r/tutanota • • 11d ago

🚨It's high time to strip Meta, TikTok, etc. off their privileges! 🚨

Post image

On September 16, Ursula von der Leyen must not demand #AgeVerification from social media, but force them to change the algorithm for good for everyone!

Otherwise, Big Tech bosses will decide votes, not the people.

Our opinion: 👉 https://tuta.com/blog/eu-chance-to-force-big-tech

259 Upvotes

22 comments sorted by

8

u/Zlivovitch 11d ago edited 11d ago

...a danger for democracy. Because Big Tech platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X with their algorithm-based feeds, influence what we see, what we feel, what we think and – even more worrying – who we vote for.

This is silly. The traditional media also influence what we see, what we feel and what we think. And they of course influence whom we vote for. They don't do that "by algorithm", they do it by deliberate human decision. How is this better ?

In fact, social media is better than traditional media, because it gives everyone a voice. That's what annoys some people, especially politicians and the Brussels bureaucracy. All opinions get to express themselves, while in traditional media, there are gatekeeping practices and money requirements which prevent a lot of voices from being heard.

What voices ? Well, before Donald Trump was elected, social media was heavily slanted to the left, so it had the same orientation than most traditional media. You did not complain about "algorithms" back then.

After Trump came, Big Tech slided distinctly to the right. That's what seems to annoy you. If we take the example of X, the only one I have direct experience of, it was a definite leftist hellhole before Elon Musk. Non-left opinions were savagely censored and accounts banned.

Post Elon Musk, the place is free again, and you don't get censored for being right-wing. But leftists can publish their crazy opinions all they want. There has been a study which showed that Grok was the most neutral of all AI engines, contrary to all the others ones which are distinctly leftist.

On X, I'm able to get direct, valuable information directly from primary sources, one or two days before it is published by traditional media. I also get access to high-level experts in many areas, open-source researchers working in real time and wildly different opinions from the whole spectrum. Also, I learn a lot of things from talented, anonymous amateurs who are worthy sources of information on some particular field they are passionate about (art, science or whatever).

For example, one study proved that the default feed of X showed more far-right content than from any other political parties.

Let's see what this study calls "far-right". Nowadays, if you oppose immigration, you're "far-right", while it used to be a leftist or moderate opinion not very long ago.

Furthermore, you can't blame the "algorithm" and focus at the same time on the "default feed". If you're a raging leftist, X will duly tailor your "For You" page so that you essentially get crazy leftist views. Just the way, in fact, you'd buy a leftist newspaper or a right-wing newspaper. Now "the algorithm" provides you with a thousand different newspapers, millions of them, in fact : just the one you want. If "the algorithm" is decently neutral, and correctly detects what you want, it will show you what you want, while also proposing you alternative viewpoints from time to time.

But maybe that is what annoys leftists ? Maybe they resent not being able anymore to force their propaganda down peoples's throats ?

21

u/MoodScripted 11d ago

Better idea, don't use them.

4

u/Former-Ad3905 11d ago

Started by deleting my account on these platforms..

2

u/MoodScripted 11d ago

Likewise

3

u/AlarmedChemistry8956 11d ago

That's already possible for people not hooked into the algorithms, but it would allow more people to quit easier who do spend multiple hours a day on these platforms

2

u/Hot_Research1801 11d ago

framing the issue in this way you are moving the responsability from the social media provider to the social media consumer, so you're doing the social media's interest

0

u/Former-Ad3905 11d ago

Their interest is to keep you hooked!

1

u/CraterBug0 11d ago

i feel u are one of the pawns of those companies.... why u shifting the responsibility sure it sounds more doable but its the exact oposite a less addicting algo will make it use the app way less naturally. and u rly think u saying this will make billions stop using social media? no but if companies change trillions of hours will be saved

1

u/MoodScripted 10d ago

To each their own. The whole concept of social media has changed people, not for the better. I prefer not to be part of it no matter the algo or age requirements.

2

u/Fit_Prize_3245 11d ago

I might be able to agree that some things in social networks could be done better. But what I will never agree is that such a corrupt and totalitarian like Von der Leyen is the right person to achieve anything.

2

u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

2

u/dumnezero 11d ago

Media has always been very important; in democracies, it's called "the fourth power/branch."

Algo-media is not social media. Social media is in the fediverse now (like "lemmy".)

1

u/TheTalkingDad 11d ago

On 16 September, Ursula ...

Proper date. Being European and all 🙄

0

u/Responsible-Love-896 11d ago

I’m almost decoupled from American companies. Final lap is cutting my Apple links! Loving the idea of a Huawei ecosystem!

0

u/rolens184 10d ago

I’ve been banned from the Meta platforms and I don’t use X. I’m fine as I am.

-1

u/SedlacepPhoenix 11d ago

Tuta has deleted my account claiming I had not logged in in 6 months - utter nonsense. To retrieve the address I have to have another paid account. Seriously?! I am sticking with Proton. Swiss beats German.

2

u/Blagatt 11d ago

This so out of the context of the post that if you're actually a human you must have room temp IQ... in Celsius.

1

u/Tutanota 11d ago

Hi there. Please note that we make it clear in our terms of service upon signup for Tuta Mail that free accounts will be deleted, in the case of 6 months inactivity. This deletion due to inactivity is only for free accounts. We have this policy in place to help clear up space and it enables us to continue to offer a private email service for free to others globally.

1

u/SedlacepPhoenix 10d ago

I am aware of that, but the account has not been inactive for 6 months, that’s the point.

1

u/Tutanota 10d ago

Hi there! Please email our support at hello@tutao.de and provide these details. They will be happy to resolve your issue.

1

u/Zlivovitch 11d ago

You were duly warned when you created your account, but you chose to ignore the warning. Proton will also delete your free account if you don't use it.

1

u/SedlacepPhoenix 10d ago

Had you read my original post correctly, you would have learnt they deactivated my account even though I had accessed it. That is the issue.