Trust & Safety

Preventing, detecting, and fighting the bad stuff online. Sometimes called Integrity or Quality. Where I've spent my career since 2019.

Platformocracy is one year old! Here’s what’s coming next (including song lyrics and maybe some code)

Jun 5, 2026

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4 min read

Platformocracy is one year old! Here’s what’s coming next (including song lyrics and maybe some code)

First, like any enthusiastic one-year-old, I’m gonna smash a big piece of cake into my face with my bare hands. Then, I’m going to try some new things, including attempting to write code that demonstrates my ideas.

May 15, 2026

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5 min read

Social media vs. parasocial media vs. social networking

The “social media” platforms we demonize today are actually multiple suspects in a trench coat. Separating out key use cases makes it easier to talk about practical ways to reduce harm and take back control.

Meta unleashes a haiku of PR bullsh*t after being found guilty of harming children

May 8, 2026

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4 min read

Meta unleashes a haiku of PR bullsh*t after being found guilty of harming children

Yet again, Meta’s VP of Communications Andy Stone has responded to his company’s indefensible conduct with an insulting and ineffective public statement. Why does he keep doing this? Let’s break it down.

Palantir offers us Guardianship at gunpoint

Apr 24, 2026

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5 min read

Palantir offers us Guardianship at gunpoint

The influential data integration / AI intelligence company Palantir has published a 22-point manifesto. It's just another tired argument that tech execs should be in charge of society, except for the implicit threat of violence if we don't comply.

Why I don’t like age verification for social media

Apr 17, 2026

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5 min read

Why I don’t like age verification for social media

Age verification laws for social media are sweeping the world. The EU just announced their own solution is ready to go. I am worried that we are making big platforms stronger without being clear about what problem we’re trying to solve.

Magna Carta proves we deserve the rule of law online. No, really.

Feb 27, 2026

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9 min read

Magna Carta proves we deserve the rule of law online. No, really.

Rabble’s Social Media Bill of Rights sent me down a rabbit hole to the grand-daddy of declarations – Magna Carta, issued in England by King John in 1215. Its most radical turn of phrase points the way to online democracy today.

Feb 20, 2026

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9 min read

Due process transparency, continued: does safety require secrecy?

Last week, I dodged the difficult question of whether transparency would help bad actors more than the rest of us. Secrecy is necessary today, but only as a band-aid on an enormous self-inflicted wound: easy, open account sign-ups.

Feb 13, 2026

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8 min read

Let’s build due process! Part 3: Transparency should be the default, not the exception

Public information about user status, terminated accounts, and policy enforcement would help online communities build a sense of history, instead of living in a perpetual present. This would build trust in platforms and reduce the need for crisis communications.

Feb 6, 2026

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11 min read

Let’s build due process! Part 2: A workflow that works

This is the big one - my proposal to restore user trust in the account termination process without breaking the bank. Ask your favorite platform for this. Or if you work at a platform, maybe even give it a try.

Let’s Build Due Process! Part 1: Increase trust by improving account terminations

Jan 30, 2026

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9 min read

Let’s Build Due Process! Part 1: Increase trust by improving account terminations

I’m setting out to convince you that platforms could expand due process without breaking the bank. In part one, I lay out the goal, narrow the scope, and address one big risk.

Jan 9, 2026

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10 min read

Why is Meta still feeding us garbage in response to their scam ads scandal?

A new set of embarrassing documents about Meta’s fraud problems leaked on New Year’s Eve. Comms VP Andy Stone didn’t handle this batch any better than last time. Why can’t he get it right?

Scandals At Meta And OpenAI Prove It: Safety Needs Real Independence

Dec 19, 2025

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8 min read

Scandals At Meta And OpenAI Prove It: Safety Needs Real Independence

We can’t trust big tech platforms to make the right safety decisions of their own accord. Back in June, I called on Bluesky to spin off its safety team. To end the year, I generalize the argument. Let’s carve some roast platform beast together, shall we?

Inside My Battles With Google Trust & Safety

Dec 12, 2025

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10 min read

Inside My Battles With Google Trust & Safety

Welcome to the two-week Platformocracy Holiday Party! Today I play the Grinch and share a few anecdotes in which I complain about my difficult relationship with Google Trust and Safety.

Guest Post: A Former Meta Integrity Leader Fights For Transparency

Nov 14, 2025

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7 min read

Guest Post: A Former Meta Integrity Leader Fights For Transparency

Rob Leathern saw fraud and harm up-close at both Meta and Google. Now he’s started a non-profit to shine a light on the dark places. He and I trade newsletters this week.

Nov 7, 2025

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10 min read

Rant: Meta is earning billions from scams and fraud. Their lack of transparency is an insult.

Meta’s newly-revealed carelessness is egregious, but their bullshit response is the Platformocracy at its worst. I am pissed. Welcome to what my coworkers used to call a “Bellack Special.”

If an account is not a person, then you don’t have to treat it with respect

Sep 19, 2025

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8 min read

If an account is not a person, then you don’t have to treat it with respect

Free, anonymous online accounts let bad guys proliferate and platforms pretend we are disposable. Real-world identity requirements could help us reclaim our digital selves.

Can we protect the Internet without revealing our real-world identities?

Sep 12, 2025

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9 min read

Can we protect the Internet without revealing our real-world identities?

Free, anonymous online accounts are a cornerstone of the Internet. Fraud and child safety fears are putting that principle to the test.

Account Terminations Are Easy, But Unjust

Sep 5, 2025

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9 min read

Account Terminations Are Easy, But Unjust

Violate a policy, lose your account. Simple, right? A tactic born to handle mass fraud has ended up hurting real people who are dependent on platforms for community and storage.

Thoughts on Casey Newton and TrustCon: corporate incentives, conflating bad and illegal

Aug 1, 2025

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7 min read

Thoughts on Casey Newton and TrustCon: corporate incentives, conflating bad and illegal

Casey Newton of Platformer wrote about TrustCon and got a lot of feedback. I am adding two things that I think the conversation missed.

Why Is Every Parent I Know Frustrated With Parental Controls?

Jul 25, 2025

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9 min read

Why Is Every Parent I Know Frustrated With Parental Controls?

Platforms offer us features, but we actually need context and customization. Believe it or not, AI could help. Call it Vibe Parenting.

Unchecked Surveillance In The Name Of Safety Is Dangerous

Jul 11, 2025

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6 min read

Unchecked Surveillance In The Name Of Safety Is Dangerous

Online policing could be corrupted and we’d never know.

Reader Mailbag #1: A Role For Blockchain? Plus Ad Fraud Debate And The Small Platform Struggle

Jun 27, 2025

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7 min read

Reader Mailbag #1: A Role For Blockchain? Plus Ad Fraud Debate And The Small Platform Struggle

Current and former luminaries from Harvard, ROOST, and the ad tech world weigh in on my first few weeks.

Cannes Special: How Google’s Ad Spam Secrecy Alienated A Generation Of Creators

Jun 13, 2025

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8 min read

Cannes Special: How Google’s Ad Spam Secrecy Alienated A Generation Of Creators

In its prime, AdSense could give you financial freedom — if you could survive the spam police.

Bluesky trust and safety is too important to be left to Bluesky

Jun 6, 2025

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11 min read

Bluesky trust and safety is too important to be left to Bluesky

Bluesky is open about almost everything, except setting and enforcing their community guidelines. They have an opportunity to lead the Internet forward with a democratic alternative.

Jun 3, 2025

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5 min read

What Is The Platformocracy?

Tech companies just wanted to keep people safe. Now they are unelected governments. What went wrong, and what's next?