LinkedIn blocked due Meshtastic video in private chat

Content flagging incident

• A Meshtastic-related YouTube video shared via LinkedIn DM was removed with a standard “adult nudity and sexual activity” notice.
• Many see this as a clear false positive, likely triggered by keyword or naive AI (e.g., “edge/edging”), comparing it to the classic “Scunthorpe problem.”
• Some argue the broader political context (Ukraine, mesh networking) is irrelevant; the simplest explanation is a bad classifier plus generic violation messaging.
• Others note LinkedIn ToS issues: multiple personal accounts and using a project name as a “person” profile are arguably against the rules and could interact badly with automated systems.

Automated moderation, scanning, and surveillance

• Strong criticism of blanket AI scanning of private messages; several call it “WeChat-style” surveillance and argue moderation should be user-report based.
• Counterpoint: platforms feel compelled to scan to avoid liability and political backlash about CSAM and other abuse.
• Apple’s abandoned on-device CSAM hashing is debated: some conflate it with AI scanning, others stress it was limited to known hashes with multiple-hit thresholds and human review.
• A NYT case of Google flagging benign child medical photos as abuse is cited as evidence that similar systems already cause severe harm.

Account lockouts and platform dependence

• Many share stories of permanent or near-permanent lockouts from Gmail, YouTube, Amazon, Instagram, Reddit, ISPs, and phone numbers, often due to opaque automated flags or process bugs.
• Common theme: recovery is Kafkaesque; effective recourse is often limited to personal connections inside the company or public outrage (e.g., HN front page).
• Suggested mitigations: own domains for email, independent mail hosting (Fastmail, etc.), local backups via IMAP/clients, avoiding single points of failure (e.g., one phone number or cloud provider).

LinkedIn’s role and culture

• Mixed views on LinkedIn’s importance: some see it as critical for job search and networking; others have abandoned it with no perceived career harm.
• Broad dissatisfaction with its “feed”: influencer-style humblebrags, corporate self-help content, and engagement-bait are seen as overwhelming any professional value.
• Some use LinkedIn narrowly (CV host, contact list, recruiter DMs, job board) while muting/hiding the social content, and call for a better, less “enshittified” professional network.