Social media powerhouse Digg has found itself in a political row this week, when members of the site were apparently uncovered censoring certain liberal stories from gaining popularity.

A group called Digg Patriots has been accused of playing the site for more than a year, with its 100 plus members burying stories which did not tally up with their right-wing political stance.

According to blog AlterNet, the group has got so powerful that it has taken off thousands of stories on the site, effectively censoring Digg.

Mass burial

By burying the stories, it means that they are unlikely to see the light of day as they are taken off of the upcoming section and therefore can't reach the front page.

Digg is a powerful site in social media circles. It is regularly in the top 50 US sites in the world and has the power to shut down smaller sites by pushing huge amounts of traffic to them when a story of theirs becomes popular.

The idea that the site's political categories have been hi-jacked by a group who seem to have their own political reasons is a massive problem.

Thankfully, in a wonderful case of schadenfreude, the original story regarding the Digg Patriots' apparent shady efforts is one of the most read on Digg at the moment.

Via AlterNet