Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

As Clubhouse's popularity skyrockets, some observers are raising questions about the spread of misinformation

As Clubhouse's popularity skyrockets, some observers are raising questions about the spread of misinformation

As Clubhouse downloads doubled last month, tech experts started to voice concerns about how the audio app will be able to moderate content.

In a recent Clubhouse discussion about COVID-19 vaccines, a woman digitally raised her hand, entered the conversation, and spoke at length about how the virus could be treated more effectively with herbal and natural remedies than with vaccines.

She told dozens of listeners: "A pharmaceutical company is an industry, a business, just like anything else and everyone else, who is devoted specifically and exclusively to making sure their shareholders have profits, quarter over quarter. It is not about your health. It is not about your wellness."

Clubhouse, which launched as an invite-only app last March, has in recent weeks surged in popularity to become one of the world's most-downloaded iPhone apps. As of March 1, it had been downloaded about 11.4 million times, according to App Annie, a mobile data tracker. That was up from just 3.5 million a month earlier.

The company said in late February that it had more than 10 million active users each week.

As its growth skyrocketed this year, some technologists and academics began asking questions about how it moderates conversations. Outsiders were wondering about bots and the spread of misinformation — the same types of questions that have long been asked about Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

While vaccine discussions on Clubhouse may simply go against company guidelines — along with those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — other conversations were more incendiary.

In one high-profile instance, a Twitter user shared a screenshot of a Clubhouse room called: "Were 6 million Jews really killed?"After users reported that room, the company said on Twitter: "This has no place on Clubhouse. Actions have been taken. We unequivocally condemn Anti-Semitism and all other forms of racism and hate speech."

But some observers questioned whether less inflammatory misinformation had slipped through the cracks.

"Thus far, the creators of the app have been less concerned with misinformation, and more so with the growing number of users on the platform," said Heinrich Long, a privacy expert at Restore Privacy.

By design, Clubhouse encourages users to explore, and jump in and out of discussions. At any given moment, there are hundreds or thousands of conversations in many different languages, making moderation a daunting task.

The company's been building a Trust & Safety team for the last year, growing its numbers alongside the platform. As of Saturday, it had two public job postings for that team on its website.

Clubhouse declined an interview request for this story, but a spokesperson sent a statement saying "racism, hate speech and abuse are prohibited on Clubhouse." Such speech would violate the company's guidelines and terms.

"The spreading or sharing of misinformation is strictly prohibited on Clubhouse. Clubhouse strongly encourages people to report any violations of our Terms of Service or Community Guidelines," the spokesperson said via email.

They added: "If it is determined that a violation has taken place, Clubhouse may warn, suspend, or remove the user from the platform, based on the severity of the violation."

Everything said on Clubhouse is recorded in the moment, according to the app's guidelines. While discussions are live, the company keeps that encrypted recording. But after a conversation ends, the recording is destroyed. The only time where a conversation would be saved longer was when a listener flagged it to the company.

That moderation model is similar to the one used by Reddit, which largely relies on crowdsourced moderation, said Paul Bischoff, a privacy advocate at Comparitech. Unlike text-based Reddit, however, there won't be a permanent record of every audio interaction on Clubhouse.

"That could lead to insulated echo chambers where misinformation is amplified without any outside viewpoints," Bischoff said. "The live-ness could prevent people from being able to report bad behavior on the app, but it could also stem the spread of misinformation beyond the app."

In the conversation about vaccines, for example, one user asked the woman touting herbal COVID-19 remedies if she could share her information, so listeners could reach out offline to learn more about why vaccines weren't the best solution for the coronavirus.

There's also a question of how bots or large groups of coordinated users could affect conversations on the app, said Sam Crowther, founder and chief executive at Kasada, a company that identifies bot activity.

Crowther said he's already seen some chatter on bot-related message boards about how Clubhouse could be exploited.

"One of the underlying truths with internet businesses is that if you build it, they'll make a bot to exploit it," Crowther said, adding, "Removing fake accounts after they're live is too late — companies need to take control and seize bad bots at registration."

The app encourages users to explore, and jump in and out of discussions.


So how can Clubhouse effectively moderate thousands of conversations between millions of users, many of whom are speaking local languages?

Like Facebook and other social networks, Clubhouse would do best with some form of artificial intelligence or voice pattern recognition system, said Stephen Hunnewell, executive director at the ADALA Project, a nonprofit that advocates for free speech around the world.

But, Hunnewell said, the real danger of audio conversations is that the content can't be unheard.

Take the conversation about curing COVID-19 with herbal remedies. Dozens of people listening to that conversation already digested the information. Even if the conversation was flagged in real time, Clubhouse couldn't guarantee that false information wasn't spread further by those who had already heard it.

"The real danger is in the cross-pollination that seed has planted within whatever audience heard it and their further amplification," Hunnewell said.

With a new platform like Clubhouse, which has scaled to millions of users in a short space of time, every new user counts, said Nir Kshetri, a professor at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. That's why a young company like Clubhouse could choose to prioritize growth at all costs.

Kshetri compared Clubhouse to bigger competitors, like Microsoft, which runs LinkedIn. That company's been around for decades, and employs some 3,500 experts focused on cybercrime, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, he said.

For a small company like Clubhouse, it may take years to build similarly robust misinformation-tracking systems. In the end, it's more a decision for the management, he added.

"The question of whether social network sites should play the role of gatekeeper for the news and information their users consume is more philosophical than technological," Kshetri said.

Even now, some users are fighting back against what they see as misinformation on Clubhouse. In the chat about vaccines, where a woman spoke in favor of herbal remedies for COVID-19, a doctor was responding in real time to claims made in the room. A few times during the hourslong conversation, he popped in to express his opinions.

"I agree with some of what you're saying, but I don't agree with all of it," he said, before finally exiting the room.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×