CURIOSITY: 'Shadow Ban' Implementation / Use on Logos Forums

It had come to my attention in recent months that 'shadow banning' is, or can be, practiced on the Logos user forums. I had read the Guidelines some time ago, but did not notice that term at the time. (That, of course, doesn't mean it wasn't there.) I have little experience with forums in general, apart from Logos, and only moderate experience with other social media. Therefore, 'shadow banning' might have always been 'a thing' that escaped my notice.

My only exposure to the actual practice of 'shadow banning' is when Facebook and (pre-Elon) Twitter were proxy-censors and election-meddlers on behalf of a certain political faction. Those antics tended to taint the term 'shadow ban' as nefarious.

I am confident there is no such application, i.e. suppression of unfavored opinions, possoble on a forum of Logos' nature, although the term 'shadow ban' itself has an odor of sneakiness and underhandedness. (In any case, the forums are owned by Logos.) I would, howeve, appreciate information on Logos' implementation of 'shadow banning'. For example:

Who enacts a 'shadow ban': a Logos staffer or a non-employee delegate?
Who oversees or moderates the enactments?
Are all posts / replies by the offender banned, or are individual posts / replies cherry-picked for 'shadow banning' per current attitudes?
How long does a 'shadow ban' last? Does the one banned just continue to talk to himself forever?
If an offender is released from the 'shadow ban' gulag, will he be notified?

Than you.

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Comments

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

It had come to my attention in recent months that 'shadow banning' is, or can be, practiced on the Logos user forums.

I'm not sure how you would have come to that opinion. Our forum software is so old I think it predates the concept of shadow banning. 😆

Our spam moderation is limited to deleting individual posts or disabling entire accounts. (I.e., "classical" forum moderation.)

Given that shadow banning isn't happening, I can't answer the rest of your questions (which presuppose that it does).

Justin Gatlin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1289611#Comment_1289611

It had come to my attention in recent months that 'shadow banning' is, or can be, practiced on the Logos user forums.

I'm not sure how you would have come to that opinion. Our forum software is so old I think it predates the concept of shadow banning. 😆

Rule 6 in the forum guidelines

[quote]

Please help others follow these guidelines. If the problems continue after you’ve given a gentle reminder of these expectations, please click “Report Abuse” under “More” or send an email to forums@logos.com. If a user is a repeat offender, we may temporarily suspend their account. If the offenses continue, we reserve the right to permanently ban the offender's account from the forums either by shadow banning it or blocking it entirely.

But I was surprised to see that, since I used to run the same forum software and didn't think it had any capability like that.

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1289615#Comment_1289615

It had come to my attention in recent months that 'shadow banning' is, or can be, practiced on the Logos user forums.

I'm not sure how you would have come to that opinion. Our forum software is so old I think it predates the concept of shadow banning. 😆

Rule 6 in the forum guidelines

Thanks! TIL. 😀

I guess we have reserved the right to do it? But it's not true that it "is, or can be, practiced on the Logos forums" because (tipping my hand a little to any attackers, but the cat's out of the bag now) we lack the technical capabilities to implement it. So the remaining questions are still moot.

Robert M. Warren

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1289617#Comment_1289617

I guess we have reserved the right to do it? But it's not true that it "is, or can be, practiced on the Logos forums" because (tipping my hand a little to any attackers, but the cat's out of the bag now) we lack the technical capabilities to implement it. So the remaining questions are still moot.

In the spirit of your reply: It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is.

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1289627#Comment_1289627

If you've been around the forums for a while, you'll probably remember various threads that went on for 5-10 pages before we locked the thread and prevented all new replies.

That's the other moderation tool we have (and one that has been applied sparingly in the past).

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1289713#Comment_1289713

see DAL's post Are Freemasons Heretic? Resources - Logos Forums

I have never heard of Logos using shadow-banning. The bans that I am aware of were after conversations with the individual(s) involved, and after repeated violations after those conversations. There are only 2 such bans that I recall the details of - one a permanent ban upon the approval of the actual owner of the account, one a temporary ban in which the individual has become a valued member of the forum community. There is one other case that I don't recall whether the individual was permanently banned or whether he found another profession.

Having an adult daughter who spent some time specializing in getting thrown into Facebook jail, I know she was always informed ... no shadow-banning. I would not consider her bans to be fingers on the political scale as you imply. I currently have a friend doing a short time in Facebook jail - which we all had to laugh about - the standard abbreviation for the bookstore she was referring to was taken as potential controversial, something we'd never noticed before.

Robert M. Warren

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1289716#Comment_1289716

I have never heard of Logos using shadow-banning.

We now know it isn't possible in this environment, since Bradley and Justin, who know the forum software, have explained that here. However, to the average forum user, Rule 6 more than implies shadow banning's possiblilty. If Rule 6 stated that the offender would "be transported to the Delta Quadrant", the average user would sense an empty threat. But, even if it were possibie, your not having 'heard' of, or been 'aware' of, Logos using it would not be surprising; the word 'shadow' means something.

Having an adult daughter who spent some time specializing in getting thrown into Facebook jail, I know she was always informed ... no shadow-banning. I would not consider her bans to be fingers on the political scale as you imply. I currently have a friend doing a short time in Facebook jail - which we all had to laugh about - the standard abbreviation for the bookstore she was referring to was taken as potential controversial, something we'd never noticed before.

While your anecdotes have individual value, they don't comprise a population large enough for an overall assumption.