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I think this form of counter works if and only if users explicitly direct the algorithm.

If you buy a handgun, and sometimes that handgun goes off without the trigger being pulled due to faulty design, then that's the one time the handgun manufacturer is actually liable.

It's not as if you get to tell the algorithm "Hey, I want Facebook to be a positive experience" or opt in to content.

When you have an interest like religion or politics and the algorithm starts showing you anti-vaxx material, that isn't the user in control. It is more like that faulty firearm.



Has any large organization stated on the record for their algorithms what the normal mode of operation looks like and what a failure looks like?

For a handgun both factors are widely understood in the majority of the adult population.




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