Manipulation Shield
Our system that flags coordinated bots, brigade attacks, and sock-puppet rings. Most of it runs in the background — here's what to know.
What it is
Manipulation Shield is the set of systems that flags coordinated bots, brigade attacks (a hundred new accounts piling onto one post), and sock-puppet rings. Most of it runs in the background; you might never notice it unless something gets caught.
How to use it
You don't really use Shield — it runs automatically. But you can see it work: when a post is flagged for brigade behavior, comments from suspected accounts collapse with a "low signal" label.
If you think your post is being brigaded, tap · → Report brigade under the post. We'll review fast and apply protections if the signal checks out.
If you think Shield got you wrong, every flagged action ships with an appeal link. See the report-and-appeal article for what happens next.
Why it matters
Coordinated inauthentic behavior is the cheap-shot version of harm on social platforms — it scales faster than anything we used to call spam, and it's the easiest thing to use against people without power. Shield exists so a critical mass of bots can't drown out a real voice. We don't talk about every detail of how it works (that helps the bots) but we do show you when it triggered.