Is there any way for me to elude the surveillance of algorithms in today's high-tech society?

I was recently browsing through “literature” of some “deviant” writers on the DeviantArt (DA) website and came across a work of “literature” which made me feel that I am one ignorant denizen out of touch with many aspects of life.

It brought a smile to my face realizing the fact that there is yet so much to discover, even when I am approaching middle age, because things to know about humans, other living organisms, and the cosmos at large are almost limitless.

A title of a story caught my attention and though it was long I settled down with some snacks and a drink – I always function better when there’s some food around.

The story seemed like a fantasy that is not a fantasy and by that I mean a story that lacks magic and magical creatures in the traditional fantasy sense but still have human characters transforming into animals!

I later learnt that the story fits into a genre called “TF” or “transformation” stories.

At first I thought it was some pervy guy’s fetish for hair and fur because he was describing how a person magically transforms into a primate.

After finishing reading that story, I started reading another one by him - I am assuming it is a him though one can’t be sure because DA’s many members maintain anonymous identities due to, quite understandably, engaging in “deviant aesthetics”.

This story was yet another one of a human turning into an animal, with much stress on hair and fur, which led me to wonder whether this writer was short of hair due to a hormonal imbalance and had a fantasy of acquiring more hair for the lack of it in real life.

Then I read three more stories and the subject matter was the same: the author was obsessed with becoming into animals that have a lot of hair or fur and I was wondering what the hell was wrong with him!

Then I calmed down myself upon remembering that recently one of my Maldivian friends had pointed out that I lacked “empathy” for some people. So I tried to understand that DA writer’s point of view and thought of asking that Maldivian friend, who is a decade younger than me and quite knowledgeable in what makes the younger generation “tick”, to clarify the topic for me. I explained to him the subject matter of those stories and he told me it’s a genre known as “furries”.

I decided to ask my faithful know-it-all friend ChatGPT for more information about “furries” and this is the answer it gave to me:

QUOTE

Furries are a subculture or community of people who have an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters, often referred to as "fursonas." These individuals may create and adopt their own animal personas, which can include characteristics of both humans and animals. Furries typically express their interest through artwork, costumes (known as "fursuits"), role-playing, conventions, and online communities.

Furry fandom has roots in science fiction and fantasy literature, as well as in anthropomorphic artwork and cartoons. Members of the furry community often enjoy creating and appreciating art, stories, and other media featuring anthropomorphic animals. They may also participate in role-playing games or engage in social activities with fellow furries, both online and offline.

It's important to note that being a furry is primarily a hobby and a form of self-expression for most individuals involved. While some furries may have a strong affinity for their chosen animal characters, it does not necessarily indicate a desire to be animals themselves. The community is diverse and includes people from various backgrounds, interests, and walks of life.

UNQUOTE

I guess I learn a new thing or two every day and that is living!

Yet, there was something nagging my mind: one of the “furry” stories involve a person turning into an animal and then making love to another person who also transforms into an animal. According to my best knowledge, DA is deviant only to some extent: it does not allow depictions of bestiality regardless of the medium through which it is depicted. So I wondered whether this writer was blurring the borderline of what could amount to bestiality by cleverly disguising it using the depiction of lovemaking engaging two transforming persons.

There are 33 million visitors to DA every month and one user told me that the admins are overwhelmed with sheer artwork submitted every day. This user told me that, therefore, it was becoming impossible to monitor each and every post. But I don’t buy that; platforms such as DA has algorithms working in their service and therefore it is highly unlikely that any artwork, photograph, or literature can escape their notice. A DA user told me that he uses pencil drawings to draw “devious” art because he thinks the art would be too “rough” to register on the radar of the algorithms. But I don’t buy that either.

We could have cheated algorithms and admins may be many years ago but not now anymore. I am saying this because algorithms are quite advanced now. For instance, recently YouTube admins sent me a message saying that a video I uploaded many years ago is too violent for general audiences and therefore they have marked it for age verification. My understanding is that YouTube has over the years improved its algorithms and they are now better at scanning videos that are appropriate for adult audiences. My video in question was shot by someone who is friends with one of my friends who asked me to upload it to my YouTube channel because it was too controversial at the time: it was a high definition video, quite novel during that time, showing Maldives' police beating and violently arresting a young man belonging to the BG group. My Maldives' police "arresting" ("rescuing"?) a goat is not up for age verification.