count_dongulus comments on a16z-Backed Startup Sells Thousands of ‘Synthetic Influencers’ to Manipulate Social Media as a Service

[–] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (6 children)

The thing is, what they're doing isn't technically criminal. It just violates the terms of use of most social media sites and apps.

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[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Their crypto pyramids schemes and pump and dumps were also technically legal in the US (I am assuming). And yet it is impossible for a pyramid scheme to work, can any US lawyer or judge show how a pyramid is viable? Of course not, because they are scams.

You have "technically legal" schemes in other countries too. If there is a desire to address criminality a way can be found.

If you want to achieve something, coming up with excuses around why it is not possible rarely bring results.

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

pyramids schemes

Pyramid schemes are not legal in the US.

There are some systems that have some aspects in common with pyramid schemes that are legal (Social Security sometimes gets called a "pyramid scheme" by people that don't like it, for example, and MLM schemes are legal, though they can, in practice, partially work something like pyramid schemes).

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[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

I am not a lawyer, so I can't make any claims about US law.

If, as you claim, pyramid schemes / ponzi / pump and dumps are not legal in the US. , how is it that A16Z leadership wasn't arrested for investing in Axie Infinity?

A business model like Axie Infinity is mathematically impossible. The same cannot be said of government safety net systems.

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 1 point 1 year ago

Axie Infinity

I'm not familiar with Axie Infinity, so I can't tell you off-the-cuff.

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[–] M1ch431@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It would be wise to make openly manipulating social media systematically (with or without AI) illegal, immediately.

Social media is for real people to freely engage and share their viewpoints, not for bot farms and other forms of organized astroturfing to shape opinion by appearing as independently-affiliated real people.

Discourse is an incredibly valuable tool for humanity, and we can't let this be taken away from us - especially by those making a killing off of it or those paying for the privilege.