Eva & Franco Mattes

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Abuse Standards Violations (2016-21)

A series of wall-mounted insulation panels printed with corporate guidelines that were leaked to us in the course of our investigations into internet content moderation.

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Frankfurter Kunstverein

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Frankfurter Kunstverein

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Frankfurter Kunstverein

Installed at Frankfurter Kunstverein

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

Installed at Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie, Mannheim.

 

 

Eva and Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva and Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

The guidelines refer to images that content moderators need to classify, usually in order to remove them.

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

These guidelines map out morality through the lens of social media, revealing the invisible borders of what’s allowed and what’s forbidden. They are like “filters”: they let some things through while blocking others.

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

Installed at Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

The companies that produced these guidelines are unknown because they want to remain anonymous. Most of the time the moderators don’t even know who their employer is. One of them told us: “I’m pretty sure I work for Google.”

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

In this anatomy of images, CLEAN or OK TO SHOW refers to images that are considered proper and therefore can circulate on social media, like “Shirtless but wearing pants or shirts (and not more than the top band of their underwear is visible).”

 

 

Eva and Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva and Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

While INAPPROPRIATE images may include “politics” and “controversial social issues” and should be filtered by moderators.

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva and Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

abuse-standards-violations-3-side-exhib-carrollfletcher-profile

 

 

According to these guidelines SAFE content includes “fine art” and “celebrity gossip.”

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations

 

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, Abuse Standards Violations