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Candid (app)

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Candid
Original author(s)Bindu Reddy
Initial releaseJuly 21, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-07-21)
Operating systemiOS, Android
LicenseProprietary software
Websitebecandid.com

Candid was a mobile app for anonymous discussions.[1][2][3][4] It used machine learning to create personalized newsfeeds of opinions and real conversations, and also for moderation and filtering.[2] Users posted under pseudonyms such as "HyperMantis", "SincereGiraffe", "GroundedTurtle" and "ExuberantRaptor", that are unique for each thread.[1]

Founder and CEO Bindu Reddy said that she needed "a place to express myself and engage in discussions where ideas can be debated on their own merits instead of being used to attack me as a person",[1] which Candid tried to solve by redirecting off-topic comments to their appropriate groups, removing spam and flagging negative posts.[1] They used natural language processing to identify hate speech, slander and threats, and removed them accordingly with human intervention.[1][note 1] Candid software analyzed topics and tried to flag rumors and lies as such.[6][1] Users could flag problematic posts and a team of ten contractors would review them individually.[6] With time the system analyzed a user's interactions and give them labels, such as socializer, explorer, positive, influencer, hater, gossip, etc.[6][3]

In June 2017, Candid announced that it would be shut down because its parent company, Post Intelligence, was being acquired. The app was forecast to close on June 23, 2017, but didn't actually close until June 25, 2017. The company was bought out by Uber in June 2017.[citation needed]

Notes

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  1. ^ On their blog, they defined what content would be removed "[...] Qualify as hate speech (denigrating, without constructive intent, an entire race, gender, sexual orientation or faith). For example, expressing vitriol against a movement like Feminism is acceptable. Expressing vitriol against all women as a gender is hate speech."[5]

This app was created for the purpose of collecting data so they can make artificial intelligence software, to stop "hate speech". They targeted social media personalities that they considered to be on the fringe to make advertisements for them. This was designed to lure in users that may have "unpopular" users. The app was made by former Google employees, and was most likely working on Google's behalf.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Solsman, Joan E. (21 July 2016). "Google vet' new Candid app for anonymous sharing puts trolls in their place". CNET. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  2. ^ a b "Can Anonymous Apps Succeed and Avoid User Harassment and Abuse?". Fortune. 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  3. ^ a b Tarantola, Andrew (21 July 2016). "'Candid,' the anonymous chat app, enforces civility with AI". Engadget. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  4. ^ Silver, Curtis. "Tuesday App Roundup: Find Your Strain With PotBot, Stay Anonymous With Candid, Dubdub Your Video". Forbes. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  5. ^ "The Importance of Being Candid". Candid Blog. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Kelly, Heather (21 July 2016). "Candid thinks it can make an anonymous social network that's actually civil". CNNMoney. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  7. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrmAVlfkS4A&ab_channel=HarmfulOpinionsArchives