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Facebook Hiring 3,000 To Monitor Videos After Murders, Violence Shown Live (usatoday.com)

Facebook will add 3,000 more people to its community team to review videos on the social network, says CEO Mark Zuckerberg, after several surfaced in recent weeks including a father livestreaming the killing of his daughter. From a report: In a statement published to Facebook on Wednesday, Zuckerberg says it is "heartbreaking" to see videos streamed or posted to the platform showing users "hurting themselves or others." He says 4,500 employees currently work on the community team reviewing reports on videos, and will add 3,000 over the next year. "If we're going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly," said Zuckerberg. "We're working to make these videos easier to report so we can take the right action sooner -- whether that's responding quickly when someone needs help or taking a post down." Will Oremus, reporter at Slate said, "I asked Facebook whether the 3,000 new content-moderation jobs will be employees or contractors. The company declined to comment."

6 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. What a waste by fustakrakich · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Being a censor is becoming the biggest segment of Facebook employment.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  2. This is the wrong reaction. by JoshuaZ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It is a deep mistake to react to a single event by responding with a massive response unless that event really is genuinely damaging. This is akin to how one idiot tried to light his shoes on fire on an airplane and now we all need to take off our shoes when going through security. This is an overreaction at its most basic. Unfortunately, given PR and politicians grandstanding about how awful this is, this may be Facebook's best option.

  3. Re:They use humans? That's so 2013 by RhettLivingston · · Score: 3, Insightful

    3000 humans is not even remote to the ballpark of the required number to monitor FB's videos. It is in the ballpark of what is truly required to accelerate the training of the AI-based filters. This is 100% about doing what is necessary to reduce the problem in the only way it can be. To use humans to filter video, news, or any other media in today's volumes can never meet cost requirements.

  4. Re:Getting Paid to Watch Cat Videos by telchine · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sounds like a job for anyone who ever said "I want to be paid for watching Cat Videos"

    But I don't think cat beheadings were part of their plans.

    Exactly. This sounds like an horrific job. They're being paid to watch the nastiest stuff on the Internet and judge if it's going to psychologically harm people.

    I knew someone who's job it was to watch terrorist beheading videos and then watch all the gruesome blood, and death bits so it could be cut out to show on the news in a manner that wouldn't traumatise viewers. It's only a matter of time before seeing that stuff is going to affect you.

  5. Re:Getting Paid to Watch Cat Videos by magarity · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I knew someone who's job it was to watch terrorist beheading videos and then watch all the gruesome blood, and death bits so it could be cut out to show on the news in a manner that wouldn't traumatise viewers. It's only a matter of time before seeing that stuff is going to affect you.

    If viewers didn't get a sanitized version of events there would be more political willpower to do something about people whose agenda includes sawing off the heads of "infidels" with knives.

  6. Re:How about this? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It seems one of the first things to do...is NOT just let anyone post live on FB (or the other platforms) as a default capability.

    Here is an even better solution: Grow and realize that bad stuff happens and it will happen whether or not it is posted live on FB. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it is not happening, and if you don't want to see it then CLOSE YOUR BROWSER TAB.

    None of the things mentioned are FB's "fault", and "more censorship" is NOT the answer.