shadowban

present singular third person shadowbans · participle present shadowbanning · participle past shadowbanned · past shadowbanned · alternative shadow ban · alternative shadow-ban

1. InternettransitiveTo ban a user from a community without their knowledge, allowing them to continue reading and commenting, but rendering their contributions invisible or less visible to other users.

   You can also use external software designed to check for shadowbanning.

   2023 August 24, Steve Kuhn, “How To Get Unshadowbanned on Twitter”, in ITGeared, archived from the original on 11 Sep 2024

   3 more examples

   On Wednesday a Vice News story reported that some senior Republican officials were not visible in automatic search results. Vice framed this as “shadow banning” without providing any evidence that it was deliberate.

   2018 July 27, Jason Wilson, “What is 'shadow banning', and why did Trump tweet about it?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2019

   Over the weekend, Sweeney tweeted that his account had been shadowbanned, meaning that its visibility had been deliberately reduced.

   2022 December 14, Maya Yang, “Twitter suspends account that monitors flight paths of Elon Musk’s private jet”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2023

   On Tuesday, Ghostwriter returned with a new track, titled “Whiplash,” this time using A.I. vocal filters to sound like the rappers Travis Scott and 21 Savage and deliver a message to the industry: “Me and Writer raise a toast,” the A.I. version of 21 Savage raps. “Trying to shadowban my boy/but you can’t kill a ghost.”

   2023 September 5, Joe Coscarelli, “Ghostwriter Returns With an A.I. Travis Scott Song, and Industry Allies”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2023

2. InternettransitiveTo filter out results without the publisher's knowledge.

plural shadowbans · alternative shadow ban · alternative shadow-ban

1. InternetAn instance of shadowbanning.

   Is there any basis for the idea that conservatives are being targeted for shadow bans? No – at least not based on what Vice purported to show.

   2018 July 27, Jason Wilson, “What is 'shadow banning', and why did Trump tweet about it?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2019

   1 more example

   By following the platform's guidelines and treating others with kindness, you'll not only avoid shadowbans but also build a strong and engaged community.

   2024 June 28, “How to get "unshadowbanned" on Twitter!”, in Circleboom Blog, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2025

   Synonyms: hellban