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TIL a local library in Boise blocked a public event flyer for being 'political'
They were hosting a talk on internet archive laws, but the flyer mentioned 'digital preservation as a free speech issue'. The library's social media manager said that phrase triggered their automated filter and the post was removed for 48 hours. Does a public institution using automated tools to block its own event info cross a line?
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diana_kim662mo ago
christopherw34 nailed it. The library's own robot censored a talk about free speech, which is pretty much the perfect joke. Guess we need a bot to talk about why bots are bad now.
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moore.beth1mo ago
christopherw34 said it shows how these tools are built to avoid risk. You know what that reminds me of? My grandma once got her church bulletin flagged by some automated system for using the word "sacrifice" - said it might be too controversial. Twelve people in the congregation.
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christopherw342mo ago
That automated filter catching "free speech" is the real story. It shows how these tools are built to avoid risk, not serve the public.
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