Is it me or is Mozilla getting into the censorship game? It would be great if they can deliver a great browser & great tech instead of nanny software. The org has gone downhill since Brendan Eich resigned.
"Hold political ads accountable for misinformation: Download the Firefox extension that shares the political ads you see on Facebook to a public database so they can be tracked and monitored."
"Flag bad YouTube recommendations: This extension lets you report regrettable recos you’ve been served, so you can help make the engine better for everyone."
I believe you’re being downvoted here but I think this is the core problem.
The internet is bland and boring and screwed up precisely because of big tech getting into the censorship game. It’s a shame but Mozilla seems ideologically driven in that direction too.
There's probably a niche that they are catering to. Perhaps, catering to this niche is advantageous for Mozilla to receive further funding. It's too bad that the free & open internet does not seem to be a priority anymore.
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edit: I'm looking more into their recommended apps & the overall effort. It's possible it could either be for the better or worse, so I'll keep an open mind about this & follow it. I don't agree their general moderation worldview, however if I could somehow self-select my own worldview when using their tools, it could be interesting...
You're right re: the database helping people see the political ads. I'm jaded by the barrage of the reaction to political ads, particularly the long-time discredited "Russia, Russia, Russia" hoax, which seems far more pernicious than the political ads themselves.
The danger is that this tool becomes a weapon of partisan warfare.
What is going to be done with the database? Will we be getting disclaimers, moderation, & "truth ministry" propaganda messages built into the browser itself? People can make their own decisions without a voice of "authority" labeling & moderating all content. Otherwise, if the political minority is labeled as liars by the majority, the minority effectively becomes further suppressed. Same with individuals not going with the prevailing social norms.
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I also see potential in the database. Particularly if news or ads in general could be captured. If this tool could act like a digital archive, recording edits to articles & such, people can track how a certain message evolves over time. The more I think about this, the more potential I can see in this tool working for good & bad purposes, re: our basic freedoms of speech, thought, assembly, etc. It will be interesting to see how this tech develops & is utilized.
"Hold political ads accountable for misinformation: Download the Firefox extension that shares the political ads you see on Facebook to a public database so they can be tracked and monitored." "Flag bad YouTube recommendations: This extension lets you report regrettable recos you’ve been served, so you can help make the engine better for everyone."