Blocking a porn-associated hashtag silences legitimate political and social speech too

Evidence

By blocking specific hashtags from its search results, Tumblr ensures that no (tagged) porn accidentally makes it through its app to the eyes of its gentle user. However, it also hides adult content from those who actually want it. But more troublingly, returning zero content tagged with the word “gay” hides an enormous amount of nonpornographic content as well. If I search for the word “gay,” I may be looking for images of people celebrating the DOMA decision on the steps of the Supreme Court, or I may be looking for explicit pornography. It is extremely difficult for Tumblr to know which I meant. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet, 556

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Protecting minors via IP geofencing also restricts consenting adults — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 577; Invisible content filtering is more dangerous than content that is visibly withheld — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 552; Suppressing unpopular speech also silences the unconventional ideas society needs — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1067 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Suppressing unpopular speech also silences the unconventional ideas society needs #corroborates (0.79) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1067