CONTENT

MODERATION

JOB ORIENTATION
Objective
• In this lesson we will learn:

- What is Content Moderation

- Content Moderation vs Censorship
- Activities related to Content Moderation
- Content Media Moderation
- Role of a Content Moderator
- Skills Required
- Job Description
- Glossary of Terms
WHAT IS CONTENT MODERATION
• Content moderation is the practice of
monitoring and regulating user-generated
content on various online platforms, such
as social media websites, forums, online
marketplaces, and other online
communities.
• The primary goal of content moderation is
to ensure that the content posted by users
adheres to the platform's guidelines, rules,
and legal requirements while maintaining
a safe and welcoming environment for all
users.
CONTENT MODERATION VS
CENSORSHIP
ACTIVITIES RELATED TO CONTENT
MODERATION
 User-generated Content Review: Moderators review and assess text, images, videos, and other forms of content
posted by users. They check for content that violates community standards, terms of service, or local laws.

 Flagging and Removal: Inappropriate or prohibited content is flagged for review and, if necessary, removed from
the platform. This can include things like hate speech, harassment, explicit material, or copyrighted content.

 User Reports: Moderators often rely on user reports to identify problematic content. Users can flag content that
they find offensive or against platform rules.

 Filtering and Automated Tools: Some platforms employ automated content moderation tools that use
algorithms to detect and filter out inappropriate content. However, these tools can have limitations and may
produce false positives or negatives.

 Legal Compliance: Content moderation also involves ensuring that content does not violate local, national, or
international laws. This can include issues like hate speech, child exploitation, or incitement to violence.

 Brand and Reputation Management: Content moderation is also crucial for maintaining a platform's brand and
reputation. It helps prevent negative or harmful content from tarnishing the platform's image.

 Protecting Users: Moderation is vital for protecting users from harmful or offensive content, harassment, and
cyberbullying.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA MODERATION
ROLE OF A CONTENT MODERATOR
 Content moderators are crucial in the process of ensuring the safety and functionality of
online platforms that rely on user-generated content.
 Core responsibilities of a Content Moderator:
- review textual, visual, and audio data to ensure user-generated content on online
platforms is trustworthy
- safeguard the reputation of digital brands
- guarantee compliance with applicable regulations
- identify new ways of moderating content
Skills Required
 Written & Verbal Communication Skills
 Strong Analytical Skills
 Attention to Detail
 Critical Thinking
 Flexibility
 Adaptability
 Decision-making
 Multilingual (optional)
Job Description - 1
Job Description - 2
Glossary
• API – An API is a way for different programs to talk to each other and share information like two people talking. It acts as a translator, allowing the programs to understand and work with each other.

• Automated & AI-powered moderation – Content moderation that uses algorithms, you know, a lot of code, to identify and remove inappropriate content. Image recognition, natural language processing, and other forms of
automated content analysis.

• Automation rate – A measure of how much of a job can be automated.

• Average Reviewing Time (ART) – The average time it takes a piece of content to be reviewed. Latency kills, but faster is not always more accurate.

• Balancing free speech and content restrictions – The tension between allowing free expression and maintaining a safe and respectful environment. Platforms must strike a balance between allowing users to express
themselves freely while also enforcing content policies to prevent harmful or inappropriate content from being shared. And no, content moderation is not censorship.

• Code of conduct – A set of ethical guidelines that govern the behavior of users on a platform. The code of conduct usually includes policies on respectful behavior, non-discrimination, and other ethical considerations.

• Community guidelines – Guidelines that outline the rules and expectations for platform users. These are the “house rules,” if you will. These include policies on content, behavior, and conduct.

• Content policies – Not the same as community guidelines. The Content policies outline what types of content are allowed or prohibited on a platform. What can users write, and what type of images and videos can they post? This
can include guidelines on hate speech, harassment, explicit content, and other inappropriate content.

• Copyright infringement – The unauthorized use of copyrighted material in a way that violates one of the copyright owner’s exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work or to do derivative works.
Examples of copyright infringement include copying a song from the internet without permission, downloading pirated movies, or it could be using images on an online marketplace without permission. Copyright infringement is
illegal and is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

• Decentralized moderation – Moderation distributed across a network of users rather than being controlled by a central authority. This can involve peer-to-peer networks, blockchain technology, or other forms of decentralized
moderation.

• False positive – An alert that incorrectly indicates that malicious activity is occurring.

• Filters – Filters play a crucial role in content moderation as they can automatically identify and remove inappropriate content, such as hate speech or explicit images, before reaching the audience on a platform.

• Hate speech and harassment – Offensive, threatening, or discriminatory speech. Targeted attacks on individuals or groups based on race, gender, religion, or other characteristics.

• Human moderation – This relies solely on human moderators. This can involve a team of moderators reviewing and removing inappropriate content.

• Image recognition – Technology that can identify and classify images. In content moderation, this is used to identify and remove inappropriate or explicit images. It can be nudity, text in images, underage people, and a lot more. But
it’s also very powerful to approve content that is relevant such as photos of people in bathing suits or underwear in the right category on an e-commerce website.

• Inappropriate content – Simply content that violates a platform’s community guidelines or terms of service. This can include hate speech, harassment, and explicit content that violate platform policies.
Glossary
• Machine learning – A type of artificial intelligence that allows the software to learn and improve over time without being explicitly programmed. This can be used in automated moderation tools to improve accuracy and efficiency.

• Manual moderation – Content moderation that human moderators perform. This can involve reviewing flagged content, monitoring for inappropriate activity, and enforcing platform policies.

• Misinformation and fake news – False information that is spread intentionally or unintentionally. Including conspiracy theories, hoaxes, and other forms of misinformation.

• Natural language processing (NLP) – Technology that can analyze and understand human language. In content moderation, NLP identifies and removes inappropriate language and hate speech. But it’s so much more than that.
Natural language processing is also a way for a machine to learn the difference between online banter and actual threats. It’s a way for the machine to learn about sarcasm and all those things we humans take for granted.

• Platform-generated content – Content that is generated by the platform or website itself. When you hear about platform-generated content, it is usually automated posts, system-generated messages, and ads.

• Post-moderation – Moderation that takes place after content is published on a platform. Sometimes this can involve users flagging inappropriate content and human moderators reviewing and removing it.

• Pre-moderation – Content moderation that takes place before content is published on a platform. This can involve human moderators reviewing content and flagging inappropriate content before making it public.

• Proactive moderation – Moderation that is proactive in preventing inappropriate content from being published. You need to have filters, automated tools, AI technology, or human moderators actively seeking and removing
inappropriate content.

• Reactive moderation – Moderation in response to user reports or complaints. Content moderators review and remove reported content. This is a very powerful tool, but it should only be used to supplement one of the other
moderation methods for most websites.

• Spam and scams – Unsolicited messages or attempts to deceive users for financial gain. Oftentimes this includes phishing scams, fraudulent messages, and other forms of unwanted communication.

• Take-down – Action to remove content or a user.

• Terms of service – The legal agreement users must agree to to use a platform. This outlines the terms and conditions of using the platform and the consequences for violating them.

• Time to site – The time it takes for a piece of content to be published on a platform after the moderation process has taken place. In networking, CDN caching, and DNS caching, this is called Time To Live (TTL).

• Trust & safety – Refers to measures to ensure a safe and trustworthy environment for users, including policies, reporting tools, and risk identification systems, to build user trust and protect against harmful or abusive content or
behavior.

• User Experience (UX) – The User Experience (UX) is the overall experience and satisfaction a user has when interacting with a product, system, or service.

• User-generated content (UGC) – Content that is created by users of a platform or website. Examples include any text, images, and videos uploaded by users.
RECAP
• In this lesson we have learnt:
- What is Content Moderation
- Content Moderation vs Censorship
- Activities related to Content Moderation
- Content Media Moderation
- Role of a Content Moderator
- Skills Required
- Job Description
- Glossary
THANK YOU