Shadowban
An unofficial reduction in content or ad visibility by a platform without explicit notification to the account holder.
What Shadowban means
Shadowbanning refers to the practice of reducing an account's visibility or reach without transparently notifying the account holder. While platforms generally deny using explicit shadowbans, reduced distribution is a documented enforcement mechanism — Meta's 'reduced distribution' for pages/accounts, Instagram's 'reduced recommendations,' and similar mechanisms on other platforms. For advertisers, shadowban-like effects can manifest as dramatically reduced ad delivery, increased costs, lower reach, or exclusion from certain placements without clear explanation. The DSA requires platforms to be transparent about content moderation decisions, which may limit informal shadowbanning practices in the EU. If an account experiences sudden, unexplained performance drops, it may indicate account-level restrictions — reviewing account health, recent policy violations, and contacting platform support are recommended steps.
Related terms
Account Suspension
A temporary restriction on an ad account, usually pending review or requiring the advertiser to fix policy issues.
Policy Strike
A formal warning recorded against an ad account for policy violations, where accumulation leads to increasingly severe penalties.
Content Moderation
The process by which platforms review and enforce rules on user-generated and advertising content.
Account Health
A platform's assessment of an advertiser's overall compliance track record, affecting ad review speed and account privileges.