Skip to main content

Shadowbanning Members for Content Moderation

Updated May 29, 2023

Quietly moderate disruptive members without alerting them or removing their access

Sometimes a member's comments are disruptive, but canceling their subscription feels too harsh. Shadowbanning lets you hide a member's comments from everyone else while the member continues to see their own comments as normal. The member receives no notification and keeps full access to your membership content.

How shadowbanning works​

A shadowban hides a member's comments from you and all other members. The shadowbanned member can still post comments, but those comments are only visible to them. From the member's perspective, everything looks normal.

Here's what changes when you shadowban a member:

  • Comments become invisible to others. All comments the member posts after the shadowban are hidden from you and every other member.
  • The member is not notified. Fourthwall does not send any alert, email, or in-app message about the shadowban.
  • Membership access stays the same. The member keeps full access to posts, perks, direct messages, and all other membership content.
  • Existing comments are also hidden. Previously posted comments from the shadowbanned member are hidden from other members.
note

Shadowbanning only affects comment visibility. It does not restrict the member from viewing posts, accessing perks, or sending direct messages.

When to use a shadowban vs. canceling a subscription​

Choosing the right moderation action depends on how disruptive the behavior is.

  • Shadowban when a member posts low-quality, spammy, or mildly disruptive comments but you want to keep them as a paying member. The member won't realize their comments are hidden, which avoids confrontation.
  • Cancel the subscription when the behavior is severe enough that you no longer want the member in your community. For details on canceling, see Cancel or refund a member's subscription.

You can always remove a shadowban later if the situation changes.

Apply a shadowban​

  1. Go to Memberships in your dashboard.
  2. Click Members to open your members list.
  3. Click the member you want to shadowban.
  4. On the member profile page, click the three-dot menu (top right).
  5. Select Shadowban.
  6. In the confirmation dialog, click Shadowban member.

The member profile page will display a Shadowbanned label to confirm the ban is active.

Remove a shadowban​

  1. Go to Memberships in your dashboard.
  2. Click Members and select the shadowbanned member.
  3. On the member profile page, you'll see the Shadowbanned label. Click remove ban next to it, or open the three-dot menu and select Remove shadowban.
  4. In the confirmation dialog, click Remove shadowban.

Once removed, all of the member's comments become visible to you and other members again.

What the shadowbanned member sees​

A shadowbanned member has no way to tell they've been shadowbanned. From their perspective:

  • They can still post comments on any membership post.
  • Their own comments appear normally in the comment thread.
  • They can still like, reply, and interact with visible comments from other members.
  • All membership content, perks, and direct messages remain accessible.

The only difference is that no one else can see the shadowbanned member's comments.

Frequently asked questions​

Does a shadowban affect direct messages?​

No. Shadowbanning only hides comments on membership posts. The member can still send and receive direct messages.

Can I shadowban a member directly from a comment?​

Yes. Creators and partner managers can shadowban a member directly from the comment dropdown menu on any membership post comment. Click the three-dot menu next to the comment and select the shadowban option.

Will the member's old comments reappear if I remove the shadowban?​

Yes. Removing the shadowban makes all of the member's comments visible to everyone again, including comments posted while the ban was active.

Can a shadowbanned member tell they've been banned?​

No. The member's experience is unchanged. Their comments still appear in the thread from their own perspective, and they receive no notification about the ban.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at support@fourthwall.com.

Was this helpful?