Censorship Monitoring Resources

These tables are part of the Freedom of Speech Day “Open the Overton Window” Challenge. They are a practical resource so anyone can run their own research and due diligence.

Big Tech rarely shows the full picture. The scope and motives behind moderation and censorship are often not transparent, and may be shaped by outside pressures we can’t see. Public statements may use broad, friendly language, while the real intent sits elsewhere.

The good news: there are independent and semi‑independent watchdogs tracking this space. Some publish clear reports. Others offer tools and datasets you can use to spot patterns yourself. Together, they help you verify claims, compare platforms, and make up your own mind.

Resource types:

Historic: Past events and measurements (e.g., previous takedown stats, completed audits). Useful for trend lines and baselines, but not a live view.
Evergreen: Foundations and methods that stay useful over time (e.g., how a dataset was collected, repeatable audit techniques, definitions). These help you replicate or re-run checks later.
Speculative/Theoretical: Inference, hypotheses, or policy analysis that interpret what might be happening and why. Useful for framing, but should be cross-checked against evidence.
Tools/Datasets: Things you can use directly (for example, browser extensions, APIs, CSVs, GitHub repos) to test, collect, or analyze data yourself.
Participation/Crowdsourcing: Ways to contribute data and observations (for example, Mozilla RegretsReporter, Tracking Exposed experiments). Contributing strengthens the evidence base for everyone.

IMPORTANT – Verify important claims with multiple sources, including primary documents. Check publication dates and update cycles, and revisit sources periodically. Consider regional differences, as laws and platform policies vary by country. For legal, medical, or security decisions, consult a qualified professional. Only use our resources if you agree to our Legal & Safety Disclaimer:

Here’s an overview of the available resources – click on the Name or scroll down further:

Name	Platform	Scope	Brief description
AlgorithmWatch	Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X/Twitter, search	Europe-led, global relevance	Investigates how algorithms rank/hide content; pushes for transparency (EU DSA focus).
Mozilla – RegretsReporter (YouTube)	YouTube	Global	Audits YouTube recommendations via crowdsourced data; publishes findings and open datasets.
Tracking Exposed (TikTok Observatory)	TikTok (main), YouTube, Facebook, Amazon (by project)	Global, country probes	Tests boosting/demotion with controlled accounts and open tools.
EDMO (European Digital Media Observatory)	Meta, YouTube, TikTok, X/Twitter (via hubs)	EU-wide	EU research/fact-check hubs; dashboards and data-access pilots.
Ranking Digital Rights (RDR)	Major platforms and telcos	Global	Scores companies on free expression and privacy commitments.
Citizen Lab (University of Toronto)	Varies by study	Global; high-risk focus	Investigates censorship, surveillance, and platform/network interference.
Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO)	Major social platforms	Global	Studies information ops and platform enforcement; releases reports/datasets.
Platform Transparency Pages (official) — TikTok	TikTok	Global with regional breakdowns	Company-published enforcement stats and policy notes.
Platform Transparency Pages (official) — Meta	Facebook, Instagram	Global with regional breakdowns	Company-published enforcement and request statistics.
Platform Transparency Pages (official) — YouTube	YouTube	Global with regional breakdowns	Provide enforcement metrics and policy notes.
Platform Transparency Pages (official) — X/Twitter	X/Twitter	Global	Historical transparency reports; current updates vary.

AlgorithmWatch

Field	Details
Name	AlgorithmWatch
Website	https://algorithmwatch.org/
Contact	https://algorithmwatch.org/en/contact/
Type	Info hub (reports/trackers); some tools/datasets
What they do	Investigate how algorithms rank/hide content; advocate transparency and researcher access (EU DSA focus).
Platforms	Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X/Twitter, search/recommenders
Jurisdiction/Scope	Europe-led; global relevance
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: public report pages and PDFs; some datasets/tools linked (case-by-case)
Content type mix	Historic: Medium–High • Evergreen: Medium • Speculative/Theoretical: Low–Medium
Update cadence	Ongoing; several publications per year
Delivery	Web articles, PDF downloads; trackers
Privacy/Mission	Civil-society NGO; pro-transparency; EU privacy norms
Affiliations/Funding	Grants/donors; publishes funding transparency
Independence	Independent of platforms
Key links	Study: https://algorithmwatch.org/en/governing-platforms-ivir-study-june-2020/ • Tracker: https://algorithmwatch.org/en/platforms-promises-to-researchers/

Mozilla Foundation – RegretsReporter (YouTube)

Field	Details
Name	Mozilla Foundation – RegretsReporter
Website	https://foundation.mozilla.org/
Contact	https://www.mozilla.org/contact/
Type	Tool/service (browser extension, open datasets) + info hub (investigations)
What they do	Crowdsourced audits of YouTube recommendations; publish findings and open datasets.
Platforms	YouTube
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global participants; analysis often US/EU-relevant
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: report pages and dataset landing pages are accessible; datasets downloadable (license/consent may apply); extension link public
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Medium • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Irregular; released in batches tied to campaigns
Delivery	Web reports, dataset downloads, browser extension
Privacy/Mission	Keep the internet open; strong privacy and open-source ethos
Affiliations/Funding	US nonprofit; donations/grants
Independence	Independent of platforms
Key links	Investigation: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/blog/mozilla-investigation-youtube-algorithm-recommends-videos-that-violate-the-platforms-very-own-policies/ • Dataset: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/youtube/regretsreporter-dataset/ • User controls: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/youtube/user-controls/

Tracking Exposed (TikTok Observatory)

Field	Details
Name	Tracking Exposed (TikTok Observatory)
Website	https://tracking.exposed/
Contact	https://tracking.exposed/about/
Type	Tools/services (experiments, FOSS tools) + info hub (reports)
What they do	Open-source experiments on visibility/demotion using controlled accounts and crowdsourcing; geopolitical tests.
Platforms	TikTok (flagship), YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Pornhub (by project)
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global; country-specific probes
Access here (downloadable?)	Partly: project pages, READMEs, data links accessible; raw datasets often require manual download from repos
Content type mix	Historic: Medium–High • Evergreen: Medium • Speculative/Theoretical: Low–Medium
Update cadence	Project-based; episodic bursts
Delivery	Web posts, GitHub/FOSS tools, occasional extensions
Privacy/Mission	Algorithmic transparency; privacy-by-design
Affiliations/Funding	Grants (e.g., Mozilla Technology Fund)
Independence	Independent collective
Key links	Overview: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/a-new-way-to-keep-tiktok-accountable/ • Year wrap: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/blog/one-year-of-holding-tiktok-accountable/

European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO)

Field	Details
Name	European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO)
Website	https://edmo.eu/
Contact	https://edmo.eu/contact/
Type	Info hub (dashboards/reports); some hubs provide APIs/services
What they do	EU network linking researchers and fact-checkers; supports data-access pilots and dashboards under EU rules.
Platforms	Meta, YouTube, TikTok, X/Twitter (via hubs/pilots)
Jurisdiction/Scope	EU-wide with national/regional hubs
Access here (downloadable?)	Partly: hub pages, PDFs accessible; APIs/feeds vary (may require keys)
Content type mix	Historic: Medium • Evergreen: Low–Medium • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Varies by hub (monthly/quarterly typical)
Delivery	Web portals, PDFs; developer docs when available
Privacy/Mission	Academic/civil-society consortium; strong EU data protection
Affiliations/Funding	EU-funded multi-stakeholder network
Independence	Independent of platforms; EU-linked
Key links	Home: https://edmo.eu/

Ranking Digital Rights (RDR)

Field	Details
Name	Ranking Digital Rights (RDR)
Website	https://rankingdigitalrights.org/
Contact	https://rankingdigitalrights.org/contact/
Type	Tools/services (scorecards, datasets) + info hub (reports)
What they do	Scores companies on free expression and privacy commitments with comparable scorecards.
Platforms	Major platforms and telecoms (company-level)
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: reports and CSVs typically public; downloadable
Content type mix	Historic: Medium (annual indices) • Evergreen: Medium (methodology) • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Annual major release; occasional briefs
Delivery	Web reports, data downloads
Privacy/Mission	Human-rights centered; transparent methods
Affiliations/Funding	Philanthropic funding
Independence	Independent of platforms
Key links	Home: https://rankingdigitalrights.org/

Citizen Lab (University of Toronto)

Field	Details
Name	Citizen Lab
Website	https://citizenlab.ca/
Contact	https://citizenlab.ca/contact/
Type	Info hub (investigative reports); occasional tools/data
What they do	Investigates censorship, surveillance, and targeted platform/network interference; high-risk contexts.
Platforms	Varies by investigation; also network-level censorship
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global; focus on at-risk users/regions
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: public reports/PDFs accessible; some code/data linked
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Medium • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Investigation-led; irregular
Delivery	Web, PDFs, GitHub (when applicable)
Privacy/Mission	Academic ethics; human-rights and security focus
Affiliations/Funding	University-based; grant-funded
Independence	Independent research lab
Key links	Home: https://citizenlab.ca/

Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO)

Field	Details
Name	Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO)
Website	https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io
Contact	https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/contact
Type	Info hub (reports); some datasets/services via partners
What they do	Studies information operations and platform manipulation; publishes reports and some datasets.
Platforms	Major social platforms
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global
Access here (downloadable?)	Partly: reports accessible; some datasets gated or via partner repositories
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Medium • Speculative/Theoretical: Low–Medium
Update cadence	Irregular; project/election cycles
Delivery	Web reports; GitHub/data repos (varies)
Privacy/Mission	Academic standards and IRB
Affiliations/Funding	University-based; grant-funded
Independence	Independent research center
Key links	Publications/Datasets: https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io

Platform Transparency Pages (official) — TikTok

Field	Details
Name	TikTok Transparency Reports
Website	https://www.tiktok.com/transparency/en/reports/
Contact	N/A
Type	Info hub (official portal)
What they do	Publish aggregate enforcement stats and policy notes.
Platforms	TikTok
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global with regional breakdowns
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: dashboards and PDFs; CSV availability varies
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Low • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Typically quarterly/semiannual
Delivery	Web pages, PDF downloads
Privacy/Mission	Corporate communications/compliance
Affiliations/Funding	Company-run
Independence	Not independent; baseline only

Platform Transparency Pages (official) — Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

Field	Details
Name	Meta Transparency Center
Website	https://transparency.fb.com/
Contact	N/A
Type	Info hub (official portal)
What they do	Publish enforcement and government request statistics.
Platforms	Facebook, Instagram
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global with regional breakdowns
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: dashboards and PDFs
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Low • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Regular (varies by report type)
Delivery	Web pages, PDF downloads
Privacy/Mission	Corporate communications/compliance
Affiliations/Funding	Company-run
Independence	Not independent; baseline only

Platform Transparency Pages (official) — YouTube

Field	Details
Name	YouTube Policy Transparency
Website	https://transparencyreport.google.com/youtube-policy
Contact	N/A
Type	Info hub (official portal)
What they do	Provide enforcement metrics and policy notes.
Platforms	YouTube
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global with regional breakdowns
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes: dashboards and PDFs; some CSVs
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Low • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Regular (typically quarterly)
Delivery	Web pages, PDF/CSV downloads
Privacy/Mission	Corporate communications/compliance
Affiliations/Funding	Company-run
Independence	Not independent; baseline only

Platform Transparency Pages (official) — X/Twitter

Field	Details
Name	X/Twitter Transparency (status varies)
Website	https://transparency.twitter.com/
Contact	N/A
Type	Info hub (official portal)
What they do	Historical transparency reports; current updates vary.
Platforms	X/Twitter
Jurisdiction/Scope	Global
Access here (downloadable?)	Yes for archives; current cadence uncertain
Content type mix	Historic: High • Evergreen: Low • Speculative/Theoretical: Low
Update cadence	Irregular
Delivery	Web pages, PDF downloads
Privacy/Mission	Corporate communications/compliance
Affiliations/Funding	Company-run
Independence	Not independent; baseline only