shadowban
SHAD-oh-ban
/ˈʃædoʊbæn/
To block a user or their content from an online community without making the user aware of the ban.
The targeted user sees their own posts normally, but no other community members can view or interact with them.
The story behind the word. Combining 'shadow' (implying unseen operation in darkness) and 'ban' (from Old High German 'bannan', to proclaim under penalty of outlawry), this term emerged in the late 1990s on bulletin boards like Something Awful. Developers created shadowbanning to stop spammers from creating new accounts immediately upon getting blocked, making them waste time posting in total isolation.
Word relationships
- stealth ban: Stealth ban is an alternative descriptive name for the exact same moderation mechanism.
- public ban: A public ban overtly notifies the offender and community that access has been revoked.
Commonly confused with
- ban: A standard ban explicitly informs the user they are locked out, while a shadowban hides the restriction from the user.
Word family
- shadowbanned (verb): Hidden from public view without the user's knowledge.
Collocations
- issue a shadowban
- subject to a shadowban
- detect a shadowban
- shadowban spammers
Example sentences
- "The spam account was subjected to a shadowban, leaving the bot posting invisible messages into the void." Automated moderation
Memory hook
Banned in the SHADOWS—you think you're talking, but no one hears. Invisible ban in the dark.
When not to use
Do not use for explicit, announced account suspensions where the user receives a formal ban notification.
Fun facts
- Hacker News and Reddit popularized shadowbanning to keep spammers posting blindly without alerting them to reset their IP addresses.
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