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Original Content at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Censorship-Encountered-on-Censorship-In-Public-Discourse_Comment_Microsoft-250210-706.html (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). |
February 10, 2025
Censorship Encountered on Microsoft Comments Boards
By William P. Homans
An up-to-the-moment case of Microsoft censorship. Microsoft has 4 stated "Community guidelines." My comment on a story did not violate them but was censored.
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This is a post I made Monday morning February tenth. I was responding to this news:
Click Here
Donald Trump has ended the minting of the "wasteful" penny. The headline in the link-- click above-- speaks for itself. I wrote:
Are people going to be told that pennies are no longer legal tender, and if you have jars of pennies that you have been saving for years, you will be told that you cannot cash them in for the dollar per hundred pennies rate that America has had since 1793? And the other coins?
One of the ways I have always saved money is by simply filling piggy banks with the change I receive in transactions. I have at least $1000 in coins of all values, which I have kept against any dire emergencies. Are nickels, dimes and quarters also going to be declared worthless to those of us who save money in the traditional way-- setting our small change aside?
The rate the coin-turn-in machines like the one at my local bank remove when you use them is 15 percent. It looks to me like our government-- or the Trump-Musk administration-- and come to think of it, the billionaire cabal at the head of technological, computerized businesses, some of whom are Trump appointees-- the ones pushing this artificial intelligence, AI, a scourge upon humanity-- is pressuring Americans to operate in a cashless society.
When I clicked "submit" on the MSN-run comments section, it was rejected. The algorithm said that it was rejected because it did not comply with Community guidelines, and invited me to "Please try another one."
Now, I have memorized long ago the four Community guidelines, and they are not unreasonable at all. First, no profanity-- if one is not offended by cusswords, there are plenty of real-news sources like Raw Story at which to comment on stories.
Second, no explicit sex. That seems reasonable, people only looking for gratification can go elsewhere.
Third, No harassing, bullying or threatening persons. Heck, I remember comments boards on AOL around the turn of the century, and the degree of unmistakable threatening, racial hate (hey, some racists appreciated having a fake username so they could say whatever they wanted with no personal responsibility) on those old boards where there really was freedom, because the process of engineering social media for popular control was NOT nearly as developed as it is today.
And fourth, no stealing or tempting to steal from or defraud persons. Computer fraud and scams have been a growth industry for many years. It is reasonable for Microsoft to include a service by which such possible scams can be reported. On one occasion a Microsoft agent engineered the end n unusual computer problem.
However, on another occasion just last year my computer was rendered unusable by a scammer impersonating Microsoft saying the Trojan and other viruses my computer contained were a threat, thus my machine was disabled. My computer-repair place, UBreakitWefixit, verified that the puter contained no viruses, told me that it was undoubtedly a scam, and made it work again, which it has done to this day. Personally, I have been wary enough of scams to have lost no money by one since the last time I contacted "technical support", in 2006.
The comment I made on this story does not remotely violate any of these stated guidelines that I have explained. But it was rejected by Microsoft. So, I removed the following:
and come to think of it, the billionaire cabal at the head of technological, computerized businesses, some of whom are Trump appointees-- the ones pushing this artificial intelligence, AI, a scourge upon humanity--
(Article changed on Feb 10, 2025 at 3:14 PM EST)
(Article changed on Feb 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM EST)
My name is William Perkins Homans the third, but probably more people know me as the bluesman (and artist) Watermelon Slim.
I've been in the fight against war, fascism, injustice and inhumanity for 47 years. I was at MayDay, 1971, and at the moratorium March the week before. I was one of the leaders of the Great New Jersey Turnpike Stall on my birthday, April 25, 1971.
I bear the scar on my left shin from a neoNazi jackboot, when I was one of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War who bounced the NSWPP from Flamingo Park at the Republican National Convention of 1972. My father fought the Nazis in the North Atlantic and Anzio, and I met their spawn in Miami.
My formal education has been first-rate. I wouldn't trade my degrees for Harvard ones. I was raised in the finest private Catholic and Episcopal high schools.
I earned my BA in History and Journalism from the University of Oregon/Eugene. I was also captain of the U of O bowling team, 1984-1986. High game 299. Mentors: Dr. W. Gordon Rockett, Dr. Daniell Pope
1997-2000: Oklahoma State University. M.A., History, 2000, plus the school-teaching curriculum. Mentor: Dr. Ronald Petrin
I am a world survivalist. My politics transcends right and left, perforce. I watch for signs we may transcend in some yet-unknown fashion the vectors and indicators in my environmental and geopolitical analysis.
As Tiny Tim said, "God bless us, every one!"