Misinformation and Platform Moderation

Social media's rapid rise has incited concerns among policymakers and the public regarding its role in spreading misinformation.

Content moderation is a key tool to combat misinformation, but problems emerge when practiced at scale.

The core issue is the lack of a formally accepted definition for "misinformation".

Misinformation is information that runs contrary to or distorts generally accepted facts.

However, this definition breaks down when it comes to more contentious topics.

Author's summary: Social media struggles with misinformation due to lack of clear definition.

R Street Institute — 2025-10-16