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"Pedophilia, Necrophilia. Beheadings, Suicides, etc."
Those are some examples of what Facebook's outsourced content monitors must endure while filtering the Internet viscera, according to one who spoke to Gawker's Adrian Chen. Animal abuse, "bad fights, a man beating another," and "KKK cropping up everywhere," were other examples provided by employees of oDesk, a California-based content-moderation service staffed by employees in India, Mexico, the Philippines and Turkey who look at Facebook content.
The Internet can be a dark and horrible place, on this we should all agree. Despite the short-lived exceptions, such as the coordinated spam attack that littered Facebook with porn and gore in November, the social network remains a comparatively clean, well-lighted place. Thanks to a few disgruntled and/or traumatized content monitors in those countries, we now get a peek at how Facebook protects us, and more importantly, itself.
For every photo of a breast-feeding mother or nude drawing clumsily removed from Facebook, content monitors slog through overwhelming evidence of humanity at low tide. For the dirty job of censoring content on the social network that just filed a $100 billion IPO, at least one former oDesk employee told Chen he earned $1 an hour. Amine Derkaoui, a 21-year-old Moroccan man, vented to Chen about the oDesk job he describes as humiliating exploitation of workers, and let loose some long-held mysteries on the why and the how of Facebook's censoring process.
Derkaoui shared a one-page cheat sheet for moderators with categories such as "Sex and Nudity," "Hate Content," "Graphic Content" and "Bullying and Harassment." Chen notes:
When it comes to sex and nudity, Facebook is strictly PG-13, according to the guidelines. Obvious sexual activity, even clothed, is deleted, as are "naked ‘private parts' including female nipple bulges and naked butt cracks." But "male nipples are OK." Foreplay is allowed, "even for same sex (man-man/woman-woman)" Even the gays can grope each other on Facebook.
Facebook is more lenient when it comes to violence. Gory pictures are allowed, as long somebody's guts aren't spilling out. "Crushed heads, limbs etc are OK as long as no insides are showing," reads one guideline. "Deep flesh wounds are ok to show; excessive blood is ok to show."
Drugs are a mixed bag. Pictures of marijuana are explicitly allowed, though images of other illegal drugs "not in the context of medical, academic or scientific study" are deleted. As long as it doesn't appear you're a dealer, you can post as many pictures of your stash as you want.
Though the cheat sheet is marked current as of January, a Facebook spokesperson told Chen the cheat sheet "provided a snapshot in time of our standards with regards to [one of our] contractors," adding that up-to-date information could be found on the social network at www.facebook.com/CommunityStandards."
Indeed, hours before Chen's original piece posted on Gawker, content monitors received an updated version of content monitor guidelines. Chen pointed out the prominent changes to the original:
In version 6.1, body fluids were banned. But in version 6.2, "bodily fluids (except semen) are ok to show unless a human being is captured in the process." In version 6.1, all Photoshopped images of someone were banned, whether they were positive or negative. But in version 6.2, only photoshopped images that show someone in a negative light are banned. All the pages now say "Proprietary and Confidential." Wonder why that is.
Here's what Facebook told msnbc.com in an official statement regarding its content-monitoring procedures:
"In an effort to quickly and efficiently process the millions of reports we receive every day, we have found it helpful to contract third parties to provide precursory classification of a small proportion of reported content. These contractors are subject to rigorous quality controls and we have implemented several layers of safeguards to protect the data of those using our service. Additionally, no user information beyond the content in question and the source of the report is shared.We have, and will continue, to escalate the most serious reports internally, and all decisions made by contractors are subject to extensive audits.
Of course, most of us are too busy complaining about the latest design change to think about who's keeping that remaining bodily fluid blocked in our News Feed. Chen notes, that's most likely how Facebook wants it. "If users knew exactly what criteria (were) being used to judge their content, they could hold Facebook to them," he writes. "It would be clear what Facebook was choosing to censor according to its policies, and what amounted to arbitrary censorship."
Still, considering what one might find via an accidental click on say, social news site Reddit, the job of an oDesk content monitor is unenviable. As one monitor told Chen: "Think like that there is a sewer channel, and all of the mess/dirt/ waste/s*** of the world flow towards you and you have to clean it."
More on the annoying way we live now:
- Report: These tech companies sell spy tools to dictators
- 7 signs we're living in the post-privacy era
- Teens' Facebook pictures posted on porn site, cops warn
Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.
Leave a Comment:
So you can post a picture of a woman's head smashed open with blood everywhere, and that's okay, but if her nipple is poking her shirt, that is unacceptable. Stupid.
I don't care what Facebook blocks or allows because I refuse to use Facebook or have an account. Their "social network" is really a ploy to acquire tons of information about us which can later be used for marketing, employers, stalkers, or by law enforcement.
And multiple hackers have shown that your information and photos are NOT safe on Facebook, no matter what privacy options you choose.
thats fine, its your choice. You might as well give up the internet in general because your ISP knows more about you than Facebook does.
Ah yes, the priorities of ingrown morality.
here's the ingrown morality telling you to @!$%# yourself!
i deleted my account too.
facebook and twitter are for losers.
This may be the most retarded article ever.
zuckerberg practicing economic slavery, noooo, that doesn't happen. Want an apple anybody.
Create on facebook the image you want to put forth and only that. Remember that big brother is looking.
My facebook account has a fake picture, fake name, fake location, fake age, and fake birth date. Because its not illegal to lie to facebook. My isp is, for the time being, less likely to sell all my information to advertisers.
Hey Peter, exactly what hardware are you using that you can scoff at Facebook and Apple for "practicing economic slavery" without being a complete hypocrite?
I wish both Facebook and Apple would share their success with more American employees. They are American icons, and you already know ipeople are willing to pay more.
Steve Sharkman, you are suspended for a week for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
A woman is ranting she a makes $1/hr. Well if that's not enough to put up with it, DON'T TAKE THE JOB! You do everyone ELSE a favor by saying what's an acceptable rate of pay. I mean at that payscale what do you think you're doing to the rest of the world besides making terrible money?
That right there is the main issue. Facebook is about to be worth BILLIONS, much like Apple, but they USE SLAVE LABOR IN 3rd WORLD COUNTRIES where they do NOT HAVE TO PAY a living wage. That is bull@!$%# and everyone knows it.
I guess you must think its ok to force a 10 yr old to work 16 hours on their feet as long as that ipad you may use is working right? Its people like you that make me sick. I REFUSE to use Apple products because that company WILLINGLY ALLOWS SLAVE LABOR TO BE USED. They knew back in 2006 this was going on and they IGNORED IT. They knew in 2008 and THEY IGNORED IT. They knew in 2009 and THEY IGNORED IT. Notice how in 6 years ONLY 1 company has lost a contract, and that company was stupid enough to not pay attention to the memo's sent out by apple stating when they would be visiting.
Same question to you, Mike, that I asked Peter above: What exact hardware are you using that you get to crap on others for using slave labor in a 3rd world country without coming off as a total hypocrite?
Mike you are a moron. Slave labor is free labor. Therefore, by paying people Apple doesn't use slave labor at all. Its just the standards are lowered. To Americans and civilized countries $1/hour IS slave labor. But whats better for these 3rd world labors?? Making $0 an hour and doing nothing or working their ass off for $1 an hour? I disagree with exploiting labor but its technically NOT slave labor. So take your left wing idealist views and GTFO.
opinionated high horse It's too bad you don't understand this as exploitation, but I guess your name says it all...
I can't move past the first paragraph that says that their monitors are in four other countries! You don't hire Americans Facebook?? THAT'S EXACTLY WHATS WRONG WITH OUR COUNTRIES ECONOMY AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE! Good grief...Hire people who live in the country your IN!
Yes, and Wall Street loves them to tune of $100 billion.
Which will be sucked out of this economy to hire more people in other countries and make the 1% wealther.
21st America at it's finest.
But then they have to pay more in wages and maybe offer benefits, something that is not allowed when making BILLIONS
Yea, Marky's mother is proud of him.
The article states that Facebook uses a third-party monitoring service called oDesk to keep track of content. They're the ones with the third-world employees keeping track of everything being posted on Facebook.
But don't worry, they'll be employing Americans soon enough once the Republicans finally succeed in convincing the average American worker that being paid $1.00 an hour is a good thing and we should consider ourselves lucky to even HAVE a job.
How Facebook keeps the porn, gore and hate out of your News Feed
Funny, based on the stories you read almost daily, Facebook DOESN'T keep any of that stuff off its site.
i hope facebook is gone by the time my little nieces and nephews are in grade school..it sucks and provides nothing useful
Interesting topic Helen, I've wondered about this myself. However, you are incorrect in stating that oDesk is "...a California-based content-moderation service...". It is not, and likely is not employing the contractors to Facebook.
oDesk is a service for finding contractors for (mostly) technical and creative work. I've been a customer of theirs for several years.
You might want to go back to your source to find out who, in fact, they work for.
Thank you, Facebook, for cleaning the site. There is no need for trash. We are all adults and enjoy a smart clean conversation.
maybe the Gang of 4 monitors in outside countries to keep the unwanted content from getting in from abroad initially. A company inside the US would be caught qiuckly i suppose and be punished/tried by US law. So these guys catch it at the point of entry i guess.
For a dollar an hour??!! To have to look at/for the worst mankind can offer. Ouch. Probably a good story/movie about those people, how they cope with the job... and all that money they make.
For what it's worth- I don't use/have Facebook. Maybe one day i'll get forced into it, or choose to "like" the world
Never had an account, never will.
This is a big lie! I can find porn, nudity and much worse on Face Book right now...Face Book deletes content which is none of these and it certainly leaves Hate Pages in place always...there are pages on FB that are promoted by Designated Hate Groups and they are not removed no matter how many people complain....look for anti gay groups, anti abortion groups, and others....they even promote violence and yet they are still left there to continue promoting violence. FB does delete and remove pages that could best be described as "liberal" quite often, in fact. It suspends many 'Privileges' of users who merely 'friend' someone that FB itself suggests you already likely 'know' and even accuses people of placing SPAM on their own Profile page when the content shows clearly that it is NOT SPAM.....FB harasses people who champion 'liberal' causes or fight against hatred and violence by reporting the Hate Pages.....now I see why and how this is done...because some Conservative person (mostly religious people) in another country are doing this, driven by their own social perceptions and agendas. The Hate Pages are still up today...look for the American Family Association, National Organization for Marriage, Westboro Baptist Curch and thousands of other Designated Hate Groups that still have a Face Book page....they are quite easy to find in great numbers....so Face Book is LYING about what they censor...never believe FB it LIES all the time and never responds when any member asks questions of it NEVER...it censors GOOD and leaves EVIL in place, so what sort of organization is it?
Love all the posters state they don't use facebook but feel the need to read the article and comment about it...
facebook I suppose is fine if you have a life and need to communicate with a lot of people. unfortunately, for a lot of people, facebook IS their life- their life sucks and is boring, and now they can share it with the rest of the world, through their "friends", who are other boring losers with no lives...
but, to garner the walking dudes love, I too don't use facebook and never will.
are you kidding...? this is the new facebook...all the hate and rants you can ever read...but's it's a free world...i dont condone or hate it....sometimes you can catch stuff the media does not report...to some it either black or white but here you can see the many shades of gray...peace out people...
You want your freedom and you want your f*c*book, are you kidding? Stop deluding yourself that you can make them do what you think you want them to do. They own the website and by using it you agreed that they own you. Shut the f*c* up and accept they are in it for the money and you are their tools. Can't live with that? Well your useless freedom is a small price to pay I guess. Besides if you can't value your own freedom I guess you may as well let someone value it for you, to their profit of course.
I haven't seen any evidence that Facebook is anywhere near as restrictive as this article says.
oDesk.com is NOT "a California-based content-moderation service staffed by employees in India, Mexico, the Philippines and Turkey" as stated.
oDesk is a service that connects employers with freelance workers and provides communication and management tools to coordinate teams. Basically the same deal as Elance.com. It is available to anyone and in every country with internet access. More detailed and accurate information can be found on the oDesk.com About Us page and even a Wikipedia article.
It has nothing to do with content moderation. Companies can hire workers through oDesk to perform content moderation if that's their need.
The core advantage of using this service is for companies to find employees located anywhere in the world, especially countries with lower costs of living.
Regarding the wages: These workers are being paid $1 /hr, yes, but they CHOOSE to accept the job.
Typically an employer, in this case Facebook, lists a 'wanted' ad that every freelancer and prospective client can browse. Interested parties can make an offer as a bid, or the employers propose the terms of employment outright.
Now, of course $1 /hr is not a livable wage in the USA. But in other countries such as the Philipines, one U.S. dollar has a lot more purchasing power. Add the fact that they're working from home, these employees are saving money by not commuting. Considering how far some workers commute to Manila, that can be considerable savings. Perhaps these workers need to care for their family and cannot go far from their home. Perhaps they simply prefer staying home and working by themselves to the grind of going to an office.
It's still a pitiful sum of money they're earning, but it's not like these people are being suckered. They agree to work for those wages. They know what they're getting into ahead of time. As far as I'm aware, they can stop when they want to, unless Facebook has them sign some kind of contract limiting them. To that end I have no idea what arrangements are made by Facebook.
But it's not a sweatshop, they're not forced by anyone to do this.
I'm not defending this practice, even though I am taking the time to write this post. I'm just trying to provide information explaining the basics of outsourcing in the global web-based economy.