TikTok admits secretly banning the word "gay" and like terms in Russia, elsewhere

[beschizza]

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/10/tiktok-admits-secretly-banning.html

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[anon61221983]

Gee, it’s almost like corporations aren’t trustworthy regarding free speech when it clashes with profits… that can’t be true, tho. I was told the free markets will solve all our problems. /s

[gracchus]

@anon61221983

I was told the free markets will solve all our problems. /s

Yeah, once TikTok is sold to a freedom-loving American company all this censorship will stop. /s

[anon61221983]

Yes, they are never problematic! AMURICAN FREE ENTERPRISE IS THE FREEST OF FREEDUMSSSS!!! /s

[Lisa_Beebe]

I clicked over to learn what the Scunthorpe problem is and the Wikipedia page is full of entertaining examples, like the fact that if news sites replace the word “ass” with “butt,” it results in words like buttbuttinate.

Scunthorpe problem

[bobtato]

@beschizza

Last year, it admitted limiting material posted by people who were disabled, disfigured, autistic or simply “ugly”.

Bad!

But I think it bears pointing out that it’s only within the last decade or two that mass media platforms have existed anywhere that don’t have this exact same policy. Aside from a very occasional wheelchair-bound hottie, American movies and TV refuse to show disabled, disfigured, autistic or ugly people even to this day. So you could argue that Chinese culture is just more honest about its prejudices.

[Howiemoticon]

@beschizza

But a level of flagrant bigotry, beyond the needs of capital or authoritarian regimes, is something Tik Tok has long specialized in. Last year, it admitted limiting material posted by people who were disabled, disfigured, autistic or simply "ugly". Tik Tok’s contempt for minorities and the marginalized is corporate culture, not merely an act of compliance.

I believe the Tik Tok people are a pack of Scunthorpes!