Content Moderation / Knowledge Center / Guide
Trust & Safety changelog
Stay on top of the latest changes affecting your Trust & Safety operations.
This changelog is crowdsourced, feel free to suggest missing items.
Adult contentChild SafetyExtremismHarassmentHateMisinformationPrivacySelf-HarmSubstancesViolence
September 2023 | ||
| The UK parliament is agreeing to the Online Safety Bill. Read more | UK | Regulatory |
| The Mental Health Coalition is launching the Safe Online Standards for Kids' Mental Health (S.O.S) initiative to create a rating system across platforms. Read more | World | ProductChild Safety |
| Meta's Oversight Board is urging the platform to improve the distinction between hate speech and criticism of hate speech. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductHate |
| Snapchat is announcing new safety features such as In-app Warnings to protect teens from potential online risks. Read more | WorldSnapchat | ProductChild Safety |
August 2023 | ||
| ADL is urging Meta’s Oversight Board to take action to improve addressing Holocaust denial and distortion. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductHateMisinformation |
| Meta's Oversight Board is announcing Holocaust Denial as a new case for consideration, inviting people and organizations to submit public comments. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductHateMisinformation |
| Meta is revising its Adult Sexual Exploitation policy, permitting sharing of content involving non-consensual sexual touching if posted with the aim of raising awareness. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductAdult |
| Snap is announcing that its users will soon be able to opt out of content personalization. Read more | WorldSnapchat | Product |
| Instagram's users users will now be able to access features without seeing content that's been ranked by Meta's recommendation algorithms. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| X is announcing it will remove a protective feature letting users block other accounts, except for direct messages. Read more | World | Product |
| Google is launching its new Transparency Center on which users can learn more about policies, reporting inappropriate content or appealing a ban. Read more | WorldGoogle | Product |
| YouTube is updating its policies to tackle medical misinformation and remove harmful cancer claims. Read more | WorldYouTube | ProductMisinformation |
| Meta's Oversight Board is urging the company to have stricter rules bannning gender-based violence. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductHate |
July 2023 | ||
| Seven big tech companies are agreeing to commit to new standards in security, trust and safety. Read more | World | Product |
| The UK is proposing new rules targeting illegal ads and fake celebrity scams. Read more | UK | RegulatoryMisinformation |
| UK lawmakers are agreeing that the Online Safety Bill should cover activities in the metaverse to protect children and vulnerable individuals from harmful content. Read more | UK | RegulatoryChild Safety |
| Ofcom is estimating it will cost around £169m in the next two years to create a new regulatory regime under the Online Safety Bill. Read more | UK | Regulatory |
| Xbox is adding a reactive voice chat moderation, allowing players to capture and submit 60-second audio clips of inappropriate voice chat messages. Read more | WorldMicrosoft | Product |
| Discord is expanding its policies to address generative artificial intelligence that can create fake content and the sexualization of children. Read more | WorldDiscord | ProductChild Safety |
June 2023 | ||
| The UK is making last minute amendments to the Online Safety Bill, requiring pornographic sites to use age verification measures. Read more | UK | RegulatoryChild Safety |
| TikTok is launching a new feature enabling parents to filter out videos they don't want their children to see. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild Safety |
| An amendment to the Online Safety Bill is eliminating the requirement to have proof that perpetrators of revenge porn intended to cause distress. Read more | UK | RegulatoryAdultHarassment |
| TikTok is developing a youth council to build safety tools that are more effective for teenagers. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild Safety |
| An amendment to the Online Safety Bill is giving Ofcom the right to force tech companies to hand over deceased children's data. Read more | UK | RegulatoryChild Safety |
| Meta is rolling back its measures to curb the spread of Covid misinformation. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductMisinformation |
| Meta is implementing new updates requiring advertisers to designate the beneficiary and the payer for their ads. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) is releasing a database compiling more than 300 hate and far-right extremist symbols. Read more or even more | World | ProductExtremismHate |
| Apple is annoucing that a new feature will soon warn users when receiving unsolicited nudes. Read more | WorldApple | ProductAdult |
| YouTube is announcing it will no longer remove videos with false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Read more | WorldYouTube | ProductMisinformation |
May 2023 | ||
| Twitter is launching Community Notes for images in posts to address misleading images and emphasize crowdsourced moderation. Read more | WorldTwitter | ProductMisinformation |
| The UK is adding a new proposition to the Online Safety Bill, making it illegal to promote or assist self-harm and suicide. Read more | UK | RegulatorySelf-harm |
| The UK is proposing an amendment to the Online Safety Bill, requiring platforms to prevent online abuse and violence against women. Read more | UK | RegulatoryHateViolence |
| Mozilla is launching a new Mastodon server to test content moderation that is different to other social media platforms, with no focus on free speech or ‘neutrality’. Read more | WorldMozilla | Product |
April 2023 | ||
| UK is introducing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, which will allow its regulator to oversee major tech firms. Read more | UK | Regulatory |
| TikTok is changing its misinformation policy to ban all climate change denial content on its platform. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductMisinformation |
| Meta's Oversight Board is asking the social media company to keep its covid misinformation policy and to be more transparent when removing content. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductMisinformation |
| YouTube is updating its guidelines for eating disorder-related content, banning content including extreme calorie counting or purging after eating. Read more | WorldYouTube | ProductSelf-harm |
| Twitter is removing a policy prohibiting the targeted deadnaming or misgendering of transgender people from its moderation guidelines. Read more | WorldTwitter | ProductHate |
| Twitter is planning to add visible labels on tweets that have been identified as potentially violating its policies. Read more | WorldTwitter | Product |
| Snapchat is launching new tools to improve its AI chatbot, including an age filter ensuring it responds according to the user's age. Read more | WorldSnapchat | ProductChild Safety |
| Facebook is planning to roll out new policies making users able to have greater control over "demoted" and fact-checked content. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
March 2023 | ||
| Twitter is opening some source code to public inspection, including the algorithm used to recommend tweets to users. Read more | WorldTwitter | Product |
| Meta is rolling out a new system to separate ads from harmful or controversial content. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| Teleperformance is resuming its full-service content moderation services, including moderation of highly egregious content. Read more | WorldTeleperformance | Product |
| Yubo and the AFNOR Group are forming a working group to create a new safety standard on the prevention of risks and protection of minors on social networks. Read more or even more | WorldAFNORYubo | ProductChild Safety |
| TikTok is unveiling its updated community guidelines that will focus on improving content moderation on the platform and take effect on April 21st. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild SafetyMisinformation |
| Snapchat is publishing guidelines in its Family Center, detailing how content gets algorithmically recommended to minors. Read more | WorldSnapchat | ProductChild Safety |
| Meta is introducing a new way for users to authenticate their account with a missed call. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductPrivacy |
| Meta's oversight board is reviewing the moderation of the Arabic word "shaheed", meaning "martyr" in English, the word associated with most content removals. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductExtremism |
| Amazon Prime Video is signing an agreement with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to produce age ratings for content. Read more | UKAmazon | ProductChild Safety |
| Whatsapp is agreeing to be more transparent on changes to its terms of service according to the European Commission. Read more or even more | WorldMeta | Product |
| Facebook is revamping its "cross-check" moderation system after facing criticism for applying different review processes for VIP vs regular users. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| Twitter is now prohibiting "wishes of harm" in its new violent speech policy, banning users expressing desire for harm. Read more | WorldTwitter | ProductHateViolence |
| TikTok is setting a new default 60-minute daily screen time limit for minors. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild Safety |
February 2023 | ||
| Signal is threatening to shut down in the UK if the Online Safety Bill forces the platform to violate users privacy. Read more | UKSignal | ProductPrivacy |
| Meta is reforming its penalty system "Facebook Jail", saying users will now be receiving a warning first for most violations. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| UK is announcing that content generated by AI chatbots will fall within the Online Safety Bill's scope. Read more | UK | RegulatoryChild SafetyMisinformationSelf-harm |
| Meta's oversight board is announcing it will now review more types of content moderation cases and publish some decisions on an expedited basis. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| Meta is rolling out a new version of its ad-matching tool, providing more information about how users activities are feeding ML models. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductPrivacy |
| British peers are proposing an amendment to the Online Safety Bill, requiring a greater protection for women online. Read more | UK | RegulatoryHarassment |
| Meta is launching new comment moderation tools allowing creators on Facebook to view moderation statistics and manage conversations. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| Google is introducing a blur feature helping users avoiding explicit images while using the search engine. Read more | WorldGoogle | ProductAdultViolence |
| TikTok is opening transparency and accountability centers to visitors. Read more | WorldTikTok | Product |
| TikTok is rolling out a revamped account enforcement system, including a new strike system and features dealing with recommendations. Read more | WorldTikTok | Product |
January 2023 | ||
| Twitter is planning to limit permanent suspensions of accounts breaking its rules, adding that any user will be able to appeal an account suspension. Read more | WorldTwitter | Product |
| Meta's oversight board is announcing the removal of the Ukrainian far-right military group Azov Regiment from its list of dangerous individuals and organizations. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductExtremism |
| Meta's oversight board is sharing their decision to redefine Facebook and Instagram's community rules regarding nudity in a less discriminatory way. Read more or even more | WorldMeta | ProductAdult |
| An amendment to the Online Safety Bill is calling for tech company executives to be liable for prosecution if failing to protect children online. Read more or even more | UK | RegulatoryChild Safety |
| The United Nation’s 2022 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is discussing internet fragmentation among democracies vs. driven by authoritarian states. Read more | World | Regulatory |
| TikTok is announcing creators are now able to restrict their videos to adult viewers. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild Safety |
| Google is developing a free moderation tool for terrorist material identification and removal for smaller platforms. Read more | WorldGoogle | ProductExtremism |
December 2022 | ||
| Wikipedia Foundation executives are arguing that the UK's Online Safety Bill would require platforms to monitor all content, which is prohibited in the EU's DSA. Read more | UK | RegulatoryPrivacy |
| Meta is launching HMA, a new free tool helping platforms identify and remove violating content. Read more or even more | WorldMeta | ProductExtremism |
| Apple is cancelling its plan to scan photos stored in iCloud to detect CSAM. Read more | WorldApple | ProductChild Safety |
| Meta's oversight board is suggesting that Meta's cross check programme is more commercially driven than commited to human rights. Read more | WorldMeta | Product |
| The UK government is dropping the "legal but harmful" provisions of the Online Safety Bill and adding new duties boosting free speech and increasing accountability of tech firms. Read more or even more | UK | Regulatory |
| TikTok and Bumble are joining Meta to stop revenge porn by blocking images from StopNCII.org's bank of hashes. Read more or even more | WorldTikTokBumbleMeta | ProductAdult |
November 2022 | ||
| Naver Z is introducing its Safety Advisory Council providing expertise on their policy and features. Read more or even more | WorldNaver | Product |
| Twitter is announcing its Covid misinformation policy is no longer enforced. Read more or even more | WorldTwitter | ProductMisinformation |
| Teleperformance is announcing it will no longer accept any new highly egregious content moderation work. Read more | WorldTeleperformance | Product |
| Australia, Fiji, Ireland and the UK are launching a Global Online Safety Regulators Network paving the way for a coherent international approach to online safety regulation. Read more | AustraliaFijiIrelandUK | Regulatory |
| Instagram is rolling out age verification using Yoti, a platform conducting facial feature analysis to estimate a user's age, but dropping social vouching. Read more | UKMeta | ProductChild Safety |
October 2022 | ||
| TikTok is introducing new and updated features and policies for its LIVE community. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild Safety |
| Twitter is reviewing its policies around permanently banning users. Read more | WorldTwitter | Product |
| Spotify is acquiring Kinzen, a firm specialized in identifying harmul audio content. Read more | WorldSpotify | ProductHateMisinformation |
September 2022 | ||
| Tumblr is creating community labels allowing users to avoid seeing unwanted content. Read more | WorldTumblr | ProductAdultSubstancesViolence |
| Twitter is opening the Twitter Moderation Research Consortium (TMRC) to researchers. Read more | WorldTwitter | Product |
| Instagram is developing a feature protecting users from receiving unsolicited nude photos. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductAdult |
| Facebook is experimenting with asking 250 users to help moderate climate speech. Read more | WorldMeta | ProductMisinformation |
| YouTube is announcing updated content moderation policies to prohibit violent extremist content. Read more | WorldYouTube | ProductExtremism |
| Twitter is expanding its fact-checking feature Birdwatch, allowing users to add additional context to tweets. Read more | WorldTwitter | ProductMisinformation |
August 2022 | ||
| OpenAI is introducing a content moderation endpoint assessing whether the content is sexual, hateful or promoting self-harm. Read more | WorldOpenAI | ProductAdultHateSelf-harm |
| TikTok is said to be training its moderators to detect CSAM using graphic images and videos as a reference guide. Read more | WorldTikTok | ProductChild Safety |
See missing items? You can add them here.
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