TikTok 'Tried To Filter Out Videos From Ugly, Poor Or Disabled Users' (theguardian.com) 130
TikTok moderators were told to suppress videos from users who appeared too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company's efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes, according to new documents published by the Intercept. From a report: The documents detail how moderators for the social video app were instructed to select content for the influential "For You" feed, an algorithmic timeline that is most users' first port of call when they open the app. As a result, being selected for For You can drive huge numbers of views to a given video, but the selection criteria have always remained a secret, with little understanding as to the amount of automation involved. TikTok's moderators were instructed to exclude videos from the For You feed if they failed on any one of a number of categories, the documents show. Users with an "abnormal body shape (not limited to: dwarf, acromegaly)," who are "chubby ... obese or too thin" or who have "ugly facial looks or facial deformities" should be removed, one document says, since "if the character's appearance is not good, the video will be much less attractive, not worthing [sic] to be recommended to new users."
Similarly, the documents show, videos were to be removed from the feed if "the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated," since "this kind of environment is ... less fancy and appealing." A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to a report from December that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users' videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour. The categories of video suppressed in the latest document are far broader than those revealed in December, however, nor is any mention of bullying, a discrepancy the company attributes to a local interpretation of the wider policy. The documents also "show the extent of TikTok's former rules requiring moderators to enforce Chinese foreign policy overseas," the report adds. "The site published the company's livestreaming policies, which instruct moderators to take down 'controversial content' that promotes Taiwanese independence or is 'uglification' of history, such as the Tiananmen Square 'incidents.'"
Similarly, the documents show, videos were to be removed from the feed if "the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated," since "this kind of environment is ... less fancy and appealing." A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to a report from December that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users' videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour. The categories of video suppressed in the latest document are far broader than those revealed in December, however, nor is any mention of bullying, a discrepancy the company attributes to a local interpretation of the wider policy. The documents also "show the extent of TikTok's former rules requiring moderators to enforce Chinese foreign policy overseas," the report adds. "The site published the company's livestreaming policies, which instruct moderators to take down 'controversial content' that promotes Taiwanese independence or is 'uglification' of history, such as the Tiananmen Square 'incidents.'"
Does that mean videos like this ... (Score:1)
... that show Makeup vs No Makeup [youtube.com] would be banned? /s
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Gen Cheat Sheet
1940 - 1959 Baby Boomer
1960 - 1979 Gen X
1980 - 1994 Millinnial
1995 - 2010 Gen Z
2011 - 2029 Gen Screwed -- Their social security got completely fucked over over by the previous generations
2030 - 2049 Gen AI -- Kids won't know what it is like to live in a world without Alien Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence
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2033 - 2038 Quaranteens
(via twitter, really wish I came up with it...)
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Nah, it'll be Coronials
And with the shutdowns, there'll be a baby boom of them too.
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Re: Does that mean videos like this ... (Score:2)
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It depends on whether people keep three feet apart in public and two feet apart in private!
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I worry that this generation will be even more screwed than the millennials. Coronavirus is just the latest thing. In the UK we had a decade of austerity ruining young lives and even once we get over the virus we will get hit by brexit. Then there is climate change to deal with.
Re: Does that mean videos like this ... (Score:1)
1940 - 1959 Baby Boomer
A) Baby Boomers were born after the war.
B) If you're stupid (see 'A'), shut up.
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You were close though.
Meh (Score:3)
They're just putting into policy what is for the most part practice in other social media. Beautiful sells. More, the fantasy of beauty sells. Social Media is one part attention whore magnet, and one part illusion generator.
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Or did. Fashion magazines were busted for photoshopping models to the point of being unrealistic. It results in many girls getting diseases like anorexia and bulimia, and many to the point of either being seriously hospitalized, mentally ill, or suicidal.
The magazines stopped doing it an
Chisoc dictionary updated (Score:1)
or is 'uglification' of history, such as the Tiananmen Square 'incidents.'"
Doubleplusungood out, doubleplusugly in. Check.
At least learn your newspeak! (Score:2)
It's "doubleminusgood".
The clock is ticking on your 5 minutes (Score:2)
It might be possible to withstand the wrath of the politically correct mob, if your entire user base wasn't comprised of the politically correct mob.
tick tock [youtube.com].
It's China... (Score:4, Informative)
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Awful... but alone? (Score:2)
While this is patently awful for multiple reasons, I think we need to find out if they are alone in this practice. It's quite clear that Alphabet/Google has the technical capability to identify many traits of people with a degree of accuracy but the question is if they have actually employed to filter suggestions using this technology.
We should be asking all video platforms if they are using computer vision and/or moderators to filter suggestions based on the physical appearance of the individuals in them.
Re: Awful... but alone? (Score:3)
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It's been interesting watching some of the longstanding youtube channels with live presenters as they whiten and straighten their teeth, start wearing more makeup, better clothes, standing up straighter....
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Most videos I get recommended has drop dead gorgeous YouTubers
You like video games? TAKE A GANDER AT THESE GIANT TITS IN A LOW CUT SHIRT Dark Souls 1st time playing LP WATCH WOW SO BAD
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Judging by my Instagram suggestions, absolutely.
On the other hand, peer pressure may make it so they don't have to. Photo sharing by beautiful (or made up) people probably exceeds that of ugly people, and even if it doesn't, ranking by popularity certainly does.
Odd that TikTok found it necessary to do the censoring themselves.
Chinese are at it again (Score:3)
Re:Chinese are at it again (Score:4, Funny)
In other parts it is the opposite (Score:2)
I remember growing up, people were boasting about how dark they managed to get their skin by sunbathing every day in the summer.
Being "too white" was akin to being sick. There were plenty of unfortunate people who would sit in the sun all day, their skin would just burn and peel off, and would be left "white like cheese" again.
The ones that were envied were the one who could get "chocolate" by the end of the summer.
What is bad in one part of the world is special in another.
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Black people do it behind each other's back
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China is doing a lot of trade an investment with Africa these days so there are a lot more black people in China than there used to be. It's the same story as everywhere else, at first it's bad but then as Chinese people get to know black people and understand that they aren't that different or strange it goes away.
Hah! They're still, in 2020, putting "no blacks" in job advertisements for foreigners to teach english.
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Do you have any examples of that? They post all of the job offers online after all.
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Do you have any examples of that? They post all of the job offers online after all.
Looks like you're correct, they stopped that in 2015. Luckily this is not news to most people: [janinesjourneys.com]:
For example, some employers may ask for a photograph before they hire you. This is sometimes used to filter out black TEFL teachers. There are other black teachers in China who have been openly told that the school has a policy against hiring black people.
In your mind, institutionalised racism over a population of 1.5b people is easily reversed in 5 years?
I don't know how much you mix with the Chinese, but my experience with them is that it is still acceptable to be openly racist to black people. Even more so if those blacks are from Africa.
To be clear - it is currently socially acceptable in China to be racist. They haven't even gotten to the point where it'
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In your mind, institutionalised racism over a population of 1.5b people is easily reversed in 5 years?
Okay, calm down goose. I'm not saying there isn't racism in China, don't be silly. Not just against black people either. Taxi drivers try to rip me off, and there is widespread hatred of the Japanese.
What I'm saying is that things are changing, moving in the right direction.
Remember that these TV shows are essentially government propaganda - they have regular segments about how great the police are and the "advice" is really just social engineering from the state run broadcaster. So clearly they are trying
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It is okay in Chinese culture to regard black people as less capable, less intelligent, less dependable and less trustable than other races.
So... Pretty much the same as the West then. Maybe they have translated The Bell Curve into Chinese.
I don't know where you live in the West, but in the places I've lived in, racism was socially acceptable. It isn't normal to regard black people as inferior, nor is it acceptable to do so.
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We have to make a distinction between public and private when it comes to social behavior. People can be all for hiring e.g. blacks but in private confide that they not only expect but know they will fail to do the job right. Another example is being against sexism but actually believing people of gender n not being suitable for task m, this is usually slightly harder to detect in women but still there.
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I'm a minority person - there's only one of me.
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Part of it I believe is simply colorism. My asian wife would prefer to adopt a white dog over a black dog. Not because she believes black dogs are dumb or lazy, it's just a preference.
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You don't want to come to the southern US
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A decade ago if candidates said the kinds of things that Boris and Trump say they would have had very little chance of being elected.
Which quotes in particular did you consider racist?
Why would anyone be shocked by this? (Score:3, Interesting)
It's like the only reason we rage at China is because the hold a mirror up to everything that we take as normal by copying it to the extreme. We (westerners) are all part of a society which values vapidity over sincerity, a quick fix over the long game, and superficial judgement based on appearance. And each and every one of us support and condone it by consuming this media. I would berate those who claim to have no part of it but are not doing anything to challenge this paradigm, but who the fuck would listen even if we tried? We are not profitable voices and those that are profitable have no issues whoring themselves for it.
It's yet another reason to pray for global nuclear holocaust, sure, but I see no news story here.
Re: Why would anyone be shocked by this? (Score:1)
Don't confuse westerners with US Americans.
Vapidity is a distinctly American trait, and quite unpopular in most of Europe. Authenticity is attractive to us.
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As long as the authenticity comes from someone beautiful (or at least not ugly).
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Don't confuse westerners with US Americans.
Vapidity is a distinctly American trait, and quite unpopular in most of Europe. Authenticity is attractive to us.
Seriously? Vapidity is alive and thriving in Europe today. Most of Europe ingrained shallowness and superficiality as
cultural imperatives centuries ago, and lots of Europeans continue to worship those deities today.
Authenticity is equally attractive in North America. As in Europe, those few who truly find it attractive don't brag about it.
The much larger group who brag about authenticity being important don't practice it, and seldom recognize it.
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Lots of people around the world value authenticity. We *don't* value it in our celebrities, because the point of them is that they live in a made up fantasy world.
Re: Why would anyone be shocked by this? (Score:2)
It's like the only reason we rage at China
The only reason?? Suck a dick.
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70% insightful and 30% troll at the moment. Your comment is tearing the Slashdot mod trolls apart.
On the one hand they hate social media and the vapid influencer obsessed sheeple that use it, but on the other hand they also hate China.
Which ironically is an example of how stupid the social media popularity contest can be. Play to the peanut gallery or say what you really think and get censored by them.
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Speak for yourself, chief. Perhaps you should engage with people who live between the coasts.
Triggered, snowflakes? (Score:2)
Snowflakes are fragile and white. Just like Midwest conservacucks.
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When the rest of us see them, do we
Re:Why would anyone be shocked by this? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Yes, it's possible to call out both them and us. After all the parent isn't excusing China's failings, rather the parent is using China's failings to point out our faults. Naturally, it's far more important to point out our own faults than someone else's.
Lebensunwertes Leben (Score:1)
"Life unworthy of life" - Nazi Germany
History repeats itself.
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Or more accurately, quite a few people are inhumane scum and there are far too many that have no moral compass and are willing to go along with what they say.
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You seem to be functionally illiterate. Or just stupid. Because that is not what I said.
Natural selection is a Nazi then? (Score:2)
Why do you hate humanity?
Also: Get your inferiority complex fixed.
I'm not attractive due to obesity, and I don't know why I should feel bad or be angry at anyone for that. Obrsity IS not a good thing for raising healthy children. I like myself otherwise.
I lose weight; I'll be attractive. It's not an impossible problem. Meh.
And had I been forced to be born disfigured, I'd kill my parents as punishment for torturing me for their own selfish reasons, and then off myself.
Watch how little I will care, once I'm d
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And had I been forced to be born disfigured, I'd kill my parents as punishment for torturing me for their own selfish reasons, and then off myself.
Were you born as an ass-hole or is that self education? In either case, off yourself after deciding what to do with your parents.
Why is this news? (Score:1, Flamebait)
A book cover? The authors image on a book?
Music album art? A movie poster?
A band?
A movie?
Computer game art?
Academic work?
A sports presenter?
Should all productive work now have some numbers of under represented group per year?
Re: Why is this news? (Score:1)
Yes, that is what SJW terrirists are actually arguing. My ex was like that.
Ex for a reason.
Re: Why is this news? (Score:2)
Re: Why is this news? (Score:2)
I fail to see how those questions are relevant to the story. I guess when you are a hammer every problem appears to be a nail.
biased TikTok (Score:2, Funny)
I told you guys that they were suppressing Trump supporters, and you didn't believe me.
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It must really suck to know the Democrat Party is going to nominate another corrupt, incompetent, widely disliked, unelectable candidate. Causing President Trump to win a second term by a landslide. And all the fundamentalist wingbats foaming at the mouth about "OMG TRUMP!!!1!!" can't do a thing about it.
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Re: biased TikTok (Score:2)
What's Worse (Score:4, Insightful)
While I too have a visceral negative reaction upon consideration I have to admit I can't figure out what's worse about this than the long-standing common practice of magazines, newspapers and TV to show the most attractive, physically appealing and generally high-status people they can find. Even when showing people from the audience (kiss cam at games).
If TikTok is choosing to showcase certain content on their front page what makes that different than a magazine choosing the appealing person's image for their front page? Not sure they are the same but not yet sure what the difference is.
Re: What's Worse (Score:2)
I can't figure out what's worse about this than the long-standing common practice of magazines, newspapers and TV to show the most attractive, physically appealing and generally high-status people they can find.
Mod the fuck up ....while this is a bullshit, non-issue in that regard, it does not mean that marketing scum shouldn't be sold at a Chinese market.
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Nothing, they are getting the same criticism as the magazines and everyone else doing it.
If you look at fashion brands now you can see that a lot of them are using more normal looking models. It's slow but it is improving.
How is this any different ... (Score:2)
... from regular society?
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Society isn't quite as full of uniform and identical individuals as you must think it is.
The difference is deciding for yourself and having it decided for you.
There are plenty of people I personally would not find attractive.
But that there for does not mean those unattractive to me shouldn't continue to be seen or exist. I have no doubt what so ever there are plenty of others who would find that attractive.
Also I would not at all appreciate what I do find attractive to be taken from me simply because anoth
Re: How is this any different ... (Score:2)
>ducks (/sarc)
Vacuous app for vacuous people (Score:1)
My whole life... (Score:2)
Is this not what magazines for women have done for at least 50 years?
The Opposite of Mertiocracy... (Score:2)
is mediocracy. I know it's very non-PC and against the zeitgeist, but I kind-of like the idea that there are still places where only the best are allowed, and the door men - real or virtual - are actually allowed to do their job.
Re: The Opposite of Mertiocracy... (Score:2)
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Being physically attractive seems to be a rather good standard of merit for media celebrities. It's got a very long history, and is pretty much universally practiced.
I think the world would be a better place if we were more attracted to intelligence in our celebrities, but we're programmed to pay attention to people we want to fuck.
Re:The Opposite of Mertiocracy... (Score:4, Insightful)
Your point relies on the assumption that there is a metric for "the best"
Please note that your "door man" would have left e.g. Stephen Hawking outside the door. Unarguably one of the best scientists would have failed the "the best" criteria of tiktok.
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I'm sorry, you won't be allowed in the Meritocracy Club if you can't even spell its name.
It's also funny that you would take TikTok as an example of meritocracy. Of course, you'll have to define "best" in different ways depending on the context; surely you wouldn't choose world leaders or rocket scientists based on their looks?
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"surely you wouldn't choose world leaders or rocket scientists based on their looks?"
That's essentially what we do. Not exactly looks, but optics, of which looks are a part. But forbid we should actually consider their policies first... Elections are popularity contests (at least where they are real elections.)
Ugly is ugly. News at 11. (Score:1)
Sorry SJW. Reality is reality.
The only fucked-up thing here, is that TikTok exists at all.
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Not Discriminatory (Score:2)
TikTok is clearly still full of retards.
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Rich white American justice: no defence needed, no witnesses allowed, no evidence shown - acquitted by your friends
23 years in jail for rape.
Isn't the LIKE system for that? (Score:2)
Popular kids sit on the sunny table and the ugly ducklings eat their lunch in the toilet.
What else is new?
I'm SHOCKED I tell you! (Score:3)
Who would have thought a Chinese company would be have this way? ...said nobody.
What do they mean by "vulnerable"? (Score:2)
What?! Screw em! (Score:2)
Damned right! We don't want a load of "fugly retards" clogging up our beautiful aspirational video service with their pig-ugly mugs! My god normal people will have nothing to aspire to if they don't get a daily dose of the most beautiful creatures on the planet. Instagram wouldn't have got where it was if it wasn't for 4 zillion morons praying at the alter of the picture perfect Kardashians feed's, their words of wisdom are like gracious psalms sent from the hands of angels! Knowing what celebs and beautifu
It's showbiz (Score:2)
So TikTok is entertainment in its most extreme form. In fact, even Youtube has the potentional to be educational. It is very very hard to squeeze anythng meaningful and useful in the average time length of a TikTok video.
And all entertainment is about what people what to see. TikTok's audience certainly wants to see beautiful people, pleasant things and fun stuff for instant gratification. They are giving their users the entertianment their users want.
What's wrong with that? This is so trivial, it's hlirai
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Because people are like motorcycles. Give your head a shake
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Re:Wrecked? In China that's not allowed. (Score:5, Interesting)
Fixed up, shuffled off into storage ("foster" homes), or simply allowed to die because so little of society is accessible to disabled. After all, they're still called "can fei", meaning "incomplete" and "useless". It's why you encounter subway stations (like Xujiahui in Shanghai, going from line 1 to line 11) where there are some ramps - but still 8 stone steps that you must navigate around - with no elevator or ramp to assist.
Better to let them sit in a home somewhere and rot away, that way the rest of society doesn't have to be troubled by those useless, incomplete people.
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After all, they're still called "can fei", meaning "incomplete" and "useless".
So just like "invalid" here in the West?
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Except that's considered inappropriate here in the West now, so no, not very like that at all.
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"Seems like most Americans who are injured keep their injuries so they can make money from the government."
Yeah, I'm sure the 40 million or so Americans with chronic health conditions are just hamming it up big time to get that sweet, sweet government payout. /s
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When we remodeled our kitchen, we saved 30% by paying cash to a contractor on SSDI, so he wouldn't be disqualified from receiving his monthly check.
The number of Americans receiving federal disability payments has tripled since 2008. There is no way that actual disabilities have increased that much, if at all.
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It's possible (probable around here) that you have a chronic inability to recognize sarcasm, but the OP even put in the tag for you.
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"injured keep their injuries so they can make money from the government." You sound like the absolute worst person anyone can know.
Unfortunately it is true for some, though. People who fake shit to mess it up for those who actually do have issues and real problems.
I knew someone about a decade ago who had somehow gotten disability for depression, yet she'd say in private that she'd faked it all and she used it to get several years of back pay on car stuff and whatnot. Then just used all the money to buy weed. Maybe she was lying to save face. But you know there's pieces of shit on both sides of the argument.
And I'm not saying
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I lost parts of one of my legs and two of my fingers and a thumb was damaged as well when someone else screwed up when I was in the military, and that doesn't even include what the radioactive materials did as well.
I'd happily pay ten times all of my disability payments for life to get those properly repaired!
But that isn't even an option outside of scifi stuff, so I'm stuck like this forever.
As to China, yeah, they don't fix stuff either, nor do they ha
Re: Wrecked? In China that's not allowed. (Score:2)
Basically "The New Guy 2.0", you sound like a new hire that hasn't had orientation training at Republican Trolls For Tyranny & Associates yet.
Come now; why would a Republican troll with that? He/she/it is trying to make fiscal conservatives look bad; logic fail.