Substack's Double Moderation Standards: Nazis Are Okay But AI Is Not

Chris Best, the CEO of Substack, the popular platform for writing and monetizing newsletters (and more), has made it abundantly clear that the platform isn't going to moderate hate speech from self-proclaimed Nazis and fascists on it's platform.

What Best and his team will do is moderate content generated by AI on the platform. Because after all that's the bigger issue here... Right?! (yes, I'm being sarcastic.)

He writes:

“It’s getting harder to tell what’s real on the internet [and that] when content made by no one takes over parts of the internet that are supposed to be human, it pollutes the commons and makes it hard to discover and hear human voices.”

Yes, but some of those human voices are vile and repugnant!

Best's public stance on content moderation has created a significant policy contradiction that undermines the platform's integrity.

Substack leadership communicated to The Verge a firm "hands-off" policy, explicitly permitting extremist content like Nazi propaganda to remain unmoderated.

This absolutist position is now directly contradicted by a new, targeted mandate to moderate AI-generated content, which must be tagged or will be removed from the platform.

It's this selective enforcement creates a clear values hierarchy: the platform is more concerned with the method of content creation (AI) than the substance of the content itself (hate speech), exposing a critical flaw in its strategic positioning.

The Stated Thesis: Non-Interference

• The Principle: As articulated by CEO Chris Best, Substack's official stance is that it is not in the business of moderating content.
• The Application: This policy has been used to justify the continued presence of extremist content, including newsletters from "Nazis and alt-right" figures.

The Contradictory Antithesis: AI Moderation

• The New Rule: The platform announced it will now moderate for the use of Artificial Intelligence in writing.
• The Enforcement: Content created with AI must be explicitly tagged, with the implication of removal if it is not compliant.

The platform is now in the weird position of actively policing the tools of expression (AI) while refusing to police the content of expression (hate speech).

So here's the question... Is Substack moderating content or not?

The selective application suggests the "non-moderation" stance is not a principle but a convenience. Or worse?

The Argument: I Don't Like It, But All Platforms Have This Issue?

The argument that all platforms have a Nazi problem is so beyond stupid. By publishing on the Substack platform your supporting the spread of Nazi and fascist hate speech.

Yes, your little newsletter about gardening or tech if published on Substack is fueling the problem.

You don't like it? Move your newsletter! There are tons of better options out there that both function better and don't platform hate.

-Seth Goldstein

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