Takeaways from Paddy's document

[saurabh-khanna]

Paddy's doc: link

• Shadowbanning: Content visibility is restricted without notifying the user.
• Visibility Restrictions:
  • Reduces content visibility across platforms (e.g., feed, explore).
  • Applies to posts, accounts, hashtags, etc.
  • Methods include capping views, ranking reductions, or audience exclusions.
  • Based on policy goals (e.g., spam control, disinformation).

Instagram Policies

• Dynamic and Complex:
  • Policies change frequently; updates like the November 2024 shift to a Transparency Center.
  • Historical changes can be traced using tools like the Platform Governance Archive.
• Key Guidelines:
  • Recommendation Guidelines, Ranking Explained, Sensitive Content Control, Political Content Control.
• Applications:
  • Methods: Delisting, audience-specific exclusions, opt-in sensitive content.
  • Political content is ambiguously categorized under sensitive content.
• Lack of Transparency:
  • Unclear if uploaders are notified of restrictions.

Next Steps

• Focus analysis on visibility restrictions rather than just shadow banning
• Investigate notification mechanisms
• Monitor evolving policies

[saurabh-khanna]

Can we set up identical bots with certain differing features?