A critique of Cara.app: the 'No AI' Instagram and Artstation copycat child.
blog post: https://www.davidrevoy.com/article1032/a-critique-of-caraapp-the-no-ai-instagram-and-artstation-copycat-child
@davidrevoy I've created an account as well and, of course, I've read their FAQ about NSFW content (I've had quite a painful experience about this on Mastodon), and as usual, the problem is the same : they don't define what they mean by "NSFW". Is it explicit porn, depicting genitals, or does it mean that even the slightest appearance of an innocent nipple would qualify as NSFW? This ambiguity doesn't help me to trust them, so far…
@davidrevoy I'm pretty sure that in some cultures, letting a toe being seen qualifies as nudity. A concept that may lead to self-censorship and loss of freedom of expression deserves a precise and honnest definition. Cara, being all about art, and lots of art pieces quie commonly depicting nudity without being porn, should have made a little effort to be clearer on that subject.
@davidrevoy I've sent them a question by e-mail about this, I just hope they'll give me an honest reply… and I really hope it won't be something like "we don't want any bellaminette on Cara"! ;)
@davidrevoy Of course, if one searches some sort of universal defintion, there's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_safe_for_work
The problem is that words like "nudity" don't mean the same thing in all cultures, times, and contexts.
For instance, total nudity of a mythological character in a renaissance painting might be alright while only showing off a nipple in a today illustration could be considered as porn by some people. That's all quite puzzling…
@BrunoBellamy Oh yes, I should update the article and add the 'no NSFW' in the negative points, because it affects many artists I know.
True, they have hard time to define things. Their terms also ask to refer to their "Code of Conduct" but I wasn't able to find the document. It was vague and broad conduct terms plugged in their ToS maybe.
@davidrevoy Here's their (quite fast, I'm positively impressed) reply : "We currently define NSFW posts as those that contain nudity, sexual content, excessive gore, problematic iconography and violence. As stated in our FAQ we are a small team of volunteers and have very limited resources at this time to handle the legal and technical infrastructure to host NSFW content. " (1/2)
@davidrevoy (2/2): "We currently use a third party moderation tool to handle moderation of posts on Cara. A good rule of thumb is that if your post is able to pass this without warning, it should be safe to post. If your posts don't pass this check, you can censor problem areas and try again.
Do note any posts are still subject to manual moderation when deemed appropriate and Cara has the final say in this situation."
@davidrevoy That's a quick response, which is cool. But again, what does "nudity" means for them? Are nipples OK, is it fine to see some pubian hair if no sexual intercourse is depicted, or does a visible ankle look like porn in their culture?
Nobody really knows… All I can do is try, and if I'm told it's not fine, I'll have to "censor problem areas and try again". Great.
I'll have to guess with trial and errors. I love that "problem areas" concept. It's like we're back in 19th century!
@davidrevoy At least the words used are quite revealing (by not revealing anything at all) : people who use an expression like "problem areas" because it's way too kinky to say "nipple" or "pubian hair" are probably ultra-hyper-extremely puritan. I'd guess even a visible toe or belly button might possibly qualify as porn for them. Sounds promissing.
Well, I'll try my luck anyway. That should be fun… ;)
@davidrevoy Also, I'm still (and will probably always be) puzzled by the fact that "NSFW" is actually about sexy stuff. For me, posting a Calvin & Hobbes strip or a kitten picture is really not safe for work, because it's fun and cute, which would distract anyone from a serious work to be done at their office during work hours. But for some reason, everyone is supposed to spontaneously understand the unspoken rule about sexual content in "nsfw". It's just crazy.
@BrunoBellamy @davidrevoy I think initially the definition of NSFW was "anything your boss can use against you if (s)he knows you'vs watch it". With a bias that a "boss" is often a person a generation older (so generally more conservative).
So anything that could upset a conservative boss is NSFW... which is quite vague yes ! Political view can be NSFW, apparel that would not be accepted in the office (full frontal nudity but also swimsuit for some...).