Case Studies
Case studies are real-life examples of trust and safety issues. Each case study demonstrates how difficult it is to make a trust and safety decision and discusses the associated trade-offs, prompting readers to think about the questions raised by the case and consider both intended and unintended outcomes.
TSF publishes case studies in an effort to form an ongoing repository of trust and safety examples providing deeper insight for the broader public. These case studies may also be helpful as a training tool as they examine past examples that resonate with current challenges.
Case studies are written by trust and safety professionals, researchers, and the Copia Institute.
Featured Case Studies
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The Reddit Blackout of 2023: Moderators Lead the Charge for a Site-Wide Protest of API Changes
Summary: Beginning June 12th, 2023, Reddit experienced its second-ever “blackout,” triggered by the platform’s decision to charge companies for API access. Reddit, known for its diverse user-generated content organized into […]
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Addressing Disinformation Through Labeling in Times of Crisis
Summary: A few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Twitter announced that it would start labeling tweets containing links from Russian state-linked media outlets, noting their affiliation. Additionally, Twitter […]
All Case Studies
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The Reddit Blackout of 2023: Moderators Lead the Charge for a Site-Wide Protest of API Changes
Summary: Beginning June 12th, 2023, Reddit experienced its second-ever “blackout,” triggered by the platform’s decision to charge companies for API access. Reddit, known for its diverse user-generated content organized into […]
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Addressing Disinformation Through Labeling in Times of Crisis
Summary: A few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Twitter announced that it would start labeling tweets containing links from Russian state-linked media outlets, noting their affiliation. Additionally, Twitter […]
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TikTok and Oracle: Public Accountability via Private Auditor
Summary: TikTok has been widely criticized for its handling of U.S. based user data. The criticism is not without merit, as evidenced by numerous data security scandals and investigations. To […]
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Public Interest, Local Laws, and Privacy Rules in India
Summary: Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s main opposition party, tweeted a photo of himself with the parents of a girl allegedly raped and killed in New Delhi. Since the […]
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COVID-19 Around the Globe: The Removal of a Facebook Post About an Argentine Treatment
Summary: In December 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an Argentinian government official published a post about the approval of a new Argentinian-developed treatment for COVID-19 to his […]
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Cloudflare and The Daily Stormer: Content Moderation Meets the Stack
Summary: In 2017, Cloudflare, a web infrastructure and website security company, came under media scrutiny for hosting a U.S. based, self-proclaimed neo-Nazi website, The Daily Stormer. Despite numerous complaints to […]
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Takedowns on YouTube skyrocket during pandemic as AI replaces human moderators (2020)
Summary: YouTube has always faced an uphill battle when it comes to content moderation. A decade ago, the job was impossible to handle with only human moderators. According to stats […]
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Twitter briefly restricts account of writer reporting from the West Bank (2021)
Summary: In early May 2021, writer and researcher Mariam Barghouti was reporting from the West Bank on escalating conflicts between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors, and making frequent social media […]
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YouTube doubles down on questionable “graphic content” enforcement before reversing course (2020)
Summary: YouTube creators have frequently complained about the opaque and frustrating nature of the platform’s appeals process for videos that are restricted or removed for violating its Community Guidelines. Beyond […]
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Russia slows down access to Twitter as new form of censorship (2021)
Summary: On March 10 2021, the Russian Government deliberately slowed down access to Twitter after it accused the platform of repeatedly failing to remove posts about illegal drug use, child […]
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Facebook knew about deceptive advertising practices by a group that was later banned for operating a “troll farm” (2018-2020)
Summary: In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections in the United States, progressive voters in seven competitive races in the Midwest were targeted with a series of Facebook ads […]
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Roblox moderators combat in-game reenactments of mass shootings (2021)
Summary: Online game platform Roblox has gone from a niche offering to a cultural phenomenon over its 15 years of existence. Rivalling Minecraft in its ability to attract young users, […]