"This discontent seems to cross bipartisan lines. In the United States, Republicans have vociferously accused technology firms of being biased against conservatives. At the other end of the political spectrum, LGBTQ+ advocates, Black Lives Matter supporters, and pro-Palestinian activists have also publicly expressed the worry that their voices are subtly silenced by large platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter."
"However, the idea that we should worry about shadowbanning is a controversial one. Indeed, many suspect that shadowbanning is often a figment of social media users' imaginations. When a post fails to reach its author's intended audience, the temptation for them to claim that they have secretly been punished can be strong. Moreover, the concept of shadowbanning is shrouded in ambiguity as those who use it can't seem to agree on a definition."
"While I have no objection to sunsetting shadowbanning as a term, I believe the phenomenon it describes raises interesting philosophical questions. Is there anything wrong with what I prefer to call hidden content moderation? If so, who is wronged by it, and how? Should social media users have any recourse against it? In what follows, I suggest that hidden moderation is indeed objectionable as it impedes democratic citizens from fulfilling their duty to help establish a just digital public sphere. Even if shadowbanning"
Social media users increasingly encounter shadowbanning, the hidden moderation of online speech without notification. Concern about this practice spans political groups, including conservatives, LGBTQ+ advocates, Black Lives Matter supporters, and pro‑Palestinian activists. Shadowbanning's definition remains ambiguous, leading platforms to deny the practice through semantic distinctions. Some researchers propose abandoning the term because of that ambiguity. The phenomenon prompts ethical questions about who is wronged and what recourse users should have. Hidden content moderation obstructs citizens' ability to participate in and help establish a just digital public sphere, making it normatively problematic.
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