Content moderation is a delicate balancing act for social media platforms trying to grow their user base. In the following essay, the authors discuss their research and its implications for policymakers who want to regulate social media platforms. Moderating Content, Maximizing ProfitsIn our forthcoming paper, “Implications of Revenue Models and Technology for Content Moderation Strategies,” we study how social media platforms driven by profits may or may not moderate online content. “Social media platforms face a challenge acting as the custodians of the internet, while at the same time being the center of self-expression and user-generated content.”When different social media platforms moderate content, the most significant determinant is their bottom line. A second important factor in content moderation is the quality of the content moderation technology.