Stay on top of the latest changes affecting your Trust & Safety operations.
This changelog is crowdsourced, feel free to suggest missing items.
March 2023 | ||
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 |
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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Blanket bans on nudity and specifically on bare breasts are coming under increased scrutiny. We hear they clash with cultural expectations and impede right to expression for women, trans and nonbinary people.
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