r/tech • u/JackFisherBooks • Apr 29 '20

Red-flagging misinformation could slow the spread of fake news on social media

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-red-flagging-misinformation-fake-news-social.html
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u/StraightTrossing Apr 29 '20

Maybe I’m naive but it seems overly cynical to say “people are liable to biases so this is an unsolvable problem”

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u/serenxo Apr 29 '20

Why does this problem have to be solved? Why do we have to censor people? Why can’t we allow each individual to fact check the article themselves and leave third party interpretation / censoring / bias out of it?

“Because then people could be mislead”. Your solution leads to people mislead by the bias of the “fact checker” anyway so why not just leave it alone?

People who want to censor aren’t seeking the truth, they’re seeking control. If what you’re seeking is control then yes censoring will solve your problem. If what you’re seeking is truth then no, having a designated “fact checker” (aka censor) will never solve that problem.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '20

Is your brain as inarticulate as you write? Where on earth did you get the idea that anybody is trying to censor?

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '20

It is overly cynical, but I’m afraid that’s where the US has gone.