present slippery slope arguments. Don't allow gay marriage or people will marry their cat. Don't let in any refuges because they will kill us all, etc, etc. Some content clearly has no purpose in the public discourse. The votes are rigged because cousin bob heard someone dead was voting, etc, etc.

    Private companies can do what the hell they want as for as content removal. Nothing in the constitution protects that. If they don't want their sites covered in filth, they have that right. About the only action I see worth taking as a result of such things is to support net neutrality, but trump's people don't, so good luck with that.