Editing Content moderation (section)

{{short description|System to sort undesirable contributions}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
[[File:Deleted comments.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Comment moderation on a [[GitHub]] discussion, where a user called Mallory has deleted several comments before closing the discussion and locking it]]
On [[Website|websites]] that allow users to create content, '''content moderation''' is the process of detecting contributions that are irrelevant, obscene, illegal, harmful, or insulting. The purpose of content moderation is to remove or apply a warning label to problematic content or allow users to [[block (Internet)|block]] and [[Algorithmic bias|filter]] content themselves.<ref name="asm"/> It is part of the wider discipline of [[trust and safety]]. 

Various types of Internet sites permit [[user-generated content]] such as posts, comments, videos including [[Internet forum]]s, [[blog]]s, and news sites powered by scripts such as [[phpBB]], a [[wiki]], [[PHP-Nuke]], etc. Depending on the site's content and intended audience, the site's administrators will decide what kinds of user comments are appropriate, then delegate the responsibility of sifting through comments to lesser [[Moderator (communications)|moderator]]s. Most often, they will attempt to eliminate [[Internet Troll|trolling]], [[spamming]], or [[Flaming (Internet)|flaming]], although this varies widely from site to site.

Major platforms use a combination of algorithmic tools, user reporting and human review.<ref name="asm"/> [[Social media|Social media sites]] may also employ content moderators to manually flag or remove content flagged for [[hate speech]] or other objectionable content. Other content issues include [[revenge porn]], [[graphic content]], [[child sexual abuse material|child abuse material]] and [[propaganda]].<ref name="asm">{{cite journal |last1=Grygiel |first1=Jennifer |last2=Brown |first2=Nina |date=June 2019 |title=Are social media companies motivated to be good corporate citizens? Examination of the connection between corporate social responsibility and social media safety |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308596118304178 |journal=Telecommunications Policy |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=2, 3 |doi=10.1016/j.telpol.2018.12.003 |s2cid=158295433 |access-date=25 May 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Some websites must also make their content hospitable to advertisements.<ref name="asm"/>

In the United States, content moderation is governed by [[Section 230]] of the [[Communications Decency Act]], and has seen several cases concerning the issue make it to the [[United States Supreme Court]], such as the current [[Moody v. NetChoice, LLC]].