Multi-Level Collaborative Content Moderation for Real-Time Media

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current content moderation systems in real-time communications face challenges with latency and inappropriate content leakage, as they require significant processing time to classify and moderate media streams, leading to degraded user experiences and potential exposure to harmful content.

Innovation Solution

A scalable multi-level collaborative content moderation system that employs a local content moderation module on the client device to classify media streams in real-time, with the option to scale uncertain portions for centralized moderation, and blurs inappropriate content immediately, while utilizing a cloud-based system for secondary verification.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If centralized content moderation is used to ensure high accuracy in content classification, then content moderation accuracy is improved, but latency increases and inappropriate content may leak during processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent classification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing latency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The content moderation system is segmented into two independent parts: a local content moderation module that operates immediately on media streams and a centralized content moderation device that provides secondary verification. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both low latency (through local processing) and high accuracy (through centralized verification), resolving the contradiction between speed and precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The local content moderation module acts as an intermediary between the media stream and the centralized system. It performs preliminary classification and immediate action on inappropriate content, while only uncertain cases are forwarded to the centralized device for secondary verification. This intermediary approach reduces latency by handling most content locally while maintaining accuracy through centralized oversight.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If all media streams are processed by centralized content moderation to maintain high accuracy, then content moderation accuracy is improved, but network bandwidth is consumed and processing speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent classification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing throughput
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and processes only the uncertain portions of media streams that require centralized verification, rather than processing all content through the centralized system. This extraction approach reduces network bandwidth consumption and processing load on the centralized device while maintaining high accuracy for the subset of content that needs it most.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The local content modulation module takes excessive action by immediately blocking inappropriate content without waiting for centralized verification, while only performing partial processing (forwarding to centralized system) for uncertain content. This partial/excessive action strategy improves throughput by handling the majority of content locally while maintaining accuracy through selective centralized verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Speed

If local content moderation module is used to reduce latency, then processing speed is improved, but content moderation accuracy may decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidcontent classification accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The local content moderation module performs preliminary action by immediately classifying and acting on media content without waiting for centralized verification. This preliminary processing achieves low latency for the majority of content, while accuracy is maintained through subsequent centralized verification of uncertain cases, thus resolving the contradiction between speed and precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3952315B1Scalable multi-level collaborative content moderation
Publication Date: 2023.07.19 AGORA LAB INC
  • EP3952315B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3952315B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3952315B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Content moderation in real-time communication includes receiving, by a sending device of a sending user, a first portion of a media stream from the sending user; determining, by the sending device, that the first portion of the media stream is classified as uncertain for transmission to a receiving user; transmitting, by the sending device to a centralized content moderation device, the first portion of the media stream, where the centralized content moderation device determines a centralized determination of whether the first portion is appropriate; in response to the centralized determination indicating that the first portion is appropriate, transmitting, by the sending device to the receiving user, the first portion; and, in response to the centralized determination indicating that the first portion is inappropriate, transmitting, by the sending device to the receiving user, a blurred first portion of the first portion.