Many online services act as platforms that host user generated content: Facebook and Twitter host text (as well as other forms of media), Instagram and Snapchat host images, YouTube and Tiktok host videos, Yelp and Tripadvisor host reviews, Amazon and ebay host product listings, etc. These platforms like to claim that they are neutral conduits for information generated by their users, open to all people and all forms of speech. But in reality, all online platforms that host user-generated content engage in content moderation to some degree. Content moderation is both a difficult technical challenge (e.g., how to do it as massive scale), but also a morally and ethically loaded practice.
In this chapter, we will perform a brief analysis of content moderation strategies using VSD.