If I ask @Aella at Manifest about Manifold's recent changes to censor sex and sex-related content, how will she respond?
11
595Ṁ1487
resolved Sep 23
100%97%
The changes aren't unexpected, but are disappointing; she hoped for better.
0.7%
The changes are fair, expected, and healthy for a community.
0.3%
The changes are surprising, in a helpful and positive way.
0.5%
The changes are surprising, in a harmful and negative way.
0.4%
She doesn't have an opinion
0.4%
Better than the reasonable long-term alternatives like deleting such content (what Stephen said)
0.7%Other

Background

Sex, sex work, and related censorship are hotly debated topics in the Western world. These issues can lead to powerful visibility for platforms, but that often comes at a cost of ire from conservative factions. Financial institutions such as Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard have been known to withdraw processing privileges to sites that pay out to sex workers ("SWers"). Other places have come under fire from pundits, courts, and the angry regressive public. Many more regard such content as "impolite" or "crass" in that way that people do when they're too stuck up to acknowledge they have prejudices and blindspots.

In reaction to these threats, or sometimes as an embodiment of them, sites often run hard and fast away in the other direction, causing collateral damage in their wake. Tumblr, gfycat, and imgur banned all such content retroactively, often decimating their userbases. Social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have actively hunted down personal accounts of SWers that weren't engaging in such content on their sites. Even OnlyFans tried to ban most of their creator base after threats from Visa and Mastercard.

Often SWers flock to one platform or another seeking refuge to carry on with their work, studies, and personal lives, shortly before this shadow once again falls on their doorstep. Moreover, others such as LGBTQ+ people, racial minorities, and war refugees frequently get caught in the broad content policy nets as bycatch, their lives having become a bullet point of "inappropriate content".

Yesterday, despite being a purported bastion of analysis and debate, Manifold took mild but similar steps by categorizing anything sex related as "NSFW" and threw it behind an opt-in-only tag and filter (grandfathering in current users), claiming a need to clean up its public face before a major event such as Manifest happens. Is this an action of fear and prejudice or one of cold calculation that leans on common precedent in a fearful and prejudiced world? Are they under threat from investors and reporters? In these circumstances, could Manifold do better, be better? I don't know.

Aella is a public figurehead, known for her user studies, analyses, and also for her sex work and related content, who is currently planning to attend Manifest. She has brought in a fair amount of attention to the site in these nascent days, but at the same time become a frequent target for purile humor. No doubt, she's faced the issues of internet censorship, brigading, and more related to her work countless times, and probably has a powerful perspective on the matter. If asked her opinion on these new changes, how will she respond?

I also currently plan to attend Manifest and will endeavor to broach the subject with her in an appropriate context and time.

Resolution

This resolves to the answer that is the closest approximation to her response, in my judgment. I will prefer specific and accurate over broad and technically correct when choosing which to resolve to. I may split the resolution if it makes more sense to, but I intend to resolve to only one if it's possible.

If I don't ask her, or she chooses to not engage with the topic with any certainty, this resolves N/A. This is also free to resolve early if she happens to come across this question and engages with the topic here in the comments, or if she has a verifiable discussion with another person about this specific topic.

I've put in a few broad stand-ins for possible responses, but humans are nuanced so feel free to add your own.

As I am being the judge of the resolution, I won't trade here except in cases of rectification and to exit such positions.

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We have since rolled back the changes. Mostly because special cases are bad, it's an extra step in onboarding, and because I think we ought to have a more general approach that makes it easier for users to not see content they definitely don't want to see.

@Sinclair glad to hear it! seems like a good way forward

About the resolution:

She was most concerned that new users aren't aware that this content is hidden for new accounts. Also of concern is why and which content types are favored. The keyword was "cowardly", but she was only lightly surprised and most of her response was well-aligned with the resolution.

Thanks for your time @Aella

If she doesn't answer, you should ask aella.ai instead.

Is there a public writeup from staff/admin on worldview/arguments? I don't know how to search their notion

@Quinn a lot of their thoughts were written out in a thread about "NSFW" in the updates channel of the discord. afaik there's nothing else publicly released

Thank you for raising these interesting questions! As a young religious person, I benefit from the suppressing of sex-related content, and I recognize how the same actions simultaneously harm marginalized groups. I don’t envy @SG & co. for having to walk this fine line!

Ideal admin response, IMHO, would be:

  • Change #NSFW to #Sex, since “not safe for work” is explicitly making a value judgement.

  • Allow users to self-stereotype in order to easily customize their defaults for followed & blocked topics (which they can still individually change). Examples: The “Under 18” preset blocks #Sex and #Violence and follows #School. The “Scott Alexander Reader” preset blocks #Culture War and follows #Rationalism and #ACX. The “Serious User” preset blocks #Non-Predictive and follows #Manifold User Retention.

  • Don’t block #Sex by default. Only block questions with explicit words in the title.

@oh great insights!

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