Invisible content filtering is more dangerous than content that is visibly withheld
Evidence
With the first, a user searches for something and gets nothing; the content is withheld, but the intervention itself is apparent. With the second, a user searches for something and gets what appears to be everything relevant. This hides not only the filtered content but any sign of intervention; the results are sutured back together, leaving no evidence that anything is missing. The first may appear more egregious, but the second is arguably more dangerous. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet, 552
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Users explain invisible moderation gaps only through folk theories — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 597; Most people show no awareness of having their search results manipulated; Platform secrecy frames curated content as naturally occurring rather than selected. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 370 (+6 more)
Broader Connections
- Censorship avoidance can mask as parental responsibility while withholding essential information
#expands(0.85) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 919 - Blocking a porn-associated hashtag silences legitimate political and social speech too
#exemplifies(0.78) — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet, 556 - Revealing more online can paradoxically conceal what one keeps private
#expands(0.72) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 624