Effective Moderation

The newsletter for integrity engineering

The Brief

Mar 30, 2023

📱 March 30th, 2023. Issue #11

As the internet continues to evolve, so do the challenges and complexities of content moderation. A recent classification of alternatives highlights that there are dozens of potential remedies beyond removal that internet services can employ to balance free expression with reasons to suppress content. This suggests that internet services should move beyond the traditional binary approach to content moderation and explore effective alternatives that protect user safety and freedom of expression.

Additionally, it is important for internet services to consider factors such as severity of the rule violation, confidence that a rule violation actually occurred, and retaining user engagement while curbing violations and recidivism when setting policy about remedy options. Ultimately, finding the right balance between content moderation and free expression is critical for maintaining a healthy and thriving online community.

Think tank

🧠 What are some examples of alternative remedies that internet services can use beyond removals?
- Ranking systems to decide if content should be removed or not.
- Displaying warnings, counter-speech, and additional user comments.
- Restricting access to content by implementing visibility restrictions or age-gating.
- Imposing financial consequences such as withholding earnings or imposing fines.
- Combining remedies to increase effectiveness.
🧠 How can emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain be used to support more effective, fair, and transparent content moderation practices on the internet?
- AI can be used for content identification and filtering.
- Blockchain can support decentralized content hosting and distribution.
- These technologies can help increase efficiency, fairness, and transparency of content moderation practices. (New players in the ethical AI landscape)
🧠 What are some key factors that internet services should consider when selecting and implementing content moderation remedies, and how can they measure the effectiveness of these remedies over time?
- Severity and type of violation.
- Scalability and consistency of the remedy.
- Impact on user engagement and retention.
- Ability of the community to self-correct.
- Parallel legal or regulatory actions.
- Effectiveness of the remedy can be measured through data analysis and experimentation.
🧠 What role can regulatory bodies play in shaping content moderation and governance practices on the internet, and how can they work collaboratively with internet services to achieve shared goals?
- Regulators can provide guidance, establish standards, and set legal requirements for content moderation.
- Collaboration between regulators and internet services can help promote shared goals such as promoting user safety and protecting free expression.
- Regulatory bodies can also enforce compliance with legal requirements and impose sanctions for noncompliance.