Huffington Post to Ban Internet Troll Comments

It is amazing that a site that often posts on social and controversial issues would not protect the privacy of its users. They say they want to eliminate trolls, but that's what non-anonymous users will be faced with: Trolls that can search they address and all personal information from their real identity and stalk or threaten them.

And not just individual trolls: The Russian government could arrest or fine someone making a comment on an LGBT article for "propaganda".

Even more amazing is that they plan to require Facebook sign-in, which has the worst record for protecting users' privacy. And does not enforce real identities anyway, so trolls can still open a fake Facebook account to use for trolling the HuffPost. This is so ridiculous and goes against all that the EFF and other agencies fight for.
 
I disagree with just about every comment i this thread.


I think that is a great idea that hard forum requires registration to comment on its news stories.
 
I think what they mean to say is if you do not agree with our articles and heavily slanted views then we will remove your posts.
 
haha, its so funny at the amount of people who didn't read the article (just the title)

OMG CENSORING ME?!?!

VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!!!

god, front page never ceases to amaze me.
 
Odd, I thought the site it self was a troll... you know kinda like YaHoo News.

Then again so many Opinion Pieces get touted as actual news or factual it is hard to tell any more.
 
Ocean said:
I disagree with just about every comment i this thread.

I think that is a great idea that hard forum requires registration to comment on its news stories.
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But registering is different than registering your real name.
I didn't know Huffington Post even allows completely anonymous comments. I thought you at least had to register, just like here. This sounds more like they will require a Facebook or something. (Guess I'll have to dust off my fake Facebook account then....) :rolleyes:

I wonder why the sudden change at Huffington Post, (or perhaps I am about to answer my own question). It used to be the moderating there was terrible and very left-oriented. Lately, I've noticed a lot more right-oriented comments appearing. Though the left-oriented comments still tend to be allowed more leeway with personal attacks and rudeness and meanness, so I think there is still a bias there when it comes to which comments are not censored.

I wonder if "troll" in this case simply means "right-leaning commenters."
 
I know that once my ID is tied to comments on HuffPost that I will no longer feel at liberty to discuss controversial topics, or express myself in ways that might be perceived as fringe, or less than mainstream.

I have not seen much trolling on HP to justify what they are doing. I'm not going to expose myself to anyone just to express my voice. There are too many malicious groups and beliefs to put oneself out there like that, especially if one is especially individual.

If you don't know what it is like from experience then I guess you are safe on the inside of the conformity. Somebody like me has to carefully pick my battles because there are way too many to put oneself out there for. :eek:
 
Ducman69 said:
BTW, we talk big about "freedom of speech", but in the modern world where your mainstream outlets are always going to be controlled by third party that naturally can censor as they see fit (and lately are more and more heavy handed about it), how are you really supposed to be able to exercise that right?

Sure, you could go out in your back yard and say something, but if you use a bullhorn you'll be arrested for disturbing the peace. Your mainstream gmail, facebook, google+, twitter, AT&T cellphone, AOL blogs (they own a ton), etc are all private entities, so if they want to ban people from saying "Obama sucks" then they can. And with television and radio and the like, heck with that Imus guy saying "nappy headed ho" off the cuff and they basically destroyed him after such a long career.

So I always laugh when people say that we have freedom of speech in the US which makes us so much better than China. LOL! Maybe in theory, but not in practice.
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Sorry but you have the freedom to speak, but that doesn't mean anyone needs to provide you a forum for your speech.

Ironically, despite what you seem to think, it's easier now to get your statements seen or heard then at anytime in the past thanks to the internet and social media, although sadly it seems that what most people want to say isn't worth listening to.


Merc1138 said:
Why do so many people(like you) fail so miserably at understanding freedom of speech?

Freedom of speech means you get to start your own newspaper, make your own pamphlets, start your own website, run your own forums, etc.

It does not mean your local newspaper is required to publish whatever you feel like. For example, I can't send an email to my local paper demanding they print "Ducman69 IS A MORON" in giant text on the front page, and then whine that they blocked my freedom of speech. What I can do is go down to the local copy shop and have them print 5,000 flyers that I can distribute(as long as I don't end up violating some ordinance, like tresspassing to stick them on cars, but I could just stand on a street corner and hand them out). The 1st amendment allows you to spend your own resources to get your message out. It does not require a private entity to allow you to do whatever you want.
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Exactly.
 
The trolls will still come to make passive/agressive troll post. They can just make fake facebook accounts. It's the more legit user who doesn't keep making facebook posts that will feel discouraged from posting.
 
RigmoroleMotorCo said:
I know that once my ID is tied to comments on HuffPost that I will no longer feel at liberty to discuss controversial topics, or express myself in ways that might be perceived as fringe, or less than mainstream.

I have not seen much trolling on HP to justify what they are doing. I'm not going to expose myself to anyone just to express my voice. There are too many malicious groups and beliefs to put oneself out there like that, especially if one is especially individual.

If you don't know what it is like from experience then I guess you are safe on the inside of the conformity. Somebody like me has to carefully pick my battles because there are way too many to put oneself out there for. :eek:
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It is so they can harass you if you don't fall into lockstep with the liberal position 100%.
 
damicatz said:
It is so they can harass you if you don't fall into lockstep with the liberal position 100%.
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Liberal? Who's liberal? Crony Capitalism 100% all the way baby.

Also, you only get harassed if you're deemed an actual threat to something important. So troll away without worries for your personal life. ;)
 
Oh noes, won't be able to anonymously troll shitty "journalism."

Almost as bad as Mother Jones.
 
Oh cool, now we can officially call it for it is: A Liberal Circle Jerk!

C'mon everyone join the pile! Circle Jerk over there!
 
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