Content takedowns and activist organizing: Impact of social media content moderation on activists and organizing.

This article explores the impact of social media content moderation on activists and organizing. It highlights the reliance on social media platforms for political and social information, and the gap between content that violates guidelines and content that is actually removed. The article discusses different approaches to content moderation, including algorithmic moderation, and the challenges associated with these approaches. It also examines the effects of automated moderation on marginalized individuals and communities, and the higher rates of content removal and censorship experienced by these groups. The article discusses specific examples, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran, to illustrate the challenges faced by activists due to content takedowns and censorship. It also critiques the policy change made by Meta in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which removed Iranian protest-related content containing a common Iranian protest slogan. The article argues for culturally nuanced moderation policies that promote free speech and recommends changes to algorithmic content moderation practices. Overall, the article emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues to support social justice movements and online activism. [Extracted from the article]