ABSTRACT
The responsibility for digital trust and safety has shifted from community-led practices to platform-controlled policies. Originally, online community managers pioneered fundamental principles like user protection and ethical stewardship through embedded, contextual moderation. Today, platform companies employ specialised teams using technology and legal frameworks, often excluding community managers from decision-making. This disconnection undermines community resilience and can increase toxicity. Effective trust and safety requires reintegrating community management expertise into policy formation and platform architecture, recognising that relational work is essential for risk mitigation, not just automated tools and strict policies.
