Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Gowanus-Based Software 'Genius' Stirs Up Controversy

An annotated article as it appeared in News Genius.
 An online tool from the Gowanus-based Genius and a new chief for its News Genius product, ex-Gawker editor Leah Finnegan, have people asking whether strangers should be allowed to annotate online articles.

As Technical.ly Brooklyn reports, the tool is Genius’s Web Annotator, which allows Genius users to highlight sections of articles published in the Internet and offer "context/opinions/reactions/whatever" right in the text.

News Genius editors highlight sections of text they have something to say about and leave comments.

This doesn't sit right with some authors, especially those who write small, private-ish blogs -- like  Ella Dawson,  who writes about living with herpes.

"Seeing your thoughts over my words feels like a violation," she wrote to News Genius.

More here.

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