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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Thursday 6 sepTember 2018
AP EXPLAINS: What is shadow banning?

By BARBARA ORTUTAY counts that don't follow
AP Technology Writer them.
NEW YORK (AP) — The sinis- While accounts flagged
ter-sounding term "shadow this way don't technically
banning" has been in play violate Twitter policy, the
recently, mostly thanks to company now wants to
conservatives — including protect the "health" of us-
President Donald Trump — ers' online conversations.
accusing Twitter and other (That word is now a staple
technology companies of in the company's lexicon;
political bias. CEO Jack Dorsey used
"Twitter 'SHADOW BAN- "health," ''healthy" or "un-
NING' prominent Repub- healthy" 31 times in pre-
licans. Not good. We will pared congressional testi-
look into this discrimina- mony Tuesday.) So Twitter
tory and illegal practice at will reduce their visibility in
once! Many complaints," certain ways, by display-
the president tweeted on ing them less prominently in
July 26. (His tweet was not search results or conversa-
accurate.) tion threads.
Here's a look at shadow That's not actually shadow
banning and why it's now a banning, since these users
political issue. In this Feb. 8, 2018, file photo, the logo for Twitter is displayed above a trading post on the floor of and their tweets are still visi-
HISTORY OF SHADOW BAN- the New York Stock Exchange. ble on Twitter in other ways.
NING Associated Press Dorsey said in his testimony
Shadow bans started in the that "we do not shadow-
early days of online discus- whack-a-mole. was long the only tool avail- new approach intended ban anyone based on po-
sion groups and the tools So forums came up with an able to moderators. It shuts to reduce the impact of litical ideology."
used to police disruptive alternative punishment: the down spam and, in theory, disruptive users, or trolls, by WHY PEOPLE ARE TALKING
participants. Moderators shadow ban. Instead of dis- lets internet trolls stew in reading "behavioral signals" ABOUT SHADOW BANS
could always just disable abling the target's account their own juices until they that tend to indicate when Largely because Trump
the accounts of spam- entirely, shadow banning get bored and drift away. users are more interested in tweeted about them. And
mers, harassers or those just seals the offending ac- DOES TWITTER SHADOW blowing up conversations for that, we have Vice
who were just too argu- count in a hermetic bub- BAN USERS? than in contributing. For News to thank.
mentative. But sometimes ble. The shadow-banned Twitter says no, although instance, Twitter will take On July 25, Vice News pub-
banned users came back user can still post freely — some political conserva- note if users sign up for mul- lished a story claiming that
with new accounts, pro- but no one else sees their tives remain unconvinced tiple accounts at the same Twitter was "limiting the vis-
longing the turmoil and messages. of that. time, or if they repeatedly ibility" of prominent Repub-
creating a lengthy round of At Reddit, shadow banning In May, Twitter outlined a tweet at or mention ac- licans in search results.q

Amazon orders 20,000

vans to build delivery fleet

number of applications it more shoppers would be deliver packages with their
received. The vans, which able to track their pack- cars through Amazon Flex.
are stamped with Ama- ages on a map or see a For its newer delivery pro-
zon's smile logo in blue, can photo of where a package gram, Amazon started tak-
be used by contractors to was left when they weren't ing applications in June at
deliver packages. home. its website, logistics.ama-
"We have been blown Charlie O'Shea, the lead zon.com. Amazon has said
away," said Dave Clark, retail analyst at Moody's, existing package delivery
Amazon's senior vice presi- said the program can help businesses could apply, as
In this June 27, 2018, file photo, Parisa Sadrzadeh, a senior man- dent of worldwide op- Amazon expand same-day well as those with little or no
ager of logistics for Amazon.com, opens the door of an Am- erations. He said tens of delivery and compete with logistics experience.
azon-branded delivery van at the request of a photographer thousands applied, but brick-and-mortar retailers Clark said Amazon-brand-
in Seattle, following a media event for Amazon to announce a
new program that lets entrepreneurs around the country launch declined to give a specific that have order-online- ed vans are already on
businesses that deliver Amazon packages. number. and-pick-up-in-store ser- the road, and he expects
Associated Press The delivery program is part vices. "This is an area where thousands of the vans to
of Amazon's plan to gain Amazon needs to up its be delivering packages by
By JOSEPH PISANI businesses that deliver more control over how its game a little bit," he said. the end of the year. He said
AP Retail Writer packages for the online re- packages are delivered Amazon has been work- the full order of 20,000 vans,
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon tailer. and rely less on other de- ing on bolstering its delivery which will be built at a new
has ordered 20,000 vans for The company said Wednes- livery services, such as UPS, network. It has a fleet of Mercedes-Benz plant in
its new delivery program in day that it increased its FedEx and the U.S. Postal cargo planes called "Prime North Charleston, South
which contractors around van order from 4,500 af- Service. With these vans Air," and it also pays people Carolina, should be on the
the country can launch ter it was surprised by the on the road, Amazon said as much as $25 an hour to road in the next year.q