Facebook Shut Down German Research on Instagram Algorithm, Researchers Say (theverge.com) 24
Researchers at AlgorithmWatch say they were forced to abandon their research project monitoring the Instagram algorithm after legal threats from Facebook. From a report: The Berlin-based project went public with the conflict in a post published Friday morning, citing the platform's recent ban of the NYU Ad Observatory. "There are probably more cases of bullying that we do not know about," the post reads. "We hope that by coming forward, more organizations will speak up about their experiences."
Launched in March 2020, AlgorithmWatch provided a browser plug-in that would allow users to collect data from their Instagram feeds, providing insight into how the platform prioritizes pictures and videos. The project published findings regularly, showing that the algorithm encouraged photos that showed bare skin and that photos showing faces are ranked higher than screenshots of text. Facebook disputed the methodology but did not otherwise take action against AlgorithmWatch for the first year of the project.
Launched in March 2020, AlgorithmWatch provided a browser plug-in that would allow users to collect data from their Instagram feeds, providing insight into how the platform prioritizes pictures and videos. The project published findings regularly, showing that the algorithm encouraged photos that showed bare skin and that photos showing faces are ranked higher than screenshots of text. Facebook disputed the methodology but did not otherwise take action against AlgorithmWatch for the first year of the project.
People like Sexy Pictures Who Knew! (Score:3)
With a few exceptions (With modern Test Tube Babies, and an a uninstantiated account of some guy 2000 or so years ago) we are all hear because our parents, our grand parents, our great grand parents.... Had sex at least once. And after millions of years Humans, seem to instinctively be attracted towards particular images that we find sexually stimulating.
While I get science is about understanding and measuring things that we might seem well Duh yea, because it brings us further details onto it. But this doesn't seem to dig far enough for my tastes. And is just saying, we Like Sexy pictures more than Text.
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we are all hear
Here, here!
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we are all hear
Here, here!
Hier!
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Nein!
Doch!
Ooohh!
Perhaps more exceptions than that. (Score:2)
With a few exceptions (With modern Test Tube Babies, and an a uninstantiated account of some guy 2000 or so years ago) we are all hear because our parents, our grand parents, our great grand parents.... Had sex at least once.
Perhaps more exceptions than that.
There's also artificial insemination. Or spillage of semen during sex play or otherwise. (The little swimmers CAN make it up the canal on their own, and I hear an Australian salt-water swimming pool with a high sperm count has been accused of paternit
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Dude, lifeforms had sex for waayyy longer than a few millions of years.
Yes, making sex a taboo is to ridiculously blatant, that it's outright amazing that anyone fell for it.
It's like making eating and food a taboo. "Eww, stop making a sandwich in front of the children, you pervert!"
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I was mostly pointing out modern humans. Other animals and lifeforms, can have a very different and methods around sex, where some animals may give birth without having a genetic partner in cases where mating population is sparse. Other animals may change genders to meet the demand. Things get more diverse the further you go down the evolutionary chain, then back up a different path.
So I just used the Millions of years to cover Humans. Because things get weird the further you go back.
Good Algorithm! Good Algorithm! (Score:1)
If one wants a successful Instagram-creator experience, a tool like this would be very helpful.
That Instagram does not like this tool is an indication that Instagram's Corporate Character is less than what it should be!
What ever happened to Customer Service?
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What ever happened to Customer Service?
Instagram's customers are advertisers - maybe they have great customer service... the normal viewers, projects like the AlgorithmWatch tool, and users and people who post on Instagram just aren't customers. The purpose of the algorithms is to surface what viewers will engage with and keep them coming back.. Doubtful they'd care about creators or want creators to understand the algorithm well as that could reduce the effectiveness of the algorithm at accomplishing th
Privacy Rapist shuts down benign project (Score:3)
The project published findings regularly, showing that the algorithm encouraged photos that showed bare skin and that photos showing faces are ranked higher than screenshots of text.
WTF is Facebook so scared of that they take down a project like this??
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For example there's thousands of different Colas out there besides of Coca Cola. And everyone can try an reverse engineer their own with Coca Cola being powerless legally. People can buy their product and do with it whatever they want, which includes analyzing it, like running it through a gas chromatograph or whatever.
Coca Cola is still ahead because their 'secret' is apparently a pretty go
Nothing of value was lost (Score:1, Interesting)
People who do those studies should have their academic qualifications revoked
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Why the **** did someone mod this drivel up?
You just made up a conspiracy theory and then whined that the thing that you just invented should be stopped you fucking loon.
Were the tools open-sourced? (Score:2)
Does anyone know if the tools used (or an equivalent) are open-sourced?
Yeah, no shit? (Score:1)
People like sex-related things, food-related things and social closeness things? You don't say!
Those just happen to be the things that literally drive humanity's existence. Our most important drives.
No matter what the schizophrenic oppressors ("believers") say.