Are anonymous denunciations of other people's posts on social networking websites a good thing?
Facebook is facing a serious problem with trolls anonymously bringing art photos to the attention of Facebook moderators, and calling them porn. According to this article, people can anonymously target those they hate and harass them by denouncing their posts. This leads to absurd situations where a person reposts something, is denounced and censored for it, while the same photo remains up in thousands of other places on Facebook.
Facebook has made its rules deliberately vague, so they can justify any action at all, and say it is a reasonable interpretation of their rules.
What do you think of this? Is this any way to run a social networking site? Is it possible to have more freedom, or will that ruin the site for too many others? Is that the price we pay—a loss of freedom of expression in order to make other people feel comfortable? It’s not like they couldn’t go somewhere else, right?
Is that the answer? Love it or leave it?
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In the country I live in I am supposed to be able to face my accuser and demand they show cause for the charges. I know the originators of Facebook are Americans, but I think they may have forgotten that. No. I’ve never liked the idea of anonymous acusers, it’s cowardly, I don’t think they should taken seriously on Facebook and the Mods should weigh censorship very carefully.
The thing is why would a troll have any access at all to your page? I don’t let anyone beyond friends view anything on my timeline.
I would rather have the ability to be anonymous (enshrined in the beginnings of the USA around revolutionary war times) even with the occasional bad stuff that it brings, than the alternative.
I would NOT want to require people to use their real names.
For one thing, forcing real name use causes people to censor themselves and be dishonest. That is a bad thing.
If I take a position that is counter to a poster’s position, I am honest enough to state my reasons & my name. And I do my best to keep my position as reasonably as is possible.
One person’s porn is another person’s art and there can never be strict rules about it. But if you feel you have to complain then there should be a way to do it anonymously or open warfare will break out.
Facebook is reactionary. They think breastfeeding is porn for cryin’ out loud.
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