GAB.ai social network app removed from google play store for violating "hate speech" policy

[Syntaxvgm]

https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/18/16166240/gab-google-play-removed-hate-speech

By allowing users to communicate freely, GAB is responsible for those user's political views being not being palpable for the fragile majority of people should they choose to install an app that allows people to speak freely. 

 

A few news articles were written about GAB being an 'alt right hate speech platform' after the car attack this week, and Google has taken action.

The war has begun. This is just the beginning. 

'Hate speech' will define an ever increasing amount of speech. 

Hate speech is considered violence. 

Private companies will not allow users to communicate all political views. Censoring those that the general public doesn't agree with will become the societal norm, even if not yet required by the government people will get comfortable with the idea. 

 

(To be clear, its an is not the result of anything contained within the app but the groups who used it)

 

Quote

It is not clear what prompted Google to remove the Gab app from its store. The company’s hate speech policy forbids any apps “that advocate against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” The app has never been approved for placement on Apple’s App Store.

 

[LAwLz]

Every time something like this happens, both the left and right will become even more extreme. The right will have their views validated (that they are actually the ones being oppressed) and as a response to the right being even more vocal the left will become more extreme too.

 

Good job Google. You are part of the problem.

This is extremely counterproductive if you want to stop hatred.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Syntaxvgm said:

The app has never been approved for placement on Apple’s App Store.

If apple didnt approve the app on their app store, they must have a stricter policy as to what apps are approved or disapproved. Apple must be big on security in terms of the approval of different apps. 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Syntaxvgm said:

To be clear, its an is not the result of anything contained within the app but the groups who used it

In conclusion, the groups using the app were probably violating the "hate speech policy". 

[Droidbot]

1 minute ago, TheBeastPC said:

In conclusion, the groups using the app were probably violating the "hate speech policy". 

And that matters how? An app cannot police their userbase to the fullest extent. White supremacists use Facebook and Twitter too, why are they not taken off the Play Store?

[Syntaxvgm]

Just now, Droidbot said:

And that matters how? An app cannot police their userbase to the fullest extent. White supremacists use Facebook and Twitter too, why are they not taken off the Play Store?

because those networks actively try to censor people. I've seen people banned from twitter for the dumbest shit, like daring to be right wing on a public forum, and I'm not even talking alt right nutjobs. Meanwhile left leaning people can even be overtly racist or incite violence, or directly threaten other users and not get removed

[jools]

there is no such thing as freedom of speech , I would much rather have people spouting there extremist views publicly , then at least I will know who they are. all this banning of apps and users makes for segrated social views of many groups. we are really one group called human

[RumSwift]

23 minutes ago, TheBeastPC said:

If apple didnt approve the app on their app store, they must have a stricter policy as to what apps are approved or disapproved. Apple must be big on security in terms of the approval of different apps. 

They can be really anal with apps on there tbf

 

I'm all for freedom of speech ect, but with recent events extreme views are getting more a little scarier and it's a little threatening. Shouldn't be taken down, could just be strictly moderated.

[TidaLWaveZ]

40 minutes ago, TheBeastPC said:

In conclusion, the groups using the app were probably violating the "hate speech policy". 

So in conclusion we should ban all text messaging apps, email apps, and browser apps because the users violate the policy.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, TidaLWaveZ said:

So in conclusion we should ban text messaging apps, email apps, and browser apps where users can violate the policy.

I think it has something to do with reviews or something (correct me if Im wrong)

[TidaLWaveZ]

Just now, TheBeastPC said:

Only if they are violating the policies.

Lol, every communication app provides a medium for users to violate the policy so all communication must be censored and the apps should be blocked? Nobody should be able to make calls or send texts?

 

They are killing the messenger(no pun intended).

[Liltrekkie]

Just now, TheBeastPC said:

Only if they are violating the policies.

You're literally telling people how to think. 

 

That doesn't work. "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured...the first thought forbidden...the first freedom denied – chains us all, irrevocably."

 

You cannot tell people how to act, you can't tell people what to think. Extremists are that, extreme ways of thinking. Sure, we may not, and should not agree with them, but you do not dismiss them. You do not dismiss anyone like that. By doing that you only spread hate. 

 

You must debate them, you always debate them, but you never dismiss them. 

[TidaLWaveZ]

33 minutes ago, Rhyss said:

They can be really anal with apps on there tbf

 

I'm all for freedom of speech ect, but with recent events extreme views are getting more a little scarier and it's a little threatening. Shouldn't be taken down, could just be strictly moderated.

Don't let the media scare you, they do it purposely to make money. What sucks is that they are so good at it that people who know they are lying still buy into it. 

 

Your chances of getting truly injured or killed by a domestic political extremist are likely very close to your chances of getting hit by lightning. They are even less if you limit them to a certain side or group.

[Taf the Ghost]

In the wonky way things work these days, you can read about the situation on Gab's twitter feed: https://twitter.com/getongab

 

The word of the day is "Collusion".

 

Also, Twitter has a massive Child Porn sharing subculture out of the Gulf. If you mention it, they permaban your account. Twitter also has taken massive amount of money from Saudi investors. You're free to make the logical conclusions. 

[Taf the Ghost]

Since it was two news cycles ago, I'd forgotten this when it blew up. Gab offered the fired Google employee James Damore a job. (Google Memo guy.)   Then, Google kicks Gab off the Play Store.

 

Right. Nothing to see here, folks!

[Tech_Dreamer]

They set the rules & the cherry picks on political preference & choose which group it applies to? when in parallel similar form of talk is taking place it wont get similar response to control hate speech? sounds like a Fraudulent form of discrimination & policy .

 

[RumSwift]

21 minutes ago, TidaLWaveZ said:

Don't let the media scare you, they do it purposely to make money. What sucks is that they are so good at it that people who know they are lying still buy into it.

 

Your chances of getting truly injured or killed by a domestic political extremist are likely very close to your chances of getting hit by lightning. They are even less if you limit them to a certain side or group.

Like I agree with you 100% on the Media side of it, I generally take everything they spew with a pinch of salt. It's not that anything they're saying/doing is getting more extreme, it's just happening more frequently which is a little worrying. again that could just be the media picking up on it more frequently to scaremonger, but still. 

[TidaLWaveZ]

8 minutes ago, Rhyss said:

Like I agree with you 100% on the Media side of it, I generally take everything they spew with a pinch of salt. It's not that anything they're saying/doing is getting more extreme, it's just happening more frequently which is a little worrying. again that could just be the media picking up on it more frequently to scaremonger, but still. 

I get what you're saying, we've had some time off since the news was hyping police brutality and BLM protests/riots. They took time off their fear mongering schedule to focus on defaming the current administration.

[Taf the Ghost]

21 minutes ago, TidaLWaveZ said:

I get what you're saying, we've had some time off since the news was hyping police brutality and BLM protests/riots. They took time off their fear mongering schedule to focus on defaming the current administration.

The BLM/Cop stuff was funded by the same groups that are anti-Trump. If you look closely, it's actually the same play book they use to destabilize most countries. Most recent example is Ukraine. For all of the planning & execution that goes into it, it's pretty much a play that goes "why don't you and him fight?". Devious & evil, but it works. Much of the playbook is from Iron Curtain intelligence services activities in non-Communist countries during the Cold War.

[Tech_Dreamer]

in a way it's starting to look & act like a like a church instead of a joint diverse community for a company , they welcome only those with specific set of narratives & opinions beliefs into their shelter  , Might look good to those who are controlling it , Sooner or later it's gonna back fire , The whole Alt-Right narrative got pushed by the Left & the Alt-Left extremist as hate speech , hid behind this & used it for targeted promotion as they demonstrated before  , they rarely went after actual extremists, Did blanket attack on those who disagree wit their political policy were dealt with violence & extreme verbal harassment & separation from their group . remember back in the election time they openly were harassing & attacking those who wore a red cap & calling out them as NAZI /Racist crap those who actually weren't IRL , but you know what their real intentions were doing so,  but i don't expect logical reasoning from emotionally blinded political activists to make reasonable judgement . pretending to be a good guy doesn't excuse them to do the exact things their opponents did to silence others.

[TidaLWaveZ]

6 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

The BLM/Cop stuff was funded by the same groups that are anti-Trump. If you look closely, it's actually the same play book they use to destabilize most countries. Most recent example is Ukraine. For all of the planning & execution that goes into it, it's pretty much a play that goes "why don't you and him fight?". Devious & evil, but it works. Much of the playbook is from Iron Curtain intelligence services activities in non-Communist countries during the Cold War.

I think it's been divide and conquer since sometime in the late 2000's/early 2010's

[Sauron]

As I said multiple times, google has a right to do this (assuming they don't have contractual obligations that say otherwise, and that will have to be verified) and it's not censorship.

 

However, it is stupid. I fully expect telegram to be thrown under the bus for the same reason at this point, and it doesn't make any sense. Now, if anyone really cares about private messaging they can still get APKs for both these apps online, so what does this accomplish? The apps themselves don't expose the users to any first party political propaganda, so why should anyone need to be "protected" from them by google's curation?

[Taf the Ghost]

16 minutes ago, Sauron said:

As I said multiple times, google has a right to do this (assuming they don't have contractual obligations that say otherwise, and that will have to be verified) and it's not censorship.

 

However, it is stupid. I fully expect telegram to be thrown under the bus for the same reason at this point, and it doesn't make any sense. Now, if anyone really cares about private messaging they can still get APKs for both these apps online, so what does this accomplish? The apps themselves don't expose the users to any first party political propaganda, so why should anyone need to be "protected" from them by google's curation?

They have a majority position in the US market. Their legal rights are thus constrained. They've also caused a material (tort) harm to a potential competitor, very likely at the behest of one of Gab's direct competitors (Twitter), which is a nasty FTC violation. And the app was on the store for a long while without complaint. 

 

But, remember, No8, you have to bake the cake. Everyone is going to love the New Rules.

[TacoSenpai]

Yes Google and all these other "social media"  (which I use the term loosely as they seem to be more like political propaganda tools now in days) have every right to decide what to have on their stores and sites.  That being said, if their aim is to denounce and get rid of hate speech and extremism this has the exact opposite effect.  You cannot claim to be open-minded and for freedom of speech when the minute something you disagree with workers get fired, apps get taken off, and censoring out the ass occurs.  People seem to forget the reason for the first amendment is to protect unpopular speech.  This is why.  Worse yet when the extremism on the left occurs it seems like its hardly condemned, banned, or censored.  At best case this gives validity to your opposition and at worst case it adds to the flawed and perceived validity that neo-nazis are pushing.   

 

The worst part about all this is that terms like racist, sexist, nazi, and whatever ist or phobic term you want to throw out there have become nothing more than dime a dozen words that carry no weight what so ever.  They've been used so much to just describe anyone who disagrees with "progressives" and "open mindedness" that when there are people or ideologies that actually do embody them no one takes it seriously or worse people join those movements out of spite regardless of the obvious and horrendous flaws in the ideology.   

[Master Disaster]

This topic is already doomed for closure...

 

Anyway I have a serious question/theory to pose, do you guys believe the large internet social media platforms are scared of government legislation against internet free speech? I reckon the likes of Google, Facebook & Twitter have seen the recent spaight of terror attacks across Europe and heard the backlash from the UK government and the EU assembly and they're now over reacting to try and make it look like they're actually doing something so when the shit hits the fan they have their lists of banned groups ready.

 

I genuinely think this is more about self preservation than it is about protecting the public from hate speech and terrorism.

 

Thoughts?