Suspensions are fairly serious punishments that are usually issued for severe or repeated marketplace rules violations. But they may also be handed out in error, or to protect a legitimate user’s account from being hijacked by a bad actor to use for further violations.
In that light, here are some tips for how marketplace Trust and Safety teams should manage suspending users.
Spell out suspension conditions clearly
Include as part of the marketplace’s guidelines a fairly complete (but not overly exhaustive) list of reasons why an account may be suspended. Specify (as best as possible) when suspensions will be temporary or permanent, as well as how long temporary suspensions will last.
Also, be sure to list situations in which a user’s account may be suspended without them necessarily doing anything wrong. Usually, this will include protecting their account from a potential hack or takeover.
Consider implementing a tiered suspension system
Some marketplaces have systems of escalating consequences – of which suspension is usually one – for repeated rules violations. For example, a Youtube account suspension usually occurs after three incidents of rules violations within a given time period. This results in a temporary suspension the first time; the second time, the suspension may be permanent.
Again, if using such a setup, clearly outline how it works in the marketplace’s Trust and Safety guidelines. Be sure to include stipulations that particularly egregious rules violations may have their consequences immediately escalated to suspensions, even with a lack of prior infractions.
Notify users when they are suspended, and give a reason
If a Trust and Safety team is forced to suspend a user’s account, it should send an account suspension notice to that user. The notice should include the rules violation(s) the user was suspended for (as specific as possible), whether the suspension is temporary or permanent, and how long the suspension will likely last (if not permanently).
This is especially important for incidents where the suspended user is not at fault, such as if a Trust and Safety team suspects the user’s account has been compromised.
Allow for suspension appeals
Trust and Safety moderators – whether human or software – can occasionally make inconsistent judgments. That’s why marketplaces should have mechanisms through which a user can appeal an account suspension.
A marketplace should make its appeal mechanism reasonably accessible. It should clearly explain the appeal policies, where to find them, and how to enact them. The mechanism for appeal should also outline what’s involved in the appeal process, and how long it typically takes.
Trust and Safety teams should also set and explain conditions on when appeals can be made. For example, appeals can only be made a certain number of times within a specified timeframe. Or suspensions issued for certain severe rules violations may not be eligible for appeals. This helps to keep serious or repeat offenders from continually trying to appeal suspensions when they have no legitimate reason to.
Manage account suspension policies and decisions responsibly with Unit21
Hopefully, a Trust and Safety team will rarely need to suspend accounts on a marketplace. But this is a necessary process for maintaining marketplace security and confidence by getting rid of bad actors who knowingly break the rules.
Still, it’s something that should be handled with care to avoid unintentionally scaring legitimate users away – both current and future. That’s why it’s helpful to have automated tools to monitor for suspendable offenses, as well as to review cases to determine if suspensions are warranted.
Unit21 has solutions for both – book a demo with us to see how they work in action.
