## Who We Are Aegis is a 3rd party content and account labeler system on Bluesky/ATProto designed over the course of several months to label content to protect Bluesky’s LGBTQIA+ sub-cluster,  though it's available for general use by the entire English Language cluster. Our team is composed of a handful of diverse individuals comprising varied identities, professions, and lived experiences, all of whom are active on the network. We have two public faces, however, the remainder of the operator team is anonymized for their protection. We conduct ourselves thus by the motto We Keep Us Safe, as a reminder to ourselves that those best suited to safeguard a community are those actively engaged in it, with an interest in preserving the norms and relative safety this cluster has benefitted from. ## Our Vision We believe that a better online community is not only possible, but essential to the wellbeing of thousands on this network. We do not seek to become the de facto moderation network on Bluesky. Rather, we seek to be just one of many composable systems that users can utilize to tailor their online experience to their liking. No one should feel obligated to utilize our systems nor agree with its methodology or decisions. For any label or criteria that we do not represent, we hope and encourage other labelers to rise to meet the needs of the community. We will never create labeling criteria for which one of our operators is not qualified to adjudicate. Finally, we utilize our system not as a sword, but as a shield, designed with the singular goal to protect the most vulnerable. If a user receives a label and demonstrates a change of heart, or has intent to make amends, we believe in restorative justice, and will gladly appeal that judgment. ## Aegis Content Moderation Policy Aegis has a public [[Moderation Policy|Content Moderation Policy]]. This policy outlines our categories and why we might label content for each label. ## Aegis Operators Aegis has published a description of each moderator's experience with Moderation and Trust & Safety. It's available [[Operator Descriptions|here]]. ## Declaration of Values Aegis has additionally published the moderation team's position on various world events and stances. You can view it [[Declaration of Values|here]]. ## FAQ ### How do I use aegis.blue? Visit [https://bsky.app/profile/aegis.blue](https://bsky.app/profile/aegis.blue) and click the "Subscribe to Labeler" button. ### What isn't included with Aegis? Aegis cannot ban an account. We have no control over the Bluesky Personal Data Servers. Aegis also cannot apply default labels or the labels that Bluesky's Moderation service can. ### What languages does Aegis support? Aegis is primarily concerned with labeling English language content only. We do have moderators that can read and speak a variety of other languages, but not to the level that they can understand native speakers. ### What is your affiliation with Bluesky PBLLC? We have none. No member or operator of the Aegis team works for Bluesky. Aegis is an entirely 3rd party system. ### Does Aegis use AI/ML? No. All reports and appeals are read and reviewed by moderators. ### Does mass reporting help? No. One report and ten thousand reports, for the same content, look the same to Aegis operators. ### What information does Aegis get in a report? Only the reporter's name, the reported content, and the comment you enter in the report. We do not have access to emails or IPs. ### Why was my content labeled? The aegis.blue account will **_never_** provide proof upon request as we believe that the constant sharing and recirculating of grievances only perpetuates cycles of online conflict, those which we are hoping to break. Our known public mods might, but that is at their discretion only. Harassing them to do so would violate both Aegis and Bluesky's content moderation policies. It's also possible the content you quoted in a post is what is got labeled and not your post. ### I believe my account or post was labeled incorrectly Since aegis.blue is a labeler service that operates directly on the Bluesky network, you can appeal the label directly on Bluesky. For more information see [[Docs/Appealing a Label|Appealing a Label]]