Petition to block links from X on the AT forums.

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Feb 4, 2009
35,741
17,281
136
Is it even possible at this time? Seems these forums are hanging on by a thread and I doubt anyone maintains them regularly.
Also it might be a bit premature let’s see how this works out but yeah it is a warning.
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
7,925
3,416
136
Is it even possible at this time? Seems these forums are hanging on by a thread and I doubt anyone maintains them regularly.
Also it might be a bit premature let’s see how this works out but yeah it is a warning.
I didn't think anyone was updating the forum software anymore?
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
34,859
8,964
136
Not sure, let me test:
https://bsky.app/profile/liebschutz.bsky.social/post/3lgeaf7bixs2f

Hm, seems to be the
unfurl="true"
property on the bracket URL bracket, not sure how to make that automatically happen.

Hey @Brainonska511 , how did you post that link, did you do something manually?
Even after your revelation, it took a few tries before I realized I could edit via code.
It must be some 20 years since that last occurred. I had completely forgotten it was a thing. Let alone still possible.
The Rich Text Editor consumed all.

Suppose it wouldn't be too bad to manually code URLs... for however long the forums last.
 

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
19,760
13,750
136
Take a screenshot.

If you're wanting to limit exposure to a far-right platform, why do you think that screenshotting is so different from linking? Anyone with half a brain can see that a screenshot is from twitter, the screenshot tells one who made the post and so if one wanted, one is a search engine request from finding more content from that person. Screenshotting is as much encouragement to join a platform as linking is, basically.

The only advantage a screenshot has that a link doesn't is also its biggest weakness: If the content is taken off the platform, the screenshot shows that the post happened, but verification becomes trickier, and especially given the phase that GQP America has just entered (e.g. FB filtering searches such as the Democrat hashtag, marking it "sensitive"), it's not hard to imagine that gov+FB+Xitter censorship efforts combined could result in a lot of data scrubbing of third party sites. Google and Apple will inevitably roll over too.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
14,473
9,322
136
Obviously it will have negligible effect on anything, but I'm impatient for X to die a death, so anything that helps speed up the inevitable, even by an imperceptible amount...

Incidentally, references to "free speech" or "censorship" seem to be in the same category as references to "personal responsibility" or "common sense" - they are almost always invoked by people who are in reality entirely opposed to them.

Anyone who bangs on about being a "free speech absolutist" will invariably turn out to be the greatest censor going (even spending billions in order to control what people are allowed to say, or, as with both Musk and Liz Truss, threatening to sue anyone who says anything they don't like*),

Similar to how those who talk about "personal responsibility" will never take any responsibility for the effects of any of their actions (e.g. the politicians who say being physically active and not being obese is a matter for 'personal responsibility', while refusing to take any responsibility for their own policies making it harder-and-harder for anyone to travel anywhere other than by car), and those who invoke 'common sense' the most never seem to have any.

* I mean, here's a typical right-wing opponent of 'cancel culture' and free-speech warrior

 
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pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
14,473
9,322
136
If you're wanting to limit exposure to a far-right platform, why do you think that screenshotting is so different from linking? Anyone with half a brain can see that a screenshot is from twitter, the screenshot tells one who made the post and so if one wanted, one is a search engine request from finding more content from that person. Screenshotting is as much encouragement to join a platform as linking is, basically.

The only advantage a screenshot has that a link doesn't is also its biggest weakness: If the content is taken off the platform, the screenshot shows that the post happened, but verification becomes trickier, and especially given the phase that GQP America has just entered (e.g. FB filtering searches such as the Democrat hashtag, marking it "sensitive"), it's not hard to imagine that gov+FB+Xitter censorship efforts combined could result in a lot of data scrubbing of third party sites. Google and Apple will inevitably roll over too.

Linking surely encourages a visit to the site, which presumably counts towards some engagement metric somewhere? The whole thing is just a gesture anyway, but I think the death of X is inevitable. The real problem are all the 'serious' journalists and non-fascist political figures who still persist in posting on the platform, but seems to me there's a one-way ratchet-effect with people quitting.
 

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
19,760
13,750
136
Linking surely encourages a visit to the site, which presumably counts towards some engagement metric somewhere?

People keep talking about going to a website resulting in some kind of tangible benefit for that website. It can work that way, but Xitter's big problem is that its advertisers rightly believe that advertising on that site equals condoning the extremist content that Musk is happy to help proliferate (not to mention the banning of content that Musk disagrees with, resulting in an echo chamber). The only realistic way that dynamic changes is if extremist content becomes the norm, in which case it won't matter if you're linking or screenshotting. I would say the most damaging statistics for Xitter are those that suggest that it is losing ground to its competitors, (e.g. account signups) competitors that don't have its murky record.

There's also the undeniable fact that visiting a website represents a cost in resources for the website operator.

IMO the next logical steps involve Xitter and Meta networks (probably Truth Social too, unless it gets folded) getting US funding to help proliferate propaganda, then Musk doesn't have to worry about advertisers half as much.
 

HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
37,895
30,566
136
Block it. As we all know censorship is the cornerstone of democracy. Denying Musk the income is just the frosting on the cake. The links from here probably earn X tens of dollars every year.
Think you have a consistent position on censorship? Musk blocks things on X he disagrees with but the silence from you is deafening.
 

dainthomas

Lifer
Dec 7, 2004
14,802
3,737
136
If you're wanting to limit exposure to a far-right platform, why do you think that screenshotting is so different from linking? Anyone with half a brain can see that a screenshot is from twitter, the screenshot tells one who made the post and so if one wanted, one is a search engine request from finding more content from that person. Screenshotting is as much encouragement to join a platform as linking is, basically.

The only advantage a screenshot has that a link doesn't is also its biggest weakness: If the content is taken off the platform, the screenshot shows that the post happened, but verification becomes trickier, and especially given the phase that GQP America has just entered (e.g. FB filtering searches such as the Democrat hashtag, marking it "sensitive"), it's not hard to imagine that gov+FB+Xitter censorship efforts combined could result in a lot of data scrubbing of third party sites. Google and Apple will inevitably roll over too.

With something like Bluesky, you can see all replies without having an account and being logged in, which a lot of people can't or are unwilling to do.

Any big newsworthy story will be available on both. I'm fine with screenshotting X if necessary and posting links to actual useful sites.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
50,885
42,673
136
Reddit is basically one of the last usable pieces of the internet at this point. Nuking /The_Donald to prevent the whole place from turning into yet another cesspool and now ditching Twitter links are good decisions to keep it that way.
 
Reactions: Zorba

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
34,859
8,964
136
Suppose it wouldn't be too bad to manually code URLs...
I stand corrected.

The manual method is failing every time I give it a go. URLs just NEVER embed themselves when I give it a try...
*edit, turns out it may just depend on the website being linked.....

Checking Blue sky..... Not doing the embed yet....

1: Typed in.

Code:
[URL unfurl="true"]https://bsky.app/profile/latimes.com/post/3lgit3fc57s2b[/URL]

2: Copy Paste from another post....

Code:
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.404media.co/hundreds-of-subreddits-are-considering-banning-all-links-to-x/[/URL]
 
Last edited:

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
34,859
8,964
136
The manual method is failing every time I give it a go. URLs just NEVER embed themselves when I give it a try...
*edit, turns out it may just depend on the website being linked.....
Nope, not the website per say...
I have kept trying to manually type url unfurl="true" but it always fails. Despite being identical. Embedding in this way is not viable.

*edit Typing out and/or copying an existing embed works. It's always new URLs that seem to fail.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
25,520
23,865
136
How very fascistic of you. Nothing says fascist quite like banning free speech.

There is no point in addressing the pure bullshit of your response but I did want to say this, I hope 2025 is the worst year of your life, and the year after, even worse than that. Have a good one! Hopefully the rest of your week sucks too. Cheers!
 
Reactions: cytg111

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
32,374
10,484
136
How very fascistic of you. Nothing says fascist quite like banning free speech.
How is getting people to express themselves in their own words rather than a link to a site that a lot of people can't see banning free speech?
What exactly are you being stopped from expressing?
Personally I'd do something similar with YouTube links in that I'd make people do a small summary of what the video is about and what point the poster is trying to make by posting it.
 
Reactions: nakedfrog

Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,613
11,254
136
Block it. As we all know censorship is the cornerstone of democracy. Denying Musk the income is just the frosting on the cake. The links from here probably earn X tens of dollars every year.
Your favorite news org calls for boycotts all the time. Boycotting a corporation is not censorship.
 
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