Archive for the ‘Censorship’ Category

This Muslim Woman Is Calling Out Instagram’s Censorship of Curvy … – Papermag

Miski Muse, known as @musegold on Instagram, took a mirror selfie last November to celebrate finding a pair of jeans that she loved and that "fit both [her] waist and hips." However, when she posted the photograph on Instagram four months ago, it was taken down because it was deemed "inappropriate".

"I was talking to my friend and I remember telling her, 'I found these wonderful jeans a few months ago. Let me show you the picture.' I was scrolling down [Instagram] and I could not find the picture. I knew I had posted it because I had gotten a lot of feedback, both good and bad," she told PAPER. "It was a lot of people saying, 'This isn't appropriate for someone wearing the hijab.' I had left it [up] because I don't like to delete [posts]. I want people to see that this is the narrative of a Muslim woman if she tries to be herself on the Internet and live. I could not find [the image]. I was shocked and confused, but ultimately I was saddened that a woman who choose to celebrate her body wasn't welcome."

On Sunday, she posted the photograph again with a caption explaining the discrimination inherent in Instagram's censorship of her body.

She wrote in the caption, "I'm covered from head to toe, and yet my picture was seen as 'inappropriate' enough to get deleted. My whole life I've struggled w/ body image issues & only in recent years have I come to appreciate my curvy body." Indeed, while all women face unfair scrutiny over the ways in which they present their bodies, women of color and Muslim women face additional pressures to adapt to Western beauty norms and respectability politics.

"Being a curvy Muslim woman hasn't been an easy journey. I've been made aware my whole life that my body takes up too much space and evokes negativity from mean aunties and men alike. If my hips weren't as wide, would my picture have ever been taken down?" Muse wrote in this weekend's Insta. She continued, "Curvy is tacitly seen as immodest-- sexualized by default-- so my photos as a curvy hijabi are consumed and seen as obscene."

As Muse points out, her post was not deleted because of the way she presented herself, but rather, because of Instagram's understanding of which bodies deserve to exist in public space. Not only do they not allow images of nipples and body hair on female bodies, but they also do not allow users to search the word "curvy" because it is supposedly inappropriate.

Because women of color, Muslim women, and curvy women are so often excluded from social and mainstream media, Muse feels that it is important to ensure that marginalized communities are represented.

"Seeing women who look like me (seldom) is what gives me courage to know that I too can achieve so and so. It's more so important as an up-and-coming teen in the West because everywhere you look, every magazine you open, you are reminded that your beauty is not beauty here," she said. "Seeing Halima Aden walk the runway was a beautiful moment that so many black Muslimahs shared."

Ultimately, Muse hopes her message and her presence empower other women.

"I want other women to know that it's ok to be yourself. [When I saw that the image was deleted] that really hurt, but I can either sit on it or I can use that message to empower other women to continue to live their truth because this is the body that we have and we should treat it like the temple that it is. In case you did not know, black curvy hijabi women exist, and we are here to stay."

[h/t Teen Vogue]

Image courtesy Instagram/@Musegold

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This Muslim Woman Is Calling Out Instagram's Censorship of Curvy ... - Papermag

Violence on Facebook Live presents censorship dilemma – CNET – CNET

Video live-streamed on Facebook in June showed the action that precedes a shooting, as well as the aftermath.

Facebook Live gives people an easy way to broadcast live video, but it has also reportedly given Facebook a real live headache: how to decide when to censor video depicting violent acts.

In the year since its launch, the feature has been used to broadcast at least 50 acts of violence, according to the Wall Street Journal, including murder, suicides and a beating of a special-needs teenager in Chicago earlier this year. One of the problems is that Facebook "didn't grasp the gravity of the medium" during the planning process for the feature, an unidentified source told the newspaper.

Facebook Live, which lets anyone with a phone and internet connection live-stream video directly to Facebook's 1.8 billion users, has become a centerpiece feature for the social network. In the past few months, everyone from Hamilton cast members to the Donald Trump campaign has turned to Facebook to broadcast in real time.

"Soon, we believe a camera will be the main way to share," instead of the traditional text box, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings conference call last November. "We think its pretty clear video is only going to become more important."

But the focus on video has prompted some tough philosophical questions, like what Facebook should and shouldn't show.

In July, a Minnesota woman named Diamond Reynolds used the service to live-stream her fiance Philando Castile after he was shot by police. The next day, Facebook Live captured the scene as five Dallas police officers were gunned down during a peaceful demonstration.

Both the Castile and Dallas videos were initially streamed unedited and uncensored. The Castile video temporarily disappeared from the social network because of a "technical glitch," according to Facebook. It was restored later with a warning about its graphic nature.

Zuckerberg addressed this issue last month in an open letter to the Facebook community, conceding that errors in judgment were made.

"In the last year, the complexity of the issues we've seen has outstripped our existing processes for governing the community," he wrote, referencing how some newsworthy videos were handled.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Violence on Facebook Live presents censorship dilemma - CNET - CNET

Violence on Facebook Live presents censorship dilemma – CBS News

A person armed with a gun is seen on a live video posted to social media onApril 31, 2016 in Chicago.

Facebook/WBBM

Facebook Live gives people an easy way to broadcast live video, but it has also reportedly given Facebook a real live headache: how to decide when to censor video depicting violent acts.

In the year since its launch, the feature has been used to broadcast at least 50 acts of violence, according to theWall Street Journal, including murder, suicides and abeating of a special-needs teenagerin Chicago earlier this year. One of the problems is that Facebook didnt grasp the gravity of the medium during the planning process for the feature, an unidentified source told the newspaper.

Facebook Live, which lets anyone with a phone and internet connection live-stream video directly to Facebooks 1.8 billion users, has become a centerpiece feature for the social network. In the past few months, everyone from Hamilton cast members to theDonald Trump campaignhas turned to Facebook to broadcast in real time.

Soon, we believe a camera will be the main way to share, instead of the traditional text box, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings conference call last November. We think its pretty clear video is only going to become more important.

But the focus on video has prompted some tough philosophical questions, like what Facebook should and shouldnt show.

In July, a Minnesota woman named Diamond Reynolds used the service tolive-stream her fiance Philando Castileafter he was shot by police. The next day, Facebook Live captured the scene as five Dallaspolice officers were gunned downduring a peaceful demonstration.

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Police are searching for the gunman who fatally shot two people and wounded one more in a Chicago alley. The incident was captured in a Facebook ...

Both the Castile and Dallas videos were initially streamed unedited and uncensored. The Castile video temporarily disappeared from the social network because of a technical glitch, according to Facebook. It was restored later with a warning about its graphic nature.

Zuckerberg addressed this issue last month inan open letter to the Facebook community, conceding that errors in judgment were made.

In the last year, the complexity of the issues weve seen has outstripped our existing processes for governing the community, he wrote, referencing how some newsworthy videos were handled.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared onCNET.com.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

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Violence on Facebook Live presents censorship dilemma - CBS News

Facebook launches tool to fight fake news but is it censorship? – New York’s PIX11 / WPIX-TV

Facebook logos pictured on the screens of a smartphone and a laptop computer. (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

By Ese Olumhense

A careful approach to fake news

As part of its ongoing effort to curb the spread of misleading or completely fabricated news articles on its platform, Facebook launched a tool Friday to flag links shared from fake news sites, cautioning readers that the material shared has been disputed by non-partisan fact-checking sites.

Though the feature isnt yet available to everyone, according to the social media giants Help page, its the latest step in their war on fake news.

Facebook incurred the wrath of users frustrated by the many hoax news stories surrounding the 2016 election. Bending to pressure, the site announced in late 2016 a series of initiatives that it would take to deal with its fake news problem.

We believe in giving people a voice and that we cannot become arbiters of truth ourselves, so were approaching this problem carefully, said VP of Product for News Feed at Facebook, Adam Mosseri, in a December blog post.

As part of this careful approach, Facebook says that it will work with independent fact-checkers to identify fake news stories, which would then be flagged. These flagged posts would be deprioritized in news feeds, and if a user tries to share a flagged story, theyll see a warning cautioning that the story had been disputed. Flagged stories cannot be promoted or turned into advertisements.

Its unclear whether the mechanism outlined in December is the one in place now, or if other features have been included.

How lies and exaggerations spread on Facebook

Though it isnt a news site, 66 percent of Facebooks users rely on the platform to access news, a 2016 study found. This is up from 47 percent in 2013.

Considering the massive reliance on the social network for news, it became a lightning rod for 2016 election news.

But it soon emerged that some of the news appearing in Facebook feeds was misleading, or flat-out fake. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the interest in the presidential election, predatory publishers drove significant traffic to their sites with fake articles on anything from Democratic candidate Hillary Clintons supposed ill health to rumors that now-President Donald Trumps tax returns had leaked. At times, the misinformation campaigns bordered on dangerous, as fake stories teasing civil war or threatening riots if a particular candidate won or lost became more and more popular.

After the election, some journalists blamed Facebook for Trumps eventual election, claiming that its lucrative advertising prospects helped malicious actors sway popular opinion, even when those actors lived outside the United States.

Fight over fake news continues

Fake news did not stop after Trumps historic upset. In fact, it became a major talking point for Americans on either side of the political spectrum, weaponized to discredit and delegitimize news pieces that dont adhere to either sides agenda.

While Facebooks latest effort is certainly appreciated by some news consumers, others are skeptical, believing that the companys actions amount to arbitrary and unjustifiable censorship.

Who are these people that will be deciding what is relevant and what is not to the largest social media site in the world? asked Mickey White, conservative commentator and critic in December. The source of information for over half the country. We dont know that [they] have any qualifications outside of their own individual bias.

Facebook has enlisted fact-checking organizations like Politifact and Snopes to help monitor stories flagged as fake. The sites are part of a network of fact-checking organizations coordinated by the Poynter Institute. Members of the group must apply and be vetted by a team at Poynter, and agree to a set of principles including transparency and nonpartisanship.

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Facebook launches tool to fight fake news but is it censorship? - New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV

Death Threats and Censorship Can’t Stop ‘Naughty Muslim’ Comic Mona Shaikh – NBCNews.com

Mona Shaikh performing at the Laugh Factory Courtesy of Mona Shaikh

Shaikh was 8 years old when she knew she wanted to become a performer after watching Indian actress Madhuri Dixit.

"You can literally have the world on your finger, spinning, because of so much charisma and charm and funny that you bring to the table, and I just loved her," Shaikh said.

She was 15 when she narrowed her interest to stand-up comedy, the same year she immigrated to the United States from Pakistan with her parents and four older brothers.

Shaikh spent much of her youth in Pakistan alone because her mother was frequently in America to get treatment for two of her brothers who suffered from polio. She credits her early life as having contributed to the foundation she needed to become an artist and to the perspectives she shares through comedy.

"I think it really kicked off my imagination and it just gave me this opportunity to dream and think what would it be like to be a performer. To travel the world, to connect with so many people who don't share the same background as you, but to bring these people together and convey to them artistically?" she said. "I think it really fed the artist that needed to be fed as a kid."

Although Shaikh knew early on what she wanted to do with her life, she didn't share her dreams with her family until she was 18. They didn't support her, Shaikh said, and she was given an ultimatum of either studying physical therapy or being sent back to Pakistan to get married.

She rejected both options, moved to New York, dropped out of college and invested her money into acting classes with no backup plan.

"Here's the thing: if you don't burn your boats, you never know what you're capable of," she said. "With a backup plan, you're not going to give it your all because at the back of your mind, you always think you can always go back to that other life. I didn't want to do that. I burned my boats and it's not easy, but it's working out."

Since then, Shaikh has become the first Pakistani female comedian selected for the Laugh Factory's Funniest Person in the World Competition and to headline Hollywood Improv. In 2015, she launched a diverse comedy show called Minority Reportz, which features a diverse slate of comedians.

Across Los Angeles, she has performed at multiple venues, including The Ice House in Pasadena and Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank.

With the recent presidential election, Shaikh has incorporated current political events into her set and has been vocal about her dislike of President Donald Trump. As a Muslim, she joked that she's OK with the Muslim registry Trump had proposed, but that she would have her rear end photographed for it.

Despite the fact that politics can be a sensitive subject, Shaikh said having lived in Pakistan is why she includes the topic in her routines.

"I grew up in a politically unstable country so politics is weaved into my fabric," she said. "I can't be an artist now and not talk about things that impact people."

But Shaikh isn't always able to include that subject in her shows. During a set in Dubai, she was censored from discussing human rights violations or criticizing the government of Saudi Arabia, which is an ally of the United Arab Emirates, she said. Had she violated that instruction, she was told she would have been banned from going back to the country.

While she wasn't able to make those jokes live, Shaikh has taken to YouTube to poke fun at how women in Saudi Arabia aren't allowed to drive and how some Muslims imams have sanctioned domestic violence. In one clip, she jokes about how Pakistani men are obsessed with virgins because they don't like criticism. Shaikh's material has earned her the nickname

Sometime in 2012 or 2013, Shaikh said she was notified via email by her fans that her website website had been banned in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Last year, she received an email from YouTube saying her channel had been banned in the two countries, she said.

Shaikh said she has even received death threats via email, but said she isn't fazed and hasn't been deterred from continually bringing up those topics.

"They don't like the fact that I talk about these things, but when I see my fellow Pakistani sisters being physically assaulted or murdered by their own family for honor killings and such backward cultural things, how do you as a human being not speak up against that, especially as an artist? Especially if you have a platform?" she said.

"If the Pakistani government doesn't like it, maybe they can start changing their laws and start treating minorities, women, transgender and gay people with some more love and respect," she added.

Shaikh noted that either way, some people will take offense to her content and disagree with it, so she would rather talk about things that matter.

"I've seen when people don't speak up and they don't provide resistance against tyrants or evildoers," she said. "There's a big price to pay for that, and I think artistically and as a human, I try to be on the right side of history. I guess there's a price for that, too."

Through comedy, Shaikh says she hopes to do for audiences what two of her role models, comedians George Carlin and Chris Rock, did for theirs.

"What they did for people is they made them think," she said. "That's my goal."

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Death Threats and Censorship Can't Stop 'Naughty Muslim' Comic Mona Shaikh - NBCNews.com