Content moderation, though created to protect users from harm, often have unintended and deeply damaging effects on those working to promote truth, accountability, and human rights.
One of the most pressing issues is the silencing of critical discourse. Across the world, civic actors and human rights defenders have found their accounts suspended, their posts removed, and their campaigns restricted. These actions, often carried out under the guise of “policy enforcement,” create a chilling effect where individuals self-censor out of fear of losing their digital voice.
In many cases, this has stifled important conversations about governance, social justice, and corruption leaving entire movements at risk of disappearing from the public eye.
Equally concerning is the erosion of trust between social media users and the platforms that claim to uphold free expression. When moderation systems fail to recognize the nuances of local languages, political contexts, and cultural realities, they risk alienating the very voices they should be protecting. The repeated silencing of activists fosters resentment and drives communities toward less moderated, and often more dangerous, online spaces. This migration not only fragments public discourse but also increases exposure to misinformation, radicalization, and online violence.
The systematic exclusion of marginalized perspectives contributes to a skewed and imbalanced information landscape. When posts, articles, or videos from activists are taken down, dominant narratives often those of state actors or powerful institutions go unchallenged. As a result, the digital sphere becomes less diverse, less truthful, and less democratic. The erasure of dissenting views distorts public perception, weakening civic engagement and undermining accountability.
The real-world consequences of this silencing can be severe, especially for those on the frontlines of advocacy. For human rights defenders documenting abuses, the removal of content can destroy evidence and deny victims the opportunity for justice.
This intersection between online moderation and human rights violations is illustrated in the case of Rose Njeri Tunguru, a Kenyan civic tech activist who became the target of state prosecution in 2025. Tunguru had developed a digital platform called Civic Email, which allowed citizens to send objections to the controversial Finance Bill 2025 directly to Parliament. The tool quickly gained traction, enabling thousands of Kenyans to exercise their constitutional right to participate in governance. However, authorities accused her of “unauthorized interference with a computer system” under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
As a result, her devices were seized, and she was detained, with officials claiming that the mass emailing feature disrupted parliamentary systems. Although the charges were eventually dismissed by the court as ambiguous and unfounded, the ordeal left her under surveillance and deeply shaken. Tunguru’s case revealed how vague cybercrime laws can be weaponized against civic activists, discouraging digital innovation and silencing dissent.
Such incidents demonstrate that the fight for digital safety cannot come at the cost of human rights. Overzealous or context-blind moderation, whether by state agencies or private platforms, risks transforming the internet into a space where only the powerful are heard. To build a more inclusive and democratic digital ecosystem, governments, technology companies, and civil society must work collaboratively to design policies that protect both freedom of expression and public safety. This requires context-aware moderation practices, stronger legal safeguards for digital activists, and a commitment to transparency and accountability in decision-making.
Ultimately, the goal must be to ensure that social media fulfills its promise as a space for dialogue, not domination. The digital world should amplify the voices of the vulnerable, not silence them. Only by protecting those who speak truth to power can societies hope to create online spaces that are truly free, fair, and resilient.