OBSERVACOM｜”SHADOW BANNING”: The Subtle and Covert Censorship of the Major Tech Platforms – supported by the Forum on Information and Democracy and Digital Action
The covert invisibilization of content and users
In today’s digital ecosystem, platforms play a central role as intermediaries in the circulation of information. As part of that role, they implement content moderation systems that include visible and relatively well-known measures. These can range from removing posts, temporarily or permanently suspending accounts, and other sanctions that users are generally informed about. These decisions are usually accompanied by users’ access to appeals mechanisms —at least under the terms set by the companies themselves— and are framed as part of compliance with their community guidelines.
The purpose of this investigation is to examine the phenomenon of shadow banning that takes place on digital platforms, identifying specific cases and analyzing their impact on the visibility of media outlets, critical voices, and underrepresented sectors. Additionally, it seeks to assess how transparent platforms are regarding these practices, along with the consequences for democratic participation in online public spaces.
