Hide Edge-case Content Behind Warning

Goal: Create middle ground between promoting content and banning it Evidence rating (PDN): Inference Civic signal: Welcome — Ensure user safety When to use: Interactive

What it is

This is a moderation tool that allows mods to keep disputed content online while not making it easily visible or promoting it.

The content would be blurred out or covered by a warning that this content contains sensitive or otherwise objectionable material (and the nature of why it's being covered), with a button to reveal that material.

This could include misinformation from important political figures, or images that are explicit but newsworthy or culturally important.

This could also allows regional distinctions so that something labeled by one region as sensitive could be automatically shown in other regions (e.g. proscribed depictions of religious figures, symbols that are legally considered hate speech in some countries).

The reveal buttons can also be disabled for users who are not yet adults.

Intended impact

• Creates a middle ground for cases where user-uploaded content shouldn't universally be left as-is or removed.

• Allows for nuanced conversations to happen among those who consent to being a part of them without subjecting users who feel it's inappropriate or unhealthy for them in particular.

• Cuts down on unnecessary conflict as to whether or not content should be allowed or banned from a platform.

Evidence that it works

Evidence That It Works

Why it matters

Special Considerations

Citations

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From the Prosocial Design Network's Digital Intervention Library (https://www.prosocialdesign.org/library/hide-edge-case-content-behind-warning), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for the RT Commons; text otherwise as published. Library citation: Prosocial Design Network (2024), Digital Intervention Library, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Q4RMB. Anything built from this pattern should credit the Prosocial Design Network and the researchers cited above.

Details

• goal: Create middle ground between promoting content and banning it
• citations: [object Object]
• image alt: A mockup of an intervention. An image is blurred out behind a warning, which says the image in question could be questionable or inflammatory.
• image url: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/647f696dc653a97c26f42a0b/67648a331c47c6af924cbe19_647f696dc653a97c26f42b75_201130Censor.webp
• pdn rating: Inference
• when to use: Interactive
• civic signal: Welcome
• pdn library doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/Q4RMB
• civic signal goal: Ensure user safety