shadowbans
A shadowban, also known as ghosting or stealth banning, is the practice of a social media platform or online service silently blocking or restricting a user's content or profile from being seen by others. Unlike a traditional ban where a user is notified of their suspension, a shadowban is intentionally covert. The user's posts may appear to be published normally to them, but they are made invisible or severely limited in their reach to other users. This can manifest in several ways, such as posts not appearing in search results or hashtags, comments being hidden, or accounts being deprioritized in feeds.
The rationale behind shadowbanning by platforms is often to combat spam, harassment, or the spread of misinformation