Digital Platforms in the Age of Content Moderation

  • William Marks (Harvard Law School)

The conventional wisdom around the responsibilities of platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon has evolved greatly. 1995-2010 saw the era of “rights,” in which the prevailing view was one of intermediaries’ abstention from shaping the flow of users’ contributions. 

 

From then until now there’s been a new framework, “public health,” emphasizing the harms that can result from unchecked online activity, just as AI techniques promise new ways to scale platforms’ monitoring and intervention in the activities they facilitate.

 

What’s next? We'll explore.

6 Day Six: Federation vs. Top-down Governance 6 Day Six: Federation vs. Top-down Governance

6.1. Community Standards, Facebook (2020).

Community Standards, Facebook (2020).

6.2. The Twitter Rules, Twitter (2020).

The Twitter Rules, Twitter (2020).

6.3. Youtube's Community Guidelines, Google (2020).

Youtube's Community Guidelines, Google (2020).

6.4. Reddit Content Policy, Reddit (2020).

Reddit Content Policy, Reddit (2020).

6.5. Nextdoor Community Guidelines, Nextdoor (2020).

Nextdoor Community Guidelines, Nextdoor (2020).

6.6. “Facebook Groups are Falling Apart over Black Lives Matter Posts” by Nick Statt, The Verge (2017).

“Facebook Groups are Falling Apart over Black Lives Matter Posts” by Nick Statt, The Verge (2017).

6.7. “WhatsApp Says its Forwarding Limits Have Cut the Spread of Viral Messages by 70 Percent” by Manish Singh, TechCrunch (2020).

“WhatsApp Says its Forwarding Limits Have Cut the Spread of Viral Messages by 70 Percent” by Manish Singh, TechCrunch (2020).

6.8. “Reddit Bans r/The_Donald and r/ChapoTrapHouse as Part of a Major Expansion of its Rules” by Casey Newton, The Verge (2020).

“Reddit Bans r/The_Donald and r/ChapoTrapHouse as Part of a Major Expansion of its Rules” by Casey Newton, The Verge (2020).

6.9. “It's 'Our Fault': Nextdoor CEO Takes Blame For Deleting Of Black Lives Matter Posts” by Bobby Allyn, NPR (2020).

“It's 'Our Fault': Nextdoor CEO Takes Blame For Deleting Of Black Lives Matter Posts” by Bobby Allyn, NPR (2020).

6.10. “Algorithmic Content Moderation: Technical and Political Challenges in the Automation of Platform Governance” by Robert Gorwa, Reuben Binns, and Christian Katzenbach, Big Data and Society (2020).

“Algorithmic Content Moderation: Technical and Political Challenges in the Automation of Platform Governance” by Robert Gorwa, Reuben Binns, and Christian Katzenbach, Big Data and Society (2020).

6.11. “The Trauma Floor” by Casey Newton, The Verge (2019).

“The Trauma Floor” by Casey Newton, The Verge (2019).