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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2018)
Page 8A BUSINESS & TECH East Oregonian Tech giants still stumbling in social world they created By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer NEW YORK — Who knew connecting the world could get so complicated? Perhaps some of technolo- gy’s brightest minds should have seen that coming. Social media bans of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones have thrust Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and oth- ers into a role they never wanted — as gatekeep- ers of discourse on their platforms, deciding what should and shouldn’t be allowed and often anger- ing almost everyone in the process. Jones, a right- wing provocateur, suddenly found himself banned from most major social plat- forms this week, after years in which he was free to use them to promulgate a vari- ety of false claims. Twitter, which one of its executives once called the “free speech wing of the free speech party,” remains a lonely holdout on Jones. The resulting backlash sug- gests that no matter what the tech companies do, “there is no way they can please everyone,” as Scott Shackelford, a business law and ethics professor at Indi- ana University, observed. Facebook’s Mark Zuck- erberg, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and crew, and Goo- gle’s stewards of YouTube gave little thought to such consequences as they built their empires with lofty goals to connect the world and democratize discourse. At the time, they were the rebels aiming to bypass the stodgy old gatekeepers — newspaper editors, televi- sion programmers and other establishment types — and let people talk directly to one another. “If you go back a decade or so, the whole idea of speech on social media was seen as highly positive light,” said Tim Cigelske, who teaches social media at Marquette University in Wisconsin. There was the Arab Spring. There were stories of gay, lesbian and transgender teens from small towns finding support online. At the same time, of course, the companies were racing to build the larg- est audiences possible, slice and dice their user data and make big prof- its by turning that informa- tion into lucrative targeted advertisements. AP Photo This photo combo of images shows, clockwise, from upper left: a Google sign, and apps for Twitter, Spotify and Facebook. The dark side of untram- meled discourse, the think- ing went, would sort itself out as online communi- ties moderated themselves, aided by fast-evolving com- puter algorithms and, even- tually, artificial intelligence. “They scaled, they built, they wanted to drive reve- nue as well as user base,” said technology analyst Tim Bajarin, president of con- sultancy Creative Strate- gies. “That was priority one and controlling content was priority two. It should have been the other way around.” That all got dicier once the election of President Donald Trump focused new attention on fake news and organized misinformation campaigns — not to men- tion the fact that some of the people grabbing these new social-media megaphones were wild conspiracy theo- rists who falsely call mass shootings hoaxes, white nationalists who organize violent rallies and men who threaten women with rape and murder. While the platforms may not have anticipated the influx of hate speech and meddling from foreign powers like Russia, North Korea and China, Bajarin said, they should have acted more quickly once they found it. “The fact is we’re dealing with a brave new world that they’ve allowed to happen, and they need to take more control to keep it from spreading,” he said. That’s easier said than done, of course. But it’s particularly difficult for huge tech companies to bal- ance public goods such free speech with the need to pro- tect their users from harass- ment, abuse, fake news and manipulation. Espe- cially given that their busi- ness models require them to alienate as few of their users as possible, lest they put the flood of advertising money at risk. “Trying to piece together a framework for speech that works for everyone — and making sure we effectively enforce that framework — is challenging,” wrote Rich- ard Allan, Facebook’s vice president of policy, in a blog post Thursday. “Every pol- icy we have is grounded in three core principles: giving people a voice, keeping peo- ple safe, and treating people equitably. The frustrations we hear about our policies — outside and internally as well — come from the inev- itable tension between these three principles.” Such tensions force some of the largest corpora- tions in the world to decide, for instance, if banning Nazis also means banning white nationalists — and to figure out how to tell them apart if not. Or whether kicking off Jones means they need to ban all purvey- ors of false conspiracy theo- ries. Or whether racist com- ments should be allowed if they are posted, to make a point, by the people who received them. “I don’t think the plat- forms in their heart of hearts would like to keep Alex Jones on,” said Nathaniel Persily, a professor at Stan- ford Law School. “But it’s difficult to come up with a principle to say why Alex Jones and not others would be removed.” While most companies have policies against “hate speech,” defining what con- stitutes hate speech can be difficult, he added. Even governments have trouble with it. One country’s free speech is another country’s hate speech, punishable by jail time. Facebook, Twitter, Goo- gle, Reddit and others face these questions millions of times a day, as human moderators and algorithms decide which posts, which people, which photos or videos to allow, to kick off or simply make less vis- ible and harder to find. If they allow too much harm- ful content, they risk los- ing users and advertisers. If they go too far and remove too much, they face charges of censorship and ideologi- cal bias. “My sense is that they are throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks,” Persily said. “It’s a whack-a-mole problem. It’s not the same threats that are continuing, and they have to be nimble enough to deal with new problems.” Saturday, August 11, 2018 Ex-Nike employees sue company, alleging unequal compensation PORTLAND (AP) — Four women who used to work for Nike filed a fed- eral lawsuit alleging the company violated state and U.S. equal-pay laws and fostered a work environ- ment that allowed sexual harassment. The suit filed Thurs- day in Portland, Oregon, is among the first to hit the company since complaints about pay and bad manag- ers became public earlier this year, The Oregonian/ OregonLive reported. Nike, based near Port- land, responded to the con- troversy by ousting at least 11 executives earlier this year. However, attorney Laura Salerno Owens, who filed the lawsuit, said Nike continues to have a “good- old-boy’s culture” in which women enter the company with lower pay and receive smaller raises and bonuses. “I think Nike wants to say that ‘Just a couple peo- ple were responsible for the problem and we’ve gotten rid of them.’ But we know that’s certainly not the case,” Owens said. The plaintiffs are seek- ing unspecified monetary damages and a court order requiring Nike to pay its employees fairly without regard to gender. Nike officials declined comment on the lawsuit to The Oregonian and did not immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press. Plaintiff Kelly Cahill worked for Nike for four years — much of that time as a brand market- ing director for Nike.com. She claimed in the lawsuit that she was paid $20,000 a year less in 2017 than a male co-worker doing much the same job. “In response, one of the direc- tors said, in effect, that Nike has a culture that revolves around alcohol, that Ms. John- ston should let the incidents go.” She says she filed four complaints against her boss — one of the 11 exec- utives who left the com- pany last spring. Nike’s human resources depart- ment took no action, the suit alleges. Cahill quit and went to work for Adidas. Sara Johnston alleges that a male co-worker made sexual advances and retaliated when she rejected his propositions. She complained to her boss in early 2016. “In response, one of the directors said, in effect, that Nike has a culture that revolves around alcohol, that Ms. Johnston should let the incidents go,” according to the lawsuit. The situation esca- lated after Johnston claims she learned the same co-worker was proposi- tioning other women and had groped another. She again tried to lodge a complaint with human resources but the depart- ment took no action and the male co-worker was promoted to a position where he would work more closely with Johnston, who decided to quit, according to the suit. The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Samantha Phillips and Tracee Cheng. Designed to prepare students in grades 6-8 to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting. The Instructor-led class is filled with fun games and role-playing exercises. Students even get to use manikins to practice rescue skills like choking rescue and CPR! BRIEFLY Arrowhead gets pumped up for customer party MISSION — A customer appreciation event at Arrow- head Travel Plaza will fea- ture free food, live music, a bounce house, raffles and giveaways. The lawn party is Wednes- day, Aug. 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Arrowhead, located off Interstate 84 at Exit 216. People are invited to get pumped up by getting out of their cars and moving to the music of Nuketown or listen in on a live remote on 103.5 KWHEAT. Also, Arrowhead will offer a spe- cial fuel discount, so be sure to fill up. People can register for Rewards on the Rez pro- gram, which offers instant fuel discounts, bonus points and random prize For more information, contact mary.liberty@wild- horseresort.com, 541-276- 8080 or visit www.arrow- headtravelplaza.com. MCKAY CREEK ESTATES REGISTRATION INFORMATION Pre-registration is required by August 20, 2018. To register, call 541.278.2627 or email emilysmith@chiwest.com. Register early as classes fill quickly! SAFETY SKILLS If you knew that there are several simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of falling, would you do it? You can make a difference. Stay independent longer by fall proofing your home and by getting your glasses and feet checked. Most importantly you can energize your body with exercise. By improving your strength, flexibility and balance you can significantly reduce your risk of a potentially serious fall. McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Pl. • Pendleton, OR 97801 www.PrestigeCare.com CHI St. Anthony Hospital Conference Rooms 1 & 2 2801 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, Oregon 97801 Class fee is $30. Lunch is provided. Are you worried about falling? Call (541) 704-7146 today to schedule your FREE FALL REDUCTION EVALUATION. Tuesday, August 21, 2018 9:00 am - 3:30 pm STEP INTO SAVINGS! Take posession of your apartment by August 31, 2018 and receive your 2nd and 4th month rent FREE. Students learn how to prevent unsafe situations and what to do when faced with dangers such as power failures or weather emergencies. FIRST AID & RESCUE SKILLS Learning skills such as choking rescue and CPR is often students’ favorite part of the class. Students also learn a system to help them assess and respond to injuries and illnesses. LIFE & BUSINESS SKILLS The ability to screen jobs, discuss fees, and greet employers will set students up for success now and in the future. Students practice these skills through various role plays. CHILD CARE SKILLS Students learn tips to manage behavior that will help them stay in control of themselves and the children in their care. Students also learn the ages and stages of child development, as well as practice diapering. CALL 541.278.2627 EMAIL emilysmith@chiwest.com
