Who Moderates The Social Media Giants? A Call To End Outsourcing
June 2020
Content moderation and consequences
In our latest report on the social media industry, we look at how the major platforms handle the problem of content moderation: deciding what remains on their sites and what should be removed. Despite the centrality of this task—without it, the platforms would be inundated by harmful content—the social media companies outsource content moderation to third-party vendors. The report examines the consequences of this marginalization of a core element of the social media business model, including how content moderation has played out during the coronavirus pandemic.
Removing Harmful Content
One consequence of the outsourcing and marginalizing of content moderation has been the failure to provide adequate review of hate speech and other material that can spark animosity and violence in developing countries. Focusing on Facebook as a case study, the report describes the role of social media in sparking unrest in Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Ethiopia—and explains how the company says it has recognized this shortcoming and begun to address it.
Related
See allDigital Risks to the 2024 Elections: Safeguarding Democracy in the Era of Disinformation
A new report by Paul M. Barrett, Justin Hendrix and Cecely Richard-Carvajal highlights that this year's primary tech-related threat to elections isn't AI-generated content, but the spread of false, hateful, and violent content on social media platforms.
Reality Check: How to Protect Human Rights in the 3D Immersive Web
Our report written by Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat explains the risks to privacy and safety exacerbated by immersive technologies and recommends steps tech companies and the government can take to minimize those risks.
Safeguarding AI: Addressing the Risks of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Our report on safeguarding AI argues that the best way to prepare for potential existential risks in the future is to begin now to regulate the AI harms right in front of us.