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from the that-didn't-work-out-quite-like-we-hoped dept.
Google has apologized on behalf of its algorithm(s), which promoted a fake news story identifying the wrong man as the recent Las Vegas shooter:
After yesterday's mass shooting in Las Vegas, Google briefly gave its "Top Stories" stamp of approval to two 4chan threads identifying (and triumphantly smearing) the wrong man as the shooter. Google apologized for including "inaccurate" web pages in its top results, saying that its algorithm had spotted a burst of activity around a little-used search term (the name of 4chan's so-called suspect), created a Top Stories carousel, and favored "fresh" content there above more authoritative sources.
This is far from the first time Google's search results have purveyed misinformation. In March, it finally instructed human quality raters — who manually evaluate web pages to train the Search algorithm — to flag offensive and factually incorrect material, which Search could then downgrade for users seeking general information about a topic. As the 4chan incident shows, though, it still has blind spots. And that's not really because of a problem with Google's algorithm. It's happening because Google's core business has never been about defining truth — yet that's what Top Stories is implicitly promising.
Facebook also promoted the "fresh" content:
[A] story by the pro-Trump political website "The Gateway Pundit" named a different person as the shooter, citing a Facebook page to claim the individual was "a far left loon" and "a Democrat who liked (MSNBC host) Rachel Maddow." Posters on the anonymous, anarchic 4chan.org forum likewise trumpeted supposed findings that the same individual was both the shooter and a "social democrat." BuzzFeed saved screenshots of the stories, which no longer turn up on either Gateway Pundit or 4chan.
[...] Facebook said its security team removed Gateway Pundit results and other similar posts from its social network, some within minutes. But because that removal was "delayed," the company said, images of the incorrect story were captured and circulated online.
"We are working to fix the issue that allowed this to happen in the first place and deeply regret the confusion this caused," a Facebook spokesman said in a statement.
Also at BBC.
Previously: Over 50 dead in mass shooting in Las Vegas
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Wednesday October 04 2017, @02:03PM (10 children)
In all fairness 4chan has accused the same man of committing every crime in the past couple years.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Bot on Wednesday October 04 2017, @03:22PM (9 children)
I have no reason to distrust 4chan, they are pretty consistent. OTOH other news outlets leave me confused.
Before: Terrorists don't hide among asylum seekers
After: Asylum seeker stabs people shouting Allah ACK bar (I guess that's the correct spelling)
Before: Trump will not be the republican candidate
During: HRC will be president
After: President Trump says stuff
Before: WTC resist airplane collisions
After: WTC down, hit by airplane
Before: Bin Laden is our man in Afghanistan
After: Bin Laden family members allowed to escape from the USA even if all flight down
Even After: Bin Laden was behind the attack
And let us not count all the instances of
Before: Our financial situation is solid.
2 mins later: Bankrupcy
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Sulla on Wednesday October 04 2017, @03:36PM (4 children)
Pretty impressive the deciet within news agencies, one of my favorite is CNN on maturnity leave. They had an article about the importance of maturnity leave, Trump said he wanted to provide more paid leave, then CNN ran an article about how paid maturnity leave hurts women.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 04 2017, @04:58PM (3 children)
I was in a restaurant yesterday and happened to see Fox news on the TV reporting on the Vegas shooting, and near the end of their segment they cut over to "Vegas shooting - opinions from China" where they interviewed a black basketball player. It just seemed so odd, a young black man shooting hoops is probably one of the least reassuring images you can show a Fox news watcher.
This particular instance could be innocent, but the psychological manipulation through the media is very very real.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 04 2017, @05:26PM
Clips or it didn't happen!
(Score: 2, Informative) by Sulla on Wednesday October 04 2017, @07:25PM (1 child)
Thanks for reminding us that everyone who watches fox is racist. It really makes your comments more valid.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 04 2017, @09:55PM
Yup. "...and by the way, for all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white." (Megyn Kelly on Fox News Channel) [youtube.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 04 2017, @06:57PM
What is inconsistent is your state of mind.
When did "they" ever say terrorists don't hide behind asylum seekers? NEVER. And one guy stabbing someone proves the point? I think you're missing the point. You clearly missed the argument.
It wasn't the plane collisions that brought down the WTC. They handled the collisions very well.
You're also talking like there was one unmoving story about the election and "they" couldn't tell it consistently. You've got a warped sense of expectations.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @01:04AM (1 child)
If you want accurate predictions in the future, it would be wise to check with the guy who has been correct 9 times in a row: Allan Lichtman [google.com]
All of your examples are weak--easily negated by 1 instance.
Seriously, this was the best that you could do?
...and, as I've said before, if you want accuracy, STOP CONSUMING LAMESTREAM MEDIA.
They exist to sell ads to megacorporations; all else is secondary to them.
Upthread, I've included a list of news sites with high veracity.
...which Google is degrading in its search results.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Thursday October 05 2017, @05:34PM
We can only hope that Lichtman is totally infallible.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/trump-impeachment-professor-allan-lichtman-237181 [politico.com]
When life isn't going right, go left.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday October 05 2017, @01:54AM