Larry Pieniazek wrote:
I think this is, in general, the wrong way round. Rather than saying we should be waiting for people who have been harmed to come forward, we should be trying to avoid harm. By not indexing by default, we avoid harm. I think it's rather presumptuous to say "people need to come forward to us"... when we're the ones doing harm. I think it's rather short sighted and perhaps even mean spirited to say "only those who complain should be offered relief"...
I agree completely, and just now had this thread brought to my attention. I would strongly support an effort to remove a lot of non-mainspace stuff from the search engines.
I also support a very vigorous insistence on policies of courtesy, kindness, and human dignity, towards each other and also - equally - towards others.
I support the development of easier and easier mechanisms to delete offensive vandalism not just from the pages, but from the article history as well. There is simply no good reason for us to have extensive archives of hate.
We are here to do something positive and loving for the world, and it makes us proud to be a part of it. As Larry says, rather than waiting for people who have been harmed to come forward, we should be trying to avoid harm.
--Jimbo