What is content moderation?

Content moderation helps ensure the content complies with community guidelines, legal regulations, and acceptable standards of behavior. It includes taking steps to prevent and address content that may be inappropriate, harmful, or abusive from being shared or displayed, such as spam, adult content, harassment, and more. 

Businesses can use manual moderation practices and automated tools to maintain a respectful space where all users feel safe and open to communication.

Content moderation for in-app communications can include:

• Content reviews: Moderation involves reviewing user-created content before it's shared with the broader community. This can be done manually in real-time, with the help of community moderators, or via automated moderation features.

• Filter and blocking mechanisms: Automated filters and blocking tools prevent specific types of content from being sent or received, such as spam, offensive keywords, inappropriate media, and more.

• User verification: To ensure users are legitimate and compliant with guidelines, you can implement user verification processes via email, phone, or social account linkage.

• User reporting: Leading in-app messaging platforms provide features allowing users to report abusive or inappropriate content supporting an organization's moderation efforts.

In-app communications platforms offer built-in tools for moderating content. For example, the Content Moderation Dashboard in Sendbird allows businesses to easily manage their user-generated content via manual intervention or using built-in automated tools.

The Content Moderation Dashboard is where you’ll configure various moderation features, including automated profanity filters, spam blockers, and more. You can delete messages, freeze channels, and block, ban, or mute users who violate community guidelines. These tools and the dashboard can be accessed once your app integrates our Moderation API in the Sendbird Chat SDK.

Content moderation is a critical process for businesses that rely on group chats or conversations. Whether done manually or with automation, it’s a necessary step that paves the way for maximum user engagement and loyalty.