Moderation

Chive maintains community standards through a transparent moderation system. This document covers content policies, enforcement procedures, and the appeals process.

Content policies

Prohibited content

Category	Examples	Severity
Illegal content	CSAM, terrorist content, sanctions violations	Critical
Harassment	Targeted abuse, doxxing, threats	High
Spam	Automated submissions, SEO abuse	High
Plagiarism	Uncredited copying, fraudulent authorship	High
Misinformation	Fabricated data, falsified results	High
Copyright violation	Unauthorized distribution	Medium
Off-topic content	Non-scholarly submissions	Medium
Low quality	AI-generated slop, duplicate submissions	Low

Policy violations

The 13 defined violation types:

1. Illegal material: Content that violates law
2. Harassment: Targeting individuals with abuse
3. Hate speech: Attacks based on protected characteristics
4. Threats: Violence or harm directed at individuals
5. Doxxing: Publishing private information
6. Spam: Unsolicited bulk or automated content
7. Plagiarism: Uncredited use of others' work
8. Data fabrication: Falsified research data
9. Fraudulent authorship: False attribution
10. Copyright violation: Unauthorized use of copyrighted material
11. Off-topic: Content outside scholarly scope
12. Duplicate submission: Redundant submissions
13. Manipulation: Gaming metrics, coordinated voting

Reporting violations

How to report

Anyone can report content:

POST /xrpc/pub.chive.moderation.report

{
  "subject": "at://did:plc:author.../pub.chive.preprint.submission/abc...",
  "violationType": "plagiarism",
  "description": "This preprint contains substantial uncredited text from...",
  "evidence": [
    {
      "type": "url",
      "value": "https://example.com/original-paper.pdf"
    }
  ]
}

Report requirements

Field	Required	Description
subject	Yes	AT URI of the content
violationType	Yes	One of the 13 violation types
description	Yes	Explanation of the violation
evidence	Recommended	Supporting materials
anonymous	Optional	Hide reporter identity from subject

Reporter protections

• Reporter identity protected from accused party
• Retaliation against reporters is itself a violation
• False reports treated as manipulation

Moderation workflow

┌──────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐
│  Report  │────►│   Review    │────►│ Decision │────►│  Action  │
│ Received │     │ (Editor)    │     │          │     │          │
└──────────┘     └─────────────┘     └──────────┘     └──────────┘
                       │                   │
                       │                   │
                       ▼                   ▼
                  Gather info        Notify parties
                  Check history      Apply sanctions

Response time SLAs

Severity	Initial review	Resolution
Critical	1 hour	4 hours
High	4 hours	24 hours
Medium	24 hours	72 hours
Low	72 hours	7 days

Review process

1. Triage: Assign severity level
2. Investigation: Gather evidence, contact parties
3. Decision: Determine if violation occurred
4. Action: Apply appropriate response
5. Documentation: Record decision and rationale

Actions and sanctions

Content actions

Action	When used
No action	Report unfounded
Warning label	Minor issues, user education
Content hidden	Visible only to author, pending fix
Content removed	Serious violations; still in PDS
Tombstone	Display removal notice

User sanctions

Sanction	Duration	When used
Warning	Permanent record	First offense, minor
Temporary restriction	24h-30d	Repeated minor violations
Voting suspension	30d-1y	Voting manipulation
Submission block	30d-1y	Spam, low quality
Account suspension	Indefinite	Serious or repeated violations

Escalation ladder

First offense:     Warning
Second offense:    7-day restriction
Third offense:     30-day restriction
Fourth offense:    1-year suspension
Fifth offense:     Permanent suspension

Severe violations (harassment, fabrication) skip to appropriate level immediately.

Trusted editor moderation

Trusted editors handle routine moderation:

Trusted editor capabilities

Action	Can perform
Review reports	Yes
Issue warnings	Yes
Hide content	Yes
Temporary restrict (≤7d)	Yes
Remove content	With peer review
Account suspension	Escalate to committee

Peer review requirement

Contentious or high-impact decisions require two editors:

Report received → First editor reviews → Proposes action
                                              │
                                              ▼
                                    Second editor confirms
                                              │
                                              ▼
                                        Action applied

Appeals

Appeal process

Decision made → 14-day appeal window → Appeal filed
                                            │
                                            ▼
                                    Appeal panel reviews
                                            │
                    ┌───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┐
                    ▼                       ▼                       ▼
               Upheld               Modified               Overturned

Who can appeal

• The author of actioned content
• Users who received sanctions
• Original reporter (if report dismissed)

Appeal requirements

POST /xrpc/pub.chive.moderation.appeal

{
  "decisionId": "decision-123",
  "grounds": "The content was mischaracterized as plagiarism. I have permission...",
  "evidence": [
    {
      "type": "document",
      "description": "Permission letter from original author",
      "url": "..."
    }
  ]
}

Appeal panel

Appeals are reviewed by a panel of 3:

• 1 governance committee member
• 1 trusted editor (not involved in original decision)
• 1 domain expert (if applicable)

Appeal outcomes

Outcome	Effect
Upheld	Original decision stands
Modified	Action adjusted (e.g., reduced sanction)
Overturned	Action reversed, records updated
Remanded	Sent back for additional investigation

Transparency

Public moderation log

Non-sensitive moderation data is public:

{
  "id": "action-456",
  "type": "content_hidden",
  "reason": "Copyright violation",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "appealed": false
}

Protected information:

• Reporter identity
• Detailed evidence
• User personal data

Quarterly reports

Published statistics include:

• Reports received by category
• Actions taken by type
• Appeals filed and outcomes
• Response time metrics
• Trends and patterns

Reporting moderation

For trusted editors

GET /xrpc/pub.chive.moderation.pendingReports?assignedTo=me
GET /xrpc/pub.chive.moderation.myActions?period=30d

For governance committee

GET /xrpc/pub.chive.moderation.statistics?period=quarter
GET /xrpc/pub.chive.moderation.escalations

Next steps

• Governance overview: The governance model
• Organization: Governance committee structure
• Proposals: Policy change process