Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), has announced plans to address the issue of “shadowbanning” on the social network. Shadowbanning involves limiting the visibility of a user’s content without outright banning them. Musk assured users that this concern would be tackled soon, acknowledging the lack of transparency around the practice.
Challenges and Delays in Implementing Transparency
Musk responded to user queries on X, apologizing for the delay in addressing shadowbanning transparency. He shed light on the complexities hindering X’s ability to provide users with data regarding shadowbanning and suspension. The intricate layers of “trust & safety” software often require hours to determine the reasons behind account actions.
A Ground-Up Rewrite to Simplify the Codebase
Musk further explained that the ongoing challenge is attributed to numerous layers of “trust & safety” software. He shared that a ground-up rewrite of the system is underway to streamline the codebase, aiming to simplify the process of addressing shadowbanning and account actions.
X Insights from Former Head of Trust and Safety
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former Head of Trust and Safety, offered insights into the complexities faced by X. He noted that social media platforms generally record account actions and reasons for bans, often storing this information as metadata attached to user accounts.
Roth explained that while free-text notes on user accounts are easy for humans to understand and act upon, automating user notices requires structured data. The existing system, known as Guano, stores enforcement metadata in free-text notes, making it challenging to programmatically parse the information.
X Complexities and Future Endeavors
Roth acknowledged the complexity of the task and supported X’s efforts to rebuild the infrastructure handling enforcement attribution. He highlighted the intricacies of combatting spam and the difficulty in explaining specific shadowbanning instances due to the multitude of models and heuristics involved.
Despite the challenges, Roth expressed optimism about X’s infrastructure rebuilding efforts. While it remains uncertain when the transparency project will be fully implemented, Musk’s commitment to addressing shadowbanning issues underscores the platform’s dedication to enhancing user experience and transparency on the network.
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