📖 Content moderation glossary
What is a statement of reasons?
In short
A statement of reasons is the clear and specific explanation that a hosting service must give a user when it restricts their content or account, setting out what was decided, on what facts, on what legal or contractual ground and how to contest it (DSA Article 17).
Article 17 applies to restrictions such as removing content, disabling access, demoting it or otherwise limiting its visibility, suspending payments, and suspending or terminating the service or the account. The statement must be provided at the latest when the restriction is imposed.
It must include, among other things: what the decision entails and its scope; the facts and circumstances relied on, including whether it followed a notice; whether automated means were used; the legal ground if the content is considered illegal, or the contractual ground (the terms and conditions) otherwise; and the redress options available, such as internal complaints, out-of-court dispute settlement and courts.
Example: 'Your comment of 12 March under the article Budget 2025 was hidden because it contains a personal insult aimed at another reader, which our comment policy prohibits (section 2). This decision was proposed by an automated system and confirmed by a moderator. You can contest it within six months via this form.'
OpenModeration records a written reason for every moderation decision and provides statements of reasons as one of its DSA building blocks; you see every decision and its reason in real time.