Content moderation and its dis-content-moderators (with Ada Palmer)

1. Foster Plural Expression Avenues

The most effective way to manage censorship is to ensure there are many diverse channels for communication and expression. This allows people to circumnavigate any single arena that might be co-opted or censored.

2. Avoid Broad Censorship Power

Do not create broad apparatuses for censorship, as they almost always exceed their intended scope and censor far more than initially mandated. This power, once established, is difficult to contain.

3. Judge Censorship by Impact

When evaluating censorship, focus on its actual impact and consequences rather than the perceived good intentions of the censor. Relying solely on intent prevents self-correction from harmful actions.

4. Recognize Censors’ Good Intentions

Understand that individuals engaging in censorship rarely see themselves as malicious; they often believe they are acting with good intentions to protect people or society. This makes it harder to identify and challenge harmful censorship.

5. Combat Monopolies for Free Expression

Recognize that monopolies, especially in information distribution, pose a significant threat to free expression. Diversifying communication channels helps prevent single entities from controlling what can be said.

6. Engage Harmful Ideas with Dialogue

Instead of creating silence, engage with potentially harmful ideas through intelligent and complex dialogue. This allows for critical evaluation and discussion, leading to the eventual triumph of sensible ideas.

7. Censorship Cultivates Self-Censorship

Realize that the primary goal of censorship is often not to destroy existing information, but to intimidate and cultivate self-censorship among authors and readers. This influences what people choose to write or read.

8. Monitor & Expose Censorship

Be vigilant in identifying and calling out instances of censorship when they occur. Simultaneously, work to create and support multiple communication channels to prevent any single censorious body from monopolizing information flow.

9. Avoid Silence, Foster Dialogue

Do not create silence around controversial topics, as this harms both good and bad ideas. Instead, foster intelligent and complex dialogue, which generally allows sensible and right ideas to eventually prevail.

10. Human Oversight for AI Censorship

To address the threat of AI censorship, introduce human oversight to double-check automated decisions and ensure there are multiple, diverse AI systems that operate differently across various platforms.

11. Anticipate Fringe Magnification

When a new information platform emerges, expect radical or fringe voices to be among the first adopters and become magnified. This is a recurring pattern because these groups were often silenced on older platforms.

12. Prepare for Censorship Calls

Recognize that the magnification of fringe voices on new platforms will inevitably lead to public fear and subsequent calls for censorship of that new medium. This is a predictable cycle in information revolutions.

13. Study Past Info Revolutions

To better understand and navigate current information revolutions, examine historical parallels. This provides context for phenomena like censorship calls and the amplification of fringe voices, allowing for more informed responses.

14. Recognize Distributed Power

Understand that in real-world scenarios, power is distributed; no single individual or entity holds absolute control, and everyone possesses some degree of influence. This perspective counters feelings of powerlessness and conspiracy theories.

15. Embrace Plural Agency in History

Move beyond “great man” or “great forces” narratives to understand that historical progress and events are often the result of many different people acting together, sequentially, or apart, each contributing to the outcome.

16. Acknowledge History’s Incompleteness

Understand that historical knowledge is far from complete, with millions of untranslated manuscripts and frequent new discoveries. Professional historians recognize the vastness of what remains unknown.

17. Maintain Fish Tank for Ecosystem Insight

Maintain a fish tank to gain a practical understanding of how ecosystems function as complex, fragile balances. This hands-on experience can foster a more prudent approach to environmental policy and interventions.

18. Consider Citizenship Buyer’s Market

Imagine a future where citizens choose their country, forcing governments to compete for residents and be more accountable. This speculative exercise can inspire new ways of thinking about the relationship between citizens and government.

19. Modern Dystopias Are Optimistic

Understand that contemporary dystopias often function as an optimistic genre, allowing for cathartic revolutions and affirming the possibility of overthrowing oppressive systems, even in dire circumstances.

20. Embrace Hope Punk Futures

Consider “hope punk” narratives that depict futures where progress is made but continuous effort is still required. This perspective encourages acceptance that societal improvements are an ongoing, unfinished project, rather than seeking a definitive “happy ending.”

21. Beware AI Filter Bias

Recognize that AI-driven filters, such as those for copyright, often disproportionately affect legitimate users while failing to stop large-scale bad actors. This highlights their inherent limitations and potential for misapplication.

22. Question Origin of Good

Reflect on the Norse mythological perspective that goodness and survival are exceptions in a fundamentally harsh universe, requiring constant effort to create and maintain. This offers an “upside down approach to the question of ethics.”