Why are MSN comments so overly censored?

My newsfeed is, on any given day, 20%+ filled with tremendously biased articles about "gender identity." MSN literally blocked the words "biology" and "DSM-13," (BOTH words that are very germane to the conversation) in the comments. On an article that falsely claimed that the side-effects of gender transition were in youth were "mild", the word "sterilization" (one the most egregious proven side-effects) was banned as well as the phrase "side-effect" (!!!) when paired with "gender affirming care." Why would that be???

An article panning Ivermectin as strictly a veterinary drug and making thinly vailed implications that the drug is detrimental for human use (the Nobel Prize in 2015 was awarded as a result of the use of Ivermectin as a worldwide life-saving treatment in cases of malaria), the word "vaccine" was restricted in the comments. Why would that be???

It's quite clear that "certain comments" are being restricted along ideological lines on topics that should be defined by robust discourse, not censorship. It's preposterous to reply with an invitation for feedback when the standards applied to the comment sections under MSN articles are sweeping and obviously working as MSN intended. The algorithm restricts and weeds out cogent rebuttals to hot button social and political topics.

Fix the algorithm to allow for the free exchange of ideas.

Sorry but you aren't communicating with MSN here. No one here can tell you why a comment was blocked. 

No one here can "Fix the algorithm."

Here's the relevant part of my canned response on moderation. Please see, in particular, point 4.

4. Moderation is a dysfunctional mess. It's being done via AI, via a bot, not 

humans and is random and inexplicable.

Don

Thanks for recognizing that it's not my fault. ;-)

We Volunteer Moderators don't have any contact with the MSN team that anyone else doesn't have and I strongly suspect that the same is true for Microsoft Agent | Moderators.

There has surely been enough feedback submitted that the MSN team is aware of the problems.

I don't know why MSN is providing virtually no support to users.

Don

Thanks, Don - the reply is appreciated.
I agree with your words, again.
I know none of this chaotic mess is anything to do with you and your colleagues here.

It's completely mad how hundreds of people have commented to say that MSN comment threads simply aren't working under the broken AI algorithm that Microsoft uses.

I genuinely can't understand how and why they haven't even bothered to respond to so many complaints and look for some resolution and not least of all publicly acknowledge to us that it's broken and needs fixing.

There is absolutely no support whatsoever from MS, which I find completely unacceptable.

Nightbus wrote:

I know that we continually get moderators from this forum telling us that this has nothing to do with them (Don, etc) and I appreciate that.
They tell us to use the "Feedback" option to make a complaint. However, nothing happens - ever.

Surely the fact that these people work in some capacity with Microsoft, they could "have a word" with someone else and just show them the amount of complaints about these issues.

Thanks for recognizing that it's not my fault. ;-)

We Volunteer Moderators don't have any contact with the MSN team that anyone else doesn't have and I strongly suspect that the same is true for Microsoft Agent | Moderators.

There has surely been enough feedback submitted that the MSN team is aware of the problems.

I don't know why MSN is providing virtually no support to users.

Don

1. You may find useful information at https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/guideline 
2. There were so many unacceptable comments that commenting was shut down for a few months not too long ago.
3. Now that commenting is allowed again, moderation is very restrictive.
4. Moderation is a mess. It's being done via AI, via a bot, not humans and is random and inexplicable.
5. If a comment you tried to post was banned, that will be in your activity feed, and you can

appeal that decision.

6. I've searched but have not found a way to contact MSN staff regarding this moderation except the Feedback link that's at the bottom of nearly every MSN webpage. If you receive a reply to the feedback, it will be a generic reply that doesn't address your specific issue.

---

I'm seeing this canned response a lot.

That's because I think it's important that people know that they aren't communicating with MSN here. I'm sure I've put that in nearly every post.

And that they aren't dealing with human moderators... point #4.

In other words...

Q. Why are things so screwed up?

A. Because they are.

Don

Exactly. Using alternative spellings which make you look idiotic has now become the norm on MSN. It's pathetic.

And just when you think the MSN algorithm couldn't get any worse......

Having tried to use two words in the comments sections on numerous occasions, it's now become clear that I'm not able to use the words 'pennies', as in currency, or the word 'sack', as in, to fire someone from their job.

This is seriously messed up beyond belief.