Does deplatforming work? Research explores effects of banning users from social network platforms

Article title: Understanding the Effect of Deplatforming on Social Networks

Authors: Shiza Ali, Mohammad Hammas Saeed, Esraa Aldreabi, Jeremy Blackburn, Emiliano De Cristofaro, Savvas Zannettou, Gianluca Stringhini

From the authors: “We find that users who get banned on Twitter/Reddit exhibit an increased level of activity and toxicity on Gab, although the audience they potentially reach decreases. Overall, we argue that moderation efforts should go beyond ensuring the safety of users on a single platform, taking into account the potential adverse effects of banning users on major platforms.

This paper will be presented at the 2021 ACM Web Science Conference taking place from June 21-25.