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posted by LaminatorX on Tuesday March 10 2015, @09:32PM   Printer-friendly
from the why-we-can't-have-nice-things dept.

Jonathon Mahler writes in the NYT that in much the same way that Facebook swept through the dorm rooms of America’s college students a decade ago, the social app Yik Yak, which shows anonymous messages from users within a 1.5-mile radius is now taking college campuses by storm. "Think of it as a virtual community bulletin board — or maybe a virtual bathroom wall at the student union," writes Mahler. "It has become the go-to social feed for college students across the country to commiserate about finals, to find a party or to crack a joke about a rival school." And while much of the chatter is harmless, some of it is not. “Yik Yak is the Wild West of anonymous social apps,” says Danielle Keats Citron. “It is being increasingly used by young people in a really intimidating and destructive way.” Since the app’s introduction a little more than a year ago, Yik Yak has been used to issue threats of mass violence on more than a dozen college campuses, including the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University and Penn State. Racist, homophobic and misogynist “yaks” have generated controversy at many more, among them Clemson, Emory, Colgate and the University of Texas. At Kenyon College, a “yakker” proposed a gang rape at the school’s women’s center.

Colleges are largely powerless to deal with the havoc Yik Yak is wreaking. The app’s privacy policy prevents schools from identifying users without a subpoena, court order or search warrant, or an emergency request from a law-enforcement official with a compelling claim of imminent harm. Esha Bhandari, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, argues that "banning Yik Yak on campuses might be unconstitutional," especially at public universities or private colleges in California where the so-called Leonard Law protects free speech. She said it would be like banning all bulletin boards in a school just because someone posted a racist comment on one of the boards. In one sense, the problem with Yik Yak is a familiar one. Anyone who has browsed the comments of an Internet post is familiar with the sorts of intolerant, impulsive rhetoric that the cover of anonymity tends to invite. But Yik Yak’s particular design can produce especially harmful consequences, its critics say. “It’s a problem with the Internet culture in general, but when you add this hyper-local dimension to it, it takes on a more disturbing dimension,” says Elias Aboujaoude.” “You don’t know where the aggression is coming from, but you know it’s very close to you.”

 
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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2015, @10:58PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2015, @10:58PM (#155785)

    Moderation is not a form of expression.

    Moderation is a socially harmful activity similar to molestation and murder.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   -1  
       Troll=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Troll' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   -1  
  • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday March 10 2015, @11:54PM

    by hemocyanin (186) on Tuesday March 10 2015, @11:54PM (#155810) Journal

    obviously, you are funning with us.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 11 2015, @12:24AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 11 2015, @12:24AM (#155833) Journal
      Only with the ones that were tricked in feeding the troll (myself included. While mistakes are a perfect ground for learning, repeating the same mistakes is not).
      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @02:16AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @02:16AM (#155873)

        Even though he's an obvious troll, I feel compelled to not let his proof by repeated assertion gain any ground. As Faux News has proven, if you repeat the same garbage over and over again people will eventually accept it as fact. Better to not even allow it the chance to gain ground by challenging it every time that garbage presents itself.

        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @03:12AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @03:12AM (#155900)

          As we've ascertained, moderation is a form of censorship.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @04:57AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @04:57AM (#155925)

          > I feel compelled to not let his proof by repeated assertion gain any ground.

          The guy seems to show up for a a week or two and then disappear for a few months, perhaps his medication runs out.
          I think it is interesting that michael crawford has also entered a period of manic posting. I don't remember if their cycles synced up last time though.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @09:16AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @09:16AM (#155962)

            Lunatics : Moon. Tides, Werewolves, Bill O'Reilly. Correlation does not equal causation, but something is definitely going on!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @09:12AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @09:12AM (#155960)

      obviously, you are funning with us.

      Yes, but sadly it will not at all be apparent to the poor bastards that keep getting modded down in liberal, academic, Social Justice Warrior (I wonder, does that have uniform or an Ironman suit to go with it?) acts of censorship and oppression trying to keep them from expressing their deep and tender feeling about black teenage "thugs" and the right to keep and arm bears, and Biblical basis for child rape.

      The Goldwater was particularly good. Can I try?

      "Liberty, in the pursuit of Rand Paul, is a vice!" Barry, however, came around in his later years.