Cite as: 603 U. S. ____ (2024)
21
Opinion of the Court
based on a user’s expressed interests and past activities.
But it may also be based on more general features of the
communication or its creator. Facebook’s Community
Standards and YouTube’s Community Guidelines detail the
messages and videos that the platforms disfavor. The platforms write algorithms to implement those standards—for
example, to prefer content deemed particularly trustworthy
or to suppress content viewed as deceptive (like videos promoting “conspiracy theor[ies]”). Id., at 113a.
Beyond rankings lie labels. The platforms may attach
“warning[s], disclaimers, or general commentary”—for example, informing users that certain content has “not been
verified by official sources.” Id., at 75a. Likewise, they may
use “information panels” to give users “context on content
relating to topics and news prone to misinformation, as well
as context about who submitted the content.” Id., at 114a.
So, for example, YouTube identifies content submitted by
state-supported media channels, including those funded by
the Russian Government. See id., at 76a.
But sometimes, the platforms decide, providing more information is not enough; instead, removing a post is the
right course. The platforms’ content-moderation policies
also say when that is so. Facebook’s Standards, for example, proscribe posts—with exceptions for “newsworth[iness]” and other “public interest value”—in categories and subcategories including: Violence and Criminal
Behavior (e.g., violence and incitement, coordinating harm
and publicizing crime, fraud and deception); Safety (e.g., suicide and self-injury, sexual exploitation, bullying and harassment); Objectionable Content (e.g., hate speech, violent
and graphic content); Integrity and Authenticity (e.g., false
news, manipulated media). Id., at 412a–415a, 441a–442a.
YouTube’s Guidelines similarly target videos falling within
categories like: hate speech, violent or graphic content,
child safety, and misinformation (including about elections
and vaccines). See id., at 430a–432a. The platforms thus