The Transparency Report Tracking Tool: How Internet Platforms Are Reporting on the Enforcement of Their Content Rules

Today, transparency reporting on issues such as government requests for user data is considered an industry-wide best practice for technology and telecommunications companies. Over the past few years, internet platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube have also begun publishing transparency reports that outline how they are enforcing their own content policies and rules. This reporting has been expanded to include a number of metrics and categories of content that are unique to these types of platforms. However, although companies have made some positive strides toward providing transparency and accountability around their content moderation practices, there is still significant room for improvement. Through our Transparency Reporting Toolkit on Content Takedowns and the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation, which we drafted as part of a coalition dedicated to freedom of expression online, we have put forth a number of recommendations on how internet platforms can improve their transparency reporting on content moderation. The charts below outline what metrics and categories of content Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube are reporting on in their transparency reports related to content rules enforcement. These charts intend to depict the breadth of categories and metrics that companies are reporting on, how these reports have evolved over time, and also enable comparison between the companies’ reports. In addition, these charts can be used to identify fundamental gaps in reporting.