If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to navigate the treacherous waters of managing online safety and security, Techdirt has just released a thrilling game that lets you experience the pressures firsthand. Trust & Safety Tycoon, developed in collaboration with the Atlantic Council’s Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web, transports players into the role of leading a trust and safety team at Yapper, a social media startup resembling Twitter.
Key Takeaway
Trust & Safety Tycoon offers a challenging simulation of the complexities involved in managing online platforms while balancing various factors, such as growth, revenue, and user safety. It aims to provide players with a deeper understanding of the difficult decision-making processes faced by trust and safety teams in the tech industry.
The Complexity of Keeping an Online Platform Safe
In Trust & Safety Tycoon, players are confronted with the intricate challenges of maintaining a secure online platform. The game poses tough questions such as whether off-platform harassment justifies banning a user, the acceptability of offensive slang when used within specific groups, the delicate balance of allowing bots without giving rise to crypto spam, and the creation of unbiased policies regarding political misinformation.
Unlike simple hypotheticals, Trust & Safety Tycoon intricately weaves in the demands of user growth, ad revenue, moderation speed, and team morale. Even if you manage to meet these demands, your CEO could lose confidence in your decision-making abilities and relieve you of your duties. A wrong choice concerning the fate of a provocateur named “BatDung” can lead to such a predicament. As if that isn’t enough, you’ll also face requests from law enforcement to let a suspected murderer continue livestreaming on Yapper for investigative purposes. Moreover, navigating shifting international laws while safeguarding activists’ user data from authoritarian governments is another critical aspect of the game.
Your Path Beyond the Game
Once you complete the game, you’re presented with several choices for your future. You can continue working at Yapper, embark on your own entrepreneurial journey, offer consulting services to the government, or even retire early. Should you resist the allure of a mountain chalet and a cuddly puppy, you’re stronger-willed than I am.
Trust & Safety Tycoon is no walk in the park. On my initial attempt, I was dismissed before we reached Series B funding due to my cautious moderation decisions adversely impacting user growth and ad revenue. While the game is undeniably entertaining, it provides a fresh perspective on the challenges faced by those responsible for running social media platforms. Some scenarios evoke laughter, like deciding if replying “OK Boomer” to older users constitutes harassment or determining whether Bronies pose a threat to the safety of minors. However, many scenarios mirror real-life legislation currently debated in Congress, leaving us pondering issues such as state-level bans on TikTok and protecting children from explicit content without infringing on the privacy of all internet users.
With Trust & Safety Tycoon, players are granted an immersive experience that sheds light on the intricacies, complexities, and difficulties involved in managing online platforms, emphasizing the crucial role played by trust and safety teams.
