







as an indirect answer, here is a long-form doc on the overall network architecture for moderation and abuse.
AT Moderation Architecture | bryan newbold
whtwnd.comAug 25, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Designing decentralized moderation
In decentralized social networks, moderation decisions are made locally by users, servers, or other network entities. This basic…

Bluesky's Moderation Architecture | Bluesky
Moderation is a crucial aspect of any social network. However, traditional moderation systems often lack transparency and user control, leaving communities vulnerable to sudden policy changes and potential mismanagement. To build a better social media ecosystem, it is necessary to try new approaches.

The Moderation article
The internet was antiblack from day one. A breakdown of AT Protocol's moderation stack and Blacksky's plan to build community-controlled protection.

The Inexorable Push For Infrastructure Moderation
I’m grateful to Techdirt and the EFF for this series. There are so many legitimately difficult issues around content moderation at the application layer—that is, on (and usually by) pla…

AT Moderation Architecture | bryan newbold
The AT network is becoming more heterogeneous in practice, with independent PDS hosts, apps, and alternative bsky AppViews establishing themselves. This means that more complex inter-service moderation scenarios are starting to get attention. While the labeling system was released all the way back i...
The Networked Leviathan: For Democratic Platforms
The Networked Leviathan is a book by Paul Gowder, Professor of Law at Northwestern University, which offers a case and a roadmap for democratizing major internet platforms.

Auto Moderation in Discord
Automated moderation can play a large role in rule enforcement and keeping your community safe even when there aren’t always eyes to do it for you.

Frontiers | Cyber-mobbing, technology-facilitated abuse and online violence
This article collection will explore the pressing issues of cyber-mobbing, technology-facilitated abuse and online violence, including online abuse, stalking...
AT Moderation Architecture | bryan newbold (⛱️ sabbatical mode)
The AT network is becoming more heterogeneous in practice, with independent PDS hosts, apps, and alternative bsky AppViews establishing themselves. This means that more complex inter-service moderation scenarios are starting to get attention. While the labeling system was released all the way back i...
Beyond moderation: labelers for security/safe browsing, existing services to use · bluesky-social atproto · Discussion #1595
So far, much of the conversation around third party labelers has focused on content moderation. That's an important first use case, but obviously not the only one. We talked a bit about the dow...
Open-source tools needed for the future of decentralized moderation
A small list of various open-source software that needs to exist to power the future of Trust & Safety for decentralized social networking software.

A Model for addressing privacy on ATproto
When I first got involved with Northsky social, we knew we would have to eventually address the elephant in the room. How do we proactively protect a community from outside influences without relying purely on moderation? And more importantly, how do we keep bad actors from simply pulling their data straight from a relay?
On the coordination for better moderation systems
There is a need for better moderation systems on the fediverse. But getting people to coordinate to build and adopt such systems is proving to be a challenge.

Moderating With Humans, For Humans - Trust Issues
Moderating With Humans, For Humans - Trust Issues
Moderation on Blacksky-Only Posts: A Community Proposal
Our team has explored several ways to make permissioned posts possible. Now we’re bringing the decision back to the community. Below are three approaches to moderation: a machine-learning system that automates moderation, a large-scale peer moderator program, or a hybrid model that combines both. We’re inviting your feedback to help decide how we should govern privacy together.
