Content Moderation

Extracted Attributes

• Field

  Trust and Safety

• Methods

  Direct removal, warning labels, shadow banning, user filtering, and automated flagging

• Primary Goal

  Identifying, reducing, or removing harmful or illegal user-generated content

• Common Targets

  Trolling, spamming, hate speech, revenge porn, child abuse material, and propaganda

• Moderation Types

  Commercial Content Moderation (CCM), Distributed Moderation, and Automated Moderation

• Key EU Legislation

  Digital Services Act (DSA)

• Key US Legislation

  Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

Timeline

• Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is enacted, providing legal immunity for platforms hosting user-generated content. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1996-02-08

• US Senate holds a hearing on Child Safety Online featuring testimony from tech CEOs including Mark Zuckerberg. (Source: All-In Podcast E164)

  2024-01-31

• All-In Podcast Episode 164 is released, featuring a debate on the role of Section 230 and the necessity of content moderation. (Source: All-In Podcast E164)

  2024-02-02

• Oral arguments are heard in the Supreme Court case Moody v. NetChoice, LLC regarding state laws and platform moderation rights. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-02-26

Content moderation

Content moderation, in the context of websites that facilitate user-generated content, is the systematic process of identifying, reducing, or removing user contributions that are irrelevant, obscene, illegal, harmful, or insulting. This process may involve either direct removal of problematic content or the application of warning labels to flagged material. As an alternative approach, platforms may enable users to independently block and filter content based on their preferences. This practice operates within the broader domain of trust and safety frameworks. Various types of Internet sites permit user-generated content such as posts, comments, videos including Internet forums, blogs, and news sites powered by scripts such as phpBB, a wiki, PHP-Nuke, etc. Depending on the site's content and intended audience, the site's administrators will decide what kinds of user comments are appropriate, then delegate the responsibility of sifting through comments to lesser moderators. Most often, they will attempt to eliminate trolling, spamming, or flaming, although this varies widely from site to site. Major platforms use a combination of algorithmic tools, user reporting and human review. Social media sites may also employ content moderators to manually flag or remove content flagged for hate speech, incivility or other objectionable content. Other content issues include revenge porn, graphic content, child abuse material and propaganda. Some websites must also make their content hospitable to advertisements. In the United States, content moderation is governed by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and has seen several cases concerning the issue make it to the United States Supreme Court, such as the current Moody v. NetChoice, LLC. Content moderation can result in a range of outcomes, including blocking and visibility moderation such as shadow banning. Content moderation together with parental controls can help parents filter age appropriateness of content for their children.

Web Search Results

• Content moderation - Wikipedia

  Content moderation, in the context of websites that facilitate user-generated content, is the systematic process of identifying, reducing, or removing user contributions that are irrelevant, obscene, illegal, harmful, or insulting. This process may involve either direct removal of problematic content or the application of warning labels to flagged material. As an alternative approach, platforms may enable users to independently block "Block (Internet)") and filter content based on their [...] ## Commercial content moderation [edit] Commercial Content Moderation is a term coined by Sarah T. Roberts to describe the practice of "monitoring and vetting user-generated content (UGC) for social media platforms of all types, in order to ensure that the content complies with legal and regulatory exigencies, site/community guidelines, user agreements, and that it falls within norms of taste and acceptability for that site and its cultural context". ### Industrial composition [edit] [...] In the United States, content moderation is governed by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and has seen several cases concerning the issue make it to the United States Supreme Court, such as the current Moody v. NetChoice, LLC. Content moderation can result in a range of outcomes, including blocking "Block (Internet)") and visibility moderation such as shadow banning.

• What is Content Moderation: a Guide - Checkstep

  Content moderation is a vital aspect of maintaining a safe, credible, and engaging online environment, especially with the enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA). By implementing effective content moderation strategies and leveraging technologies such as AI and machine learning, platforms can ensure the quality and integrity of user-generated content. Therefore, It is necessary for businesses and organizations to understand the importance of content moderation and adopt best practices to [...] Content moderation is the strategic process of evaluating, filtering, and regulating user-generated content online. It helps creating a safe and positive user experience by removing or restricting content that violates community guidelines, is harmful, or could offend users. An effective moderation system is designed to find a balance between promoting freedom of expression and protecting users from inappropriate or harmful content. The European Commission adopted a recommendation on measures [...] ## The Evolution of Content Moderation Content moderation has evolved through the years with the advancements in technology and the need to adapt to new challenges. From manual review processes to the integration of sophisticated AI-powered systems: the main goal in the evolution of content moderation is to achieve higher efficiency, accuracy, and adaptability.

• How to implement a successful content moderation strategy

  # Content Moderation Strategy 101 Content moderation involves monitoring and managing user-generated content to ensure adherence to platform policies. This includes reviewing text, images, and videos to prevent harmful content from tarnishing a brand’s reputation and user experience. Social media platforms must navigate this landscape while balancing their growth ambitions against the need to maintain a safe online environment. [...] Content moderation has become an obligatory service to hire for all companies with a digital presence. In today’s digital world, being present in online channels is almost a needed companion for marketing strategies. So, it's normal to see nearly every company, no matter the industry, has social media profiles, they are on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and many more. [...] An effective content moderation plan must start with a consistent set of clearly articulated policies that hang together and spell out clearly what the company considers to be acceptable and what is not acceptable. Having clear rules will avoid confusion and disagreements between your users and moderators, and enforcement will be even-handed and consistent. If you have no written policies, then your moderation agents can make ill-informed or erroneous decisions, and this will cause frustration.

• Decoding Content Moderation: Techniques for Effective ...

  Content moderation is the process of monitoring and managing user-generated content to ensure it aligns with community guidelines and standards. It plays a pivotal role in creating safe online spaces where users feel respected. At its core, content moderation involves reviewing posts, comments, images, and videos. The goal is to filter out inappropriate or harmful material while promoting positive interactions. [...] Several organizations have effectively harnessed content moderation services to enhance their online environments. For instance, a popular social media platform implemented AI-driven algorithms alongside human oversight. This combination improved the speed and accuracy of detecting harmful content.

• What is Content Moderation? - TELUS Digital

  5. Commercial content moderation (CCM): Often outsourced to specialists, CCM involves monitoring content for large, established brands like social media platforms, games companies and other tech giants. 6. Distributed moderation: Enables users to vote on UGC and flag content that goes against any guidelines. This type of moderation usually takes place under the guidance of experienced moderators. [...] 7. Automated moderation: Involves the use of a variety of tools such as filters and machine learning algorithms to sort, flag and reject UGC. [...] There are a number of different types of content moderation, including: