shadow ban
n.n. the act of secretly limiting how many people can see a user's content on a social media platform. The user doesn't get a notification, so they might not realize their posts are being hidden.
n. an act by an online platform of suppressing a user's content so it is not visible to others, without notifying the affected user. Often used transitively as a verb.
A shadow ban can limit an account's reach.
After his engagement dropped suddenly, he suspected the platform had given him a shadow ban for posting controversial content.
Critics argue that opaque shadow ban policies allow platforms to censor speech under the guise of content moderation without affording users due process.
Last updated April 21, 2026