The Times and gender critical comments.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Dh occasionally comments on Times articles. Today, he has tried and tried and tried again, to comment on a piece in today’s paper about rapists being allowed to identify as female, and their crimes being reported as female crimes in Scotland. He keeps getting told that his language ‘may upset the Times’ community’, but has finally managed to get one past the moderators, asking if the Times is ready to lose female readers when they feel thrown under the bus by the Times.

The piece is in the Scottish edition of the Times.

He feels - and I have to agree - that the Times has caved to the TRAs on this issue.

Mine's pending approval. Have they changed their software because I don't think you used to get that notice about pending approval before. The appearance of the comments section has changed.

Actually I should have asked when the moderating team was changed as it's been a notable change in the last 4 weeks or so.

I don't comment that often but I have seen other comments that show how comments are being moderated and I've seen similar points made on MN about surrogacy articles.

I do wonder how it compares to say comment moderation on the Daily Mail.

@highame

and..........I wonder if they've had a new recruit in their Equalities department. Maybe Aimee has got herself another job?

I wondered if it was a trigger happy recruit. I haven't commented recently but the moderation can vary widely.

I've had comments relating to other issues held for moderation purposes recently, so it is not just this issue. However, it has also been suggested to me I re-phrase my comment and try again.

i guess that lots of eyes are now scanning all comment sections for the purposes of reporting. Moderation in the Times has always tended to be report led; but then most times readers have tended to been pretty tolerant in not over-reporting posts.

Have just commented and everything is pending approval apart from one comment where I quoted the actual wording of tbe Act which was rejected.??? Having said that there are no supportive comments and some particularly robust ones. Are they using a new AI system perhaps

I think when an article is 'hot' comments do tend to get held in a queue.

I think anyone with an axe to grind will make a bee-line for that sort of job, as with the recent Reddit revelations, and especially Twitter, most obviously in the case of J. K. Rowling and the Mysteriously Disappearing Likes.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Some members of the community may find your comment inappropriate. Try Again?

What about women who find men appropriating their names and spaces inappropriate? Or women who find being silenced when they try to talk about their lived experience inappropriate?

Or is it only a problem if it offends men.

@IvyTwines2

I think anyone with an axe to grind will make a bee-line for that sort of job, as with the recent Reddit revelations, and especially Twitter, most obviously in the case of J. K. Rowling and the Mysteriously Disappearing Likes.

Yep, it's probably a new hiring.

I haven't seen a Jo March comment for weeks (although I only read comments linked to on here with a share token) but she's been notable by her absence

I remember reading a while ago - can't remember if it was here or on Twitter - that some kind of editorial changes were going on. There wasn't much sign of anything happening at the time but it sounds like they might be starting to bite?

@IvyTwines2

I think anyone with an axe to grind will make a bee-line for that sort of job, as with the recent Reddit revelations, and especially Twitter, most obviously in the case of J. K. Rowling and the Mysteriously Disappearing Likes.

Are the likes still disappearing? Anyone found out why?

A few days ago, the comments changed and they have a link to Openweb at the bottom:

www.openweb.com/powered-by/

Openweb seems to be used by other publications too.

This is interesting!
www.openweb.com/moderation-and-safety/

Ahh, now that is interesting. If that lot is being used for The Times I can't see me wanting to be jumping through those hoops.

However, thinking about this positively, The Times is still unique in the mainstream media in actively shedding light on the gender identity ideology.

We actively incentivize and nudge users to be positive contributors. The more civil they are, the larger their reach and influence — creating a virtuous cycle of positive engagement.

1 That's definitely worked on Twitter and YT. It's civil, polite, evidence-based people who have extensive networks they've influenced.

2 Don't mention China and the Social Credit system…No, it's nothing like that at all

nhglobalpartners.com/china-social-credit-system-explained/

So the key is to make lots of polite, friendly and witty comments about other things to put up your ratings so that maybe you can get away with not being "kind" occasionally .

Though surely you'll just end up with insipid middle of the road views.

I think it's a new algorithm. I had difficulty getting a robust comment accepted in relation to a particularly odious separatist MSP. My comment had nothing to do with trans issues.

@PopperUppleton

I haven't seen a Jo March comment for weeks (although I only read comments linked to on here with a share token) but she's been notable by her absence

I wondering about that too. But there is a poster with her initials as the first two letters of their user name that posts in a very similar way.

That was supposed to be - I was wondering.

2 Don't mention China and the Social Credit system…No, it's nothing like that at all

Embarrassing My thoughts went straight to China's social credit system too. It's chilling.

My thoughts went straight to China's social credit system too. It's chilling.

Our discourse and comments are being algorithmically rated by a system that's not transparent, that's probably not subject to any geographical governance and we know how well that's worked out for protecting Twitter's algorithm from being gamed along with so many other outstanding examples of abuse and manipulation that is probably discounted as 'never or hardly ever' happening.

It's the Tech Dude Oligarchy + Social Credit + Dorian Gray as the Sin–Eating Neural Network in the Attic That Isn't Available for Scrutiny

It's the C21 version of Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism (why yes, I'm not taking the news of Police Scotland or various other contemporary events on the chin).

I notice Nuture has that reeducate word in it. Tell me, has reeducate ever been used by a positive system?

[quote WinterIsGone]This is interesting!
www.openweb.com/moderation-and-safety/[/quote]
Fuck me, that's a tad Orwellian no?

I think I would urge those of you who comment to contact the Times and complain about this.

Fuck me, that's a tad Orwellian no

It is! A sort of technology/digitally led big brother.

I get how it is supposed to reinforce positive society, but ultimately it will also lead to a logarithm determining what is socially acceptable comment or behaviour.