Case Studies
The TSF Case Studies are a series of real-life examples of trust and safety issues. Each case study demonstrates how difficult it is to make trust and safety decisions and discusses the trade-offs inherent in each decision or setup, prompting readers to think about the questions raised by the case study and consider the implications and outcomes.
These case studies may be helpful as a training tool as they examine past examples that resonate with current challenges. TSF publishes case studies in an effort to form an ongoing repository of trust and safety examples providing deeper insight for the broader public.
The case studies are written by TSF staff, volunteer and paid writers, and The Copia Institute.
Featured Case Studies
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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 […]
All Case Studies
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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, […]
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Nintendo blocks players from discussing COVID, other subjects (2020)
Summary: Nintendo has long striven to be the most family-friendly of game consoles. Its user base tends to skew younger and its attempts to ensure its offerings are welcoming and […]