Google’s removal of anti-Beijing comments raises political eyebrows (Economist)

No Paywall link to article: http://archive.is/hPbDR

This part may be relevant to add to the existing discussion on HN:

More likely, the explanation lies in the nature of the software Google uses to moderate content automatically, which uses a set of computer-science techniques called machine learning. Such software can update itself based on how users interact with the website, without any intervention from human programmers. This automated nature, combined with the software’s complexity, make it plausible for errors to arise in ways that are difficult to understand.

For example, if YouTube comments about Wumao and other ccp-critical phrases are flagged enough times by enough users as spam, hate speech or bullying, then the system could start removing them automatically. This could be the result of something as harmless as a furious comment war between pro- and anti-China factions, or of a campaign designed to influence the moderation software. Google says this was not the source of the error, but would not say what was.