Facebook: Complaining and Explaining

May 10, 2016

A stiff upper lip type told me eons ago: “Never complain, never explain.” I just read “Facebook denies Claims It Suppressed Conservative and Controversial New on Its Trending Topics Sidebar.” If the write up is accurate, Facebook may be explaining and complaining.

I read:

The company had been accused of encouraging the humans that run its “Trending Topics” sidebar to suppress conservative stories and those from right-of-centre outlets. But the company has “found no evidence that the anonymous allegations are true”, according to a post from its head of search Tom Stocky.

The write up quoted Facebook as an “it” which said:

It said also that does not “insert stories artificially into trending topics, and do not instruct our reviewers to do so”. While it’s possible for reviewers to stick certain topics together – such as #StarWars and #?maythefourthbewithyou – a topic must already be trending for it to be added to the panel, Mr Stocky claimed.

Interesting. Why would a giant in social media let humans interfere with smart software? But why would Jeff Bezos buy a newspaper?

Alas, no answers and certainly no complaining or explaining from Harrod’s Creek.

Stephen E Arnold, May 10, 2016

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