Damned if you do: social media and content moderation

Twitter’s chief executive, Jack Dorsey, will probably be unable to avoid appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday. The committee, which has a Republican majority, votes today on whether to summon him. Lindsey Graham, its chair, thinks Twitter censored a news story alleging sleazy behaviour by Hunter Biden, the son of the Democratic presidential nominee. Mr Dorsey says Twitter initially blocked links because it suspected materials for the story were hacked. It later allowed the story to be shared, but the hearings are sure to be fiery and wide-ranging. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have been blocking or putting warning labels on politically explosive content more often: unfounded warnings about voting by mail (some spread by President Donald Trump); QAnon, a lurid conspiracy theory; anti-vaccine misinformation; and more. Silicon Valley’s social-media companies began with the dream that information wants to be free; they seem not to have prepared for how misinformation does, too.

content moderation：内容审核

Senate Judiciary Committee: 参议院司法委员会

summon：传唤

censor：删减（书籍，电影中等被人认为犯忌，违反道德或政治上认为危险的内容）

sleazy：（尤指涉及性行为的）肮脏的，污秽的，道德败坏的，不正派的，堕落的

nominee：被提名人，被任命者

hack：非法侵入（他人计算机系统）

hearing：审讯，听证会

fiery：暴躁的，怒气冲冲的，充满激情的

wide-ranging: 覆盖面广的，内容广泛的

explosive: 易爆炸的，易冲动的，爆炸性的，暴躁的

Qanon: 美国的一个极右（far-right）阴谋理论，它声称美国政府已被一只幕后黑手（deep state）所操纵，而该黑手的所作所为，都是与美国总统特朗普为敌。

lurid: 花哨的，（故意地）骇人听闻的

conspiracy：阴谋，密谋策划

Silicon Valley: 硅谷