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Instagram also did not escape the controversies this year. The social network caused a real turnaround in a case involving the sharing of millionaire inheritance. There have also been many discussions involving the use of facial recognition technology as a security mechanism. Next, check out or recall the top ten polemics on the Internet in 2019.
Remember: list recap of the top ten polemics on the Internet in 2019 Photo: Pond5
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1. Pornography on Google search
Google search returns explicit sex images Photo: Reproduo / dnetc
Google's search engine was the center of a major controversy in October, when users realized that the expression black woman teaching class returned pornographic content in the search for images. The company apologized "to those who felt impacted and offended" and said it was investigating the problem. Not many days later, however, netizens noticed that other combinations involving women and education also brought images of explicit sex.
2. Live that lost millionaire inheritance
A controversy involving Instagram caused a twist in the trial of French singer Johnny Hallyday's inheritance lawsuit. Using the photos published by the rocker on the social network, the children of the star's first marriages were able to prove that their father had spent most of his days in France, and in the United States, as the lively Laeticia Hallyday had claimed. With that, they gained the right to share the millionaire inheritance left by the singer, who had named his wife as the sole heir to the fortune.
Proposal to combine facial recognition and public security generates controversies in London Photo: Reproduo / iStock
The controversy surrounding facial recognition technology, employed by the police as a public security mechanism, ignited a series of discussions in Europe this year. In May, for example, a report released by the City of London showed concern about the possibility that software would reinforce or perpetuate racism and gender bias. According to the text, there are still important ethical issues involved in the adoption of the "spy camera" by the police.
4. App to spy on friends on Instagram
Like Patrol: application to spy on friends generated controversy on Instagram Photo: Divulgao / Like Patrol
The Like Patrol application raised the possibilities of stalking on Instagram to another level and generated controversy on the Internet. The tool was successful after the extinction of the 'Seguindo' tab, in October, and brought back not only the display of likes and profiles that the user followed, but also a ranking with the biggest fans of the spied person. Available on the App Store since July, Like Patrol was removed from the store in November for violating the terms of service.
5. Amazon delivering urine
Amazon delivers urine to customer and generates controversy Photo: Divulgao / Amazon
An unusual case involving Amazon caught the Internet's attention in May. A man from Tuscumbia, Alabama, bought a shower curtain and, upon opening the box, found a pot containing a woman's urine. Warned about the confusion, the e-commerce giant apologized and arranged for the curtain to be delivered. However, it is not known what caused the pot to be confused with a shipment.
6. Facial recognition and prisons
In yet another chapter of polemics involving the adoption of facial recognition technology by the police, the University of Essex, London, found that the mechanism leads to a significant amount of identification errors. After having access to six tests, researchers at the institution reported that, of 42 people flagged by facial recognition software, 22 were detained. Of these, only eight were sought by justice. Also according to academics, most of the errors occurred due to the rush the police had to approach the suspects before checking the data.
Site uses artificial intelligence to classify photos and causes polemics Photo: Reproduo / Filipe Garrett
The list of polemics involving artificial intelligence (AI) is extensive. In September, ImageNet Roulette, an artistic project that uses technology to categorize people's faces from photos, sparked heated debates by classifying photos of people of diverse ethnicities with offensive racist terms. The word man, for example, can be related to terms like a criminal to the same extent that it can be linked to an athlete or doctor. The point, however, is that the chances that AI will classify a man as a thief increase if he is not white.
8. 'OK' becomes a hate symbol
Photos with 'OK' sign are removed from Instagram after gesture to join the list of audio symbols Photo: Divulgao / Emojipedia
Traditionally used as a synonym for approval or that everything is fine, the 'OK' sign with hands joined the list of audio symbols in October, after being appropriated by extremist groups. The gesture, which is also a popular emoji, came to be used as an expression of white supremacy and was therefore censored by Instagram. Since October 10, the social network has deleted photos of users who reproduce the OK sign. The measure aims to combat hate speech in the online environment.
Twitter tool targeted by controversy involving fake news Photo: Helito Beggiora / dnetc
The creator of Twitter's "Retweet" button, Chris Wetherell, confessed to having regretted creating the interactivity tool. This is because the resource was identified as one of the drivers of the viralization of fake news on social networks. Before the Retweet button, when a user wanted to republish a post, he had to do it manually, copying and pasting the text. With the automation of the process and the consequent practicality in the dissemination of the content, the reading became more dynamic and the action became more impulsive and less reflective, which paved the way for the massive dissemination of false news.
YouTube created controversy with homophobia in the United States Photo: Rodrigo Fernandes / dnetc
In June, YouTube was at the center of a controversy for refusing to remove homophobic and racist videos. Journalist Carlos Maza, who is gay and Latino of Cuban descent, reported on the portal a series of videos in which comedian Steven Crowder jokes about his sexuality and race, but never got a response. After posting on Twitter a compilation of all the humorist's offensive lines, he managed to get the attention of YouTube, who said he would investigate the case. After the review, however, the company claimed that Crowder's comments did not violate the platform's policies. The position received criticism on social networks.
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