JANUARY 27, 2022 eff.

org

New Tracking Global Online

Censorship Site Explains Content
Moderation Practices and Impacts
Content moderation has become a critical topic across the globe. Unfortunately,
it can still be difficult for the average person to understand the processes that
go into content moderation, much less how to appeal decisions that those
platforms make to censor content or accounts. To help fill this gap, we’re
launching a resource for the research and advocacy communities—as well as the
public at large—to learn more about the policies and practices of commercial
content moderation and the phenomenon of platform censorship. The new
version of “Tracking Global Online Censorship” at 
https://www.onlinecensorship.org, provides in-depth information about how
and why social media platforms remove users’ posts, how users can appeal
these take down decisions, and how the practice affects freedom of expression
all over the world. 
The site provides our own original research and commentary, and also curates
content from key allies, popular publications, and other vetted sources. It
includes detailed information on content moderation practices from each
company, updated explanations of appeals processes for users, details on the
laws that govern content moderation, and additional resources from partners
and experts. 

Tracking Global Online Censorship, originally launched in 2012, was created as a

joint project between EFF and Visualizing Impact and collected user experiences
with content takedowns. In 2014 the project was awarded the Knight News
Challenge for strengthening free expression and innovation on the internet.
Since that time, public awareness of wrongful content takedowns has increased.
We’re excited to transition from our original mission to serve as an information
hub with original content and research from our allies around the world. The
updated project was generously funded with a grant from the Swedish Postcode
Foundation. To see more, visit https://www.onlinecensorship.org

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