This is a project about mass reports and false reports. Click the green flag and watch. There are a few things I didn't cover, so I'll cover them here. Ask in the comments if there's anything else I should add. Q: What is the difference between a mass and false report? - A false report is done by one person, usually from a lack of understanding the rules. A mass report is done by a large group of people, usually planned ahead of time. Q: How long does it take a mass reported project to be put back up? - 3 weeks, usually. But on occasion it will take longer. Some of my reported projects were never reviewed, even after over a year of waiting. Q: Have there been any mass report groups caught by the scratch team? - Yes. Usually it's just one or two people using bots, but on multiple occasions the Scratch Team caught groups of people converging in studios or in the comments of projects to discuss what projects they want to take down. One example from the past was "Team Scorpion" but they were caught early. Q: My project was mass reported, and the Scratch Team said they wouldn't put it back up. What do I do? - Nothing. The project must have broken the community guidelines, in that case. But if you truly feel like it was a mistake, use contact-us and fill out why you think your project should be reviewed again. Q: A project I found has tag spam. Can I report it for that? - No. The Scratch Team has confirmed they will not take down a project for repeating tags. They WILL, however, take down a project if the tags are off-topic. Like, if a project with no music in it uses the music tag, you could probably report it for that. Q: Someone on my profile said they mass reported my project, what do I do? - Report the comment and move on. Whether or not they were lying will be determined by the Scratch Team. Don't engage, do not spread rumors, and do not try to "fight back" in any way. Just report the comment. Q: My friend's project got taken down! Was it mass reported? - If he tells you it was mass reported, ask for a screenshot. If the screenshot says anything about being "temporarily unshared" then it was mass reported. But if it provides any other reason that was actually determined by the Scratch Team, it was not mass reported. Q: An animation I found uses the art tag. Can I report it for that? - No, probably not. The Scratch Team considers most animations to include art in them. Q: A game I found uses the animation tag. Can I report it for that? - It depends on the type of game. If the game includes cutscenes or animated characters and sprites, then don't report it. If it's one of those eyecube platformers, though, you could report it because it re-uses other people's assets and isn't truly animated. Q: What's the fastest time it took for one of your projects to get mass reported? - 8 minutes. Someone used bots to get my TAG X Fight Entry temporarily unshared. I am aware of who it was, but I'm not going to share. Q: When a project gets mass reported, it gets put back up anyways. So what's the big deal? - There are many reasons why this is an issue. 1) The same project can be mass reported multiple times in a row if the Scratch Team doesn't mark it as "For Everyone" when they reshare it. This happened to and a few other people I know, including myself. 2) Mass reported projects are unlikely to appear on the front page or trending tab, which heavily limits the victim's reach when it gets reshared. 3) You are automatically banned for 1 hour when you get mass reported. When people start mass reporting your projects one after the other on the same day, your ban time will increase. 4) It puts stress on the Scratch Team. Scratch is a non-profit organization. The more overworked the Scratch Team is, the more likely they will make errors when reviewing mass reported projects. I've had to use contact-us multiple times when my projects were taken down for false reasons. 5) Mass reported projects are not always reviewed. I talked about this earlier, but some of my mass reported projects are still unshared even after many months. If this happens to you, use contact-us to alert the Scratch Team faster. 6) There's no real repercussions to the false reporter. Mass reporters get banned if they use bots, but if they cleverly try to sound like confused children who aren't aware of how scratch's reporting system works, they won't face any punishment. Even if they use alts. Q: A project I saw used the word "heck." Can I report it? - No. "Heck" or "Darn" or anything of that sort are not swear words. Chances are, if you can say it in the comments you can say it in a project. Q: Are the terms of use important? - Yes, if a project does something that breaches the terms of use it can get taken down. For example, trying to pass off copyrighted material as your own work. Q: I got mass reported. What do I do? - Use contact-us to get a faster response. Q: How can I help? - You can tell others what the guidelines are.
