New Google API "Perspective" tries to adjust toxicity in online discussion
 

Go here:

http://perspectiveapi.com/

Go down the page to "What if it were easier to find new perspectives?" and try moving the slider around to add or remove the messages that their technology rated more toxic.

Imagine it applied to any online discussion. Imagine an error message:

Your message is 74% toxic. It cannot be saved until it is less than 50% toxic. Please edit your message and resubmit.

Pretty wild stuff. Your thoughts?

I would like it to apply to other people but would resent having it applied to my perfectly reasonable posts.

Automated politically correct check. :eyebrow:

If it were imposed, it would make interaction more like it is in the workplace than in the casual or home environment. I feel it would be rejected except in business applications. Even then, the technology would have to be highly refined so as to not risk losing patrons.

If it were voluntary, many would use the reading mode as a filter to set a comfortable level between seeing everything that people write and putting someone on ignore. The technology standard wouldn't have to be so high.

Few would use it in writing mode except to learn how to get around being labeled as toxic by using substitute language which they can continuously change (like spammers adapt to anti-spam technology).

It would remove some of the subjectivity that comes with human moderators; but, at what price? It would be getting us further away from interpersonal (i.e. face-to-face) communication. The human touch can sometimes bring us closer to it.

Interesting... I tried out some phrases. It finds "your mother" statements much more offensive than "your children." Across the board, typing the same phrase minus punctuation and capitals gets you a significantly higher offensive rating as well.

Heaven help the non-English speakers who use translation software with it.