Re: federated free software movement

[Paul Sutton]

On 23/11/2021 21:05, Dennis Payne wrote:
> On Tue, 2021-11-23 at 18:02 +0000, Paul Sutton via libreplanet-discuss
> wrote:
> > Hi
> > I think this may be it
> >
> > https://stallman.org/cgi-bin/showpage.cgi?path=/articles/encyclopedia.html&term=encyclopedia&type=norm&case=0
> >
> >   From https://stallman.org
>
> I can't help but feel this is impossible to implement. It relies on the
> same blind faith in technology that facebook has used to justify doing
> nothing about the misinformation.
>
> Stallman specifically mentions that holocaust denial would be allowed
> but that endorsements/peer review would allow people to evaluate the
> truthfulness of the article. Then says modified version would lose all
> endorsements. So if people keep adding useful information to an
> article, it might keep losing all it's endorsements. Holocaust denial
> might appear to have more endorsements in that situation. Even if have
> some way to handle that, not all endorsements are equal. If 20 medical
> doctors are saying people are getting sick because of X and 50
> employees from company that makes X say the cause is undetermined, I
> think I'd trust the doctors.
>
> If you can make it, more power to you.



I think you raise a good point here

https://senseaboutscience.org/ and  their project 
https://askforevidence.org/index is the sort of thing we need, so that 
we can promote proper research, debate and evidence backed research.

Holocaust denial is illegal in some countries anyway.

The last thing we want is people having a platform to post anything they 
want,  regardless of where that information comes from and to do so with 
impunity.

If someone posts an article and a credible person endorses that article, 
then the article is modified and the person endorsing it, does not 
notice (people are busy, after all) it may look like they have endorsed 
the new version,  that could easily cost people their jobs, careers and 
reputation.

Or they could be easily linked (given people fail to fact check anyway) 
to an article,  same result loss of reputation, career and job.

They could then sue the person who owns the website, and give free 
software is also about transparency, then that information would NOT be 
hidden from public view.


Paul


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