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Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by dreen on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:23AM (#24577134)
Unless you require a proof of ID, theres not gonna be a reliable way to identify fake accounts. You'll get the same sort of algo-driven mass mistakes we now see in Youtube.
Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by mcphage on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:33AM (#24577176)
They may not get identify all fake accounts, but there are still tons of accounts which can be clearly identified as fake.
Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by notahacker on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:52AM (#24577291)
This assumes they care. Even Facebook, the social network that used to kick you off for not using your real name, now informs you that low effort sex-bots (nothing but a pouting stock photo, a single post inviting you to join their 'adult dating' website at a dubious-looking link and a lot of random friend requests) don't breach their guidelines in any way if you report them, which presumably involves an actual human in the loop.

Other platforms are of course more favourably disposed towards multiple accounts, automation assisted high volume posts, shifting identities and parody accounts

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by mcphage on Thursday September 24, 2020 @09:57AM (#24578631)
> This assumes they care.

They do slightly, but only to the degree that their actual users get annoyed by all the bots. And people are surprisingly willing to put up with the bots, so.... yeah, I agree.

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by dreen on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:38AM (#24577206)
My point is that proof of ID or ownership should be implemented, as that would get rid of the problem.

Edit: I need to point out that this should be optional. Anonymity should still be the default.

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by mschuster91 on Thursday September 24, 2020 @07:08AM (#24577384)
It would open yet another can of worms. The GDPR explicitly calls for the possibility of anonymous usage of services, for one.

The other thing is - imagine I were a gay man living in Poland (a country that recently made europe-wide outrage headlines with "LGBT-free zones"), or in Russia where "advocating" for LGBT is a crime, or in Saudi-Arabia where you might end up literally decapitated. I could go and discuss topics regarding my sexuality on Twitter anonymously - but with a forced tie to a government ID?! I would have to fear authorities using my free speech to get me imprisoned or worse all the time!

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by dreen on Thursday September 24, 2020 @07:24AM (#24577493)
I agree totally it is a privacy minefield but proofs of ID are already required by many institutions that have far less resources than tech giants. In Poland for example (where I'm from), the National ID is required in all sorts of situations, both online and otherwise.

Also, I never meant to suggest proof of ID would be mandatory to use the service! It would be an additional status you can get optionally, if you want to get extra credibility. If you desire anonymity instead, that should absolutely be your right.

At the moment, you can get a checkmark on your twitter but how you do it is a bit unclear. Technically you have to be somewhat noteworthy, but the bar seems to be really low. If this was an entirely user-initiated process, over time people would associate that status with higher credibility.

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by klyrs on Thursday September 24, 2020 @12:07PM (#24580046)
Not really sure what any of this would accomplish -- conspiracy-minded folk would actively distrust check-marked accounts and "I'm not operating under my real name because The Man" is a signal of trustworthiness.
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Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by dreen on Thursday September 24, 2020 @08:33AM (#24577966)
Many local Polish authorities declared themselves "free of LGBT ideology". While legally unenforceable under current law, it still has had a big effect in terms of behaviour and public discourse.

> I'm not aware of any significant persecution or hate towards gay people in Poland

Then you need to stop burying your head in the sand. Gay, queer and trans people are attacked all the time, and they have a very strong reason to be afraid. Public institutions are encouraging the aggression, because it serves the interests of those in power.

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by pjc50 on Thursday September 24, 2020 @08:14AM (#24577822)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-54191344

"Around 100 towns and regions across Poland, nearly a third of the country, have passed resolutions declaring themselves free of "LGBT ideology". These resolutions are essentially symbolic and unenforceable but they have provided fresh ammunition in Poland's increasingly bitter culture war."

True or false?

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by mamon on Thursday September 24, 2020 @09:00AM (#24578169)
False, obviously. The resolutions were about promoting family values, things like making towns family friendly environment by building kindergartens, etc. There's not a single word on LGBT, homosexuality, etc in any of those resolutions.

You can read the whole thing here:

https://v.fastcdn.co/u/ff8eca37/50262470-0-SKPR-commune-ENG....

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by pjc50 on Thursday September 24, 2020 @11:24AM (#24579466)
Yeah, the other commenter has it right - you don't have to mention queerness to build a system of prejudice, and the "marriage is between a man and a woman" is just the top headline aspect of this. Further down in the document:

"Programmes of partnerships with communi-ty organisations should respect the principle of strengthening the family and marriage and rule out the funding of any projects harmful to these values. It is especially crucial to exclude any chance of allocating public funds and public property for projects that undermine the con-stitutional identity of marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman"

== explicit prohibition on use of public funds for any pro-non-straight marriage activism

"Parents should be allowed to verify any external organisations operating on the premises of the school and any materials they use during non--compulsory classes dually: both individually and collectively – through the parents’ board. It is a good practice to present information inc-luding not only the name but also the program-me and profile of the organisation to each parent separately, in a way allowing them to become familiar with the content thereof before enrolment. A similar mechanism should be applied to any other teaching and educational activities pursu-ed by schools or institutions that go beyond the curriculum or that involve issues covered by the cu-rriculum of Family Life Education, including those financed from public grants"

== any parent can veto any external material on ideological grounds

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by mcphage on Thursday September 24, 2020 @10:02AM (#24578679)
> There's not a single word on LGBT, homosexuality, etc in any of those resolutions. You can read the whole thing here.

If you download that link, and read it, this is the very first section:

> [...] including the protection of marriage, being a union of a man and a woman, as well as the family, motherhood and parenthood, the right to protect family life [...]

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by olah_1 on Thursday September 24, 2020 @09:09AM (#24578251)
Have you heard of the BrightID project? I think it could be a pretty cool way to determine real identity without leaking info to the network at large.
Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by dreen on Thursday September 24, 2020 @11:12AM (#24579348)
I haven't and admit I don't have the expertise required to understand it unfortunately. I can't really see how it could work to actually prove someone is not a bot in large scale social networks. Like, what's stopping three real people to get verified and then use that to verify any amount of bots?
Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by rootsudo on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:29AM (#24577161)
Only because the platforms need to rid fake accounts to keep engagement high.

Makes you wonder, would the platforms ever be truly transparent with their product?

Example: Soylent Green.

Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by edent on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:33AM (#24577185)
Not all accounts are from people, though. Some accounts claim to be newspapers or technical organisations.
Re:Should social networks tell you if you’ve been following ... by dreen on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:37AM (#24577202)
This can still be proven with some sort of document or proof-of-ownership