Re:The Boston Globe’s Fresh Start Initiative
by slg on Sunday January 24, 2021 @11:19PM
(#25899060)
Seriously, it has been a while since I have seen a comment as uncharitable as that one at the top of the HN comments.
This move is simply a recognition that many of these stories about minor crimes can have a long lasting impact because of the SEO of a site like The Boston Globe's and the power of Google. That negative impact likely does a net harm to society as a whole as it actively works against rehabilitation efforts by serving as a scarlet letter for this person's entire life. Working to reduce that by removing these pages when they are no longer newsworthy isn't censorship, affirmative action, or anything else that OP it stating or hinting at. I truly don't understand being against a decision like this on the merits.
This move is simply a recognition that many of these stories about minor crimes can have a long lasting impact because of the SEO of a site like The Boston Globe's and the power of Google. That negative impact likely does a net harm to society as a whole as it actively works against rehabilitation efforts by serving as a scarlet letter for this person's entire life. Working to reduce that by removing these pages when they are no longer newsworthy isn't censorship, affirmative action, or anything else that OP it stating or hinting at. I truly don't understand being against a decision like this on the merits.