I had no idea that the music lyrics website, Genius, also operated a tool that allows you to comment/annotate on any website, but apparently it does and apparently it's not even that new. It also turns out that some people have used that tool to harass and target others. The lack of a report feature is certainly problematic. Beyond that, I'm not sure what side of the fence I fall on here. Do I like the idea that people may be having secret conversations "on" my website or blog posts? Not particularly, but I also don't see the difference between what an annotation tool like Genius is doing versus reposts to sites like Twitter or Reddit. I also agree that the web could benefit from a "fact-checking" layer, something much like how Genius lyrics work with expanded context, historical information, explanations etc. That element I think is great and only wish it wasn't tied behind a login/restricted service. Though on that last note, apparently a web annotation standard is in the works.
Don’t color in the dark with a yellow crayon and call it criticism.
The law is what people who don’t know how to behave themselves turn to in disputes. Grown-ups find ways to get along.
