How Social Media Platforms Really Enforce Community Guideline

The research team at SafetyDetectives just wrapped up a really interesting study, where they compare the censorship and content moderation policies of major platforms and investigate whether they are actually effective or just security theater.

Key findings at a glance:

  • Censorship patterns for videos on major social media show that, profanity is the most censored type of content at 55.6%, followed by violence and conflict and sexual Abuse at 7%On the other hand, the less censored are Self-Harm and People’s Faces tied at 2.3%.
  • News outlets and credible informational accounts are sometimes subject to different moderation standards. On the other hand, comedic and entertainment posts still experienced strict regulations on profanity, even on news outlets.
  • Content depicting graphic violence is the most widely prohibited in platforms’ policies, with only Meta allowing it with conditions. While YouTube is the only one to impose a blanket prohibition on gory or distressing materials.
  • Content censorship appears to be more performative than functional and double standards are also apparentin other platforms whose owners haveclear political ties.

Considering their findings, they believe that individuals and organizations must practice careful scrutiny when consuming media or information on these platforms, given the seemingly one-sided implementation of policies on different social media sites.

You can access their report here: https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/community-guidelines-comparison-research/

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