The Cleaners

The issue presented is the readily fast deletion of information from social media. There are groups of paid cleaners (mostly outsourced) by the Corporate Internet; better known as Social Media. The deletion of facts through corporate policies, government silence, and the protection of family friendly optimism. In one instance being a photograph lacking content that is immediately erased because it shows harm to a child. The moral outrage of the image is that it doesn't belong on social media. The content shows it's an image outlining the government abuses in a country that doesn't have a voice to inform the rest of the world. It takes (maybe) all of 8 seconds to view & delete the image from Facebook. When you ask yourself, what's the best thing to do(?) Remove an image that could scare a young person or allow an image because it needs to be addressed?

'The Cleaners' provides examples of internet censorship and the harm it does to freedom. The current censorship in social media has become harshly political. Moderators with Google, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc are free to enforce their own political opinions on a world that can & will disagree with them. Unfortunately the film shows it from the same perspective as a Democratic voter. So much of it points at the current Republican administration that how would a younger audience know it began with the Democratic administration? It draws a line rather than being bold enough to admit both parties are responsible for censorship on a scale as large as the internet.

While this film does probably not much in terms of artistic innovation, I believe it is a highly important contribution to a crucial political topic of the present day. It does a tremendous job at highlighting how near impossible a reasonable navigation between user safety and censorship has become in an age, where the work of competent and deliberate newspaper editors has been delegated - in an intransparent, dispersed-around-the-globe sort of way - to an anonymous crowd of half-competent and often politically, religiously, and economically biased 'content managers', who are forced to capture decency and enlightenment in terms of rules that can be applied in under 8 seconds.

Looks at the people and companies in the Philippines contracted to moderate Internet content on social media platforms and the effect it has on the employees - you cant undo what you have seen. Raises ethical and moral questions - has caused some employees to commit suicide. Ridiculous productivity goals given to employees - a disturbing view of what happens behind the scenes. Should be mandatory viewing for all media platform users.

Documentary focusing on content moderators for social media working out of Manila, Philippines. Really manages to connect the dots between Silicon Valley's breezy disregard for social responsibility and many atrocities going on in the world. A real eye opener, drives home how the outsourcing of editorial policy to grossly unqualified and underpaid people has put all of us at risk. The directors manage to accomplish this with little or no editorializing. Just great interviews and effective editing. Hard-hitting, old-school documentary on a chilling topic. I would give it a 10, except for minor quibbles about filmmaking decisions (mostly music and soundtrack). Still, not to be missed. Gripping from start to finish.

Well made movie with an interesting topic. While i brought am insight in extremistic and violent content censorship it left out how US standars in erotic are applied to the rest of the world.