Understanding the user perceptions of content moderation has important implications for how platforms handle and communicate their decisions – and tell us a lot about who can say what on the internet!

What we found: 1️⃣ Arguments about free speech limitations significantly lowered the perceived fairness of the moderation decision. 2️⃣ The gender and social influence of the user complaining impacted perceived fairness, legitimacy and bias of the moderation decision.

What we did: In an experiment in the U.S., the Netherlands and Portugal, we tested how participants witnessed the removal of a hateful post followed by a public complaint from the affected user about either free speech limitations or political targeting.