Science Magazine: “‘Dark pools’ of hate flourish online. Here are four controversial ways to fight them” – and my response

Portion of a figure from the Nature study depicting the transit of clusters of hate activity across and among platforms. An article from Eva Frederick in today's edition of Science gives some context and color commentary on a new study published in Nature that shows, among other things, how the circulation of cluster of online… Continue reading Science Magazine: “‘Dark pools’ of hate flourish online. Here are four controversial ways to fight them” – and my response

“The Cleaners,” commercial content moderation documentary, airs on PBS’s Independent Lens

UPDATE: The Cleaners is currently available for streaming for US audiences. At long last, The Cleaners makes its American wide-release début! The documentary film, first released this January at the Sundance film festival and making appearances at Hot Docs, Human Rights Watch Film Festival and other festivals around the world, will air tonight on the… Continue reading “The Cleaners,” commercial content moderation documentary, airs on PBS’s Independent Lens

New article: Digital detritus: ‘Error’ and the logic of opacity in social media content moderation

Announcing a new article on the politics of commercial content moderation: Digital detritus: 'Error' and the logic of opacity in social media content moderation. This article is part of a special issue of First Monday devoted to gender and digital labor, edited by Carolyn Elerding, Roopika Risam and Radhika Gajjala. The issue also features contributions from… Continue reading New article: Digital detritus: ‘Error’ and the logic of opacity in social media content moderation

Spotlight on “Analog Gaming in Libraries”

ubiquity75 "I had an empty shelf when I started this class and now it's full of games." --student in #lis9371 Analog Games in Libraries @westernuFIMS 2/26/16, 3:50 PM This term, students in FIMS' Master's in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program have the opportunity to participate in a new class I am teaching, offered as… Continue reading Spotlight on “Analog Gaming in Libraries”

Pix or It Didn’t Happen: It’s on You to Prove Your Abuse

I came across a disturbing case from the Languedoc region of France today, while perusing headlines on Salon.com.  A 14 year-old girl who had been repeatedly victimized sexually by her father had reportedly caught the abuse by employing her computer's webcam. The key to the most disturbing aspects of this extremely upsetting story lies in… Continue reading Pix or It Didn’t Happen: It’s on You to Prove Your Abuse

NPR’s All Things Considered: Commercial Content Moderation (CCM) and the Internet Shadows

Greetings to all listeners who just heard the interview with me on today's All Things Considered. If you'd like to learn more about CCM and my research about the practice and people who do it, please hop over to this page for an overview and detailed discussion. For those who missed the story, you may… Continue reading NPR’s All Things Considered: Commercial Content Moderation (CCM) and the Internet Shadows

Congratulations to Dr. Miriam Sweeney!

Hearty congratulations to Dr. Miriam Sweeney, on the successful passage of her dissertation defense, "Not Just a Pretty (Inter) Face: A Critical Analysis of Microsoft's 'Ms. Dewey'", at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS). Dr. Sweeney is an Assistant Professor at SLIS, University of Alabama. The defense was lively,… Continue reading Congratulations to Dr. Miriam Sweeney!