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Before reading “Commercial Content Moderation” by Sarah Roberts, I had never heard of CCM services before. While the article claims that “CCM is not an industry unto itself” (Roberts 147, find the article here), I wanted to do a little extra research on the firms that protect websites from harmful content.
One of the first websites I came across after looking for firms that moderate website content was for a company called Crisp. In its mission statement, Crisp claims they “protect global brands and social platforms from the risks posed by social media” (Full website here). Crisp also states that they deal with about 3 billion pieces of content every month. Onespace (Website here) is another example of a company with a very similar mission statement, and these are just a few of the many firms that provide similar services.
In fact, after doing this research and also finding an example of pricing (Onespace charges $1500/mo for a starter package), it appears that Commercial Content Moderation is indeed an industry. While it is obviously reliant upon demand generated by web content providers who need the protection, there are a number of firms competing to create the best product at the most advantageous price point. These, to me, seem to demonstrate the makings of an industry.
As Roberts hints at, and as this wired.com (Website here) article expands on, the industry is a complex one that relies heavily on overseas work. According to wired.com, there are over 100,000 people (twice the headcount of Google) who work every day to try to scrub the Internet clean from offensive or illegal content. While CCM may not be as well known and may be reliant on demand from other industries, I believe it is certainly an industry in and of itself.
Clever graphic of CCM workers “scrubbing the internet clean”, source here.
Posted from Digital Studies 101 Blog by Patrick G.