Online Content Moderation in Latin America

Abstract

The article offers a sociologically mindful account of platform content regulation in Latin America, based on close analysis of three commonly adopted alternatives for deciding the limits of online expression: automated moderation, paid moderation, and judicial review. Taken together, the inquiry on these three fronts will address the main question: is current online content moderation practice compatible with the realities and necessities of Latin Americans? The article evaluates such mechanisms in light of regional specificities and contributes to developing a critique of corporate social media moderation in developing countries, especially when platforms underestimate the necessary level of cultural adaptation. As such, this study could prove valuable to policy makers worldwide. The policy responses to corporate moderation’s lack of attention to regional context could be replicable in other regions.