Amplification

Overview

Amplification is the way Sonata chooses what content to show and what to hide. It's based on just two things: demonstrating that you're a real person and keeping to the acceptable content and behaviour guidelines.

Every Sonata user has an amplification level between -10 and 3, with new users starting at 0. You may level up by meeting the list of requirements for the next level.

You can use a user's level as a way of quickly telling how genuine their content is and that they stay away from posting socially unacceptable content.

Levels

A quick guide to each level:

• Level 0: A likely new user that has not posted any socially unacceptable content recently.
• Level 1: A user that has completed simple verifications (email and phone number) and that signed up at least 3 days ago.
• Level 2: A user that has also verified their ID, proving themselves to being a real person and that signed up at least 7 days ago.
• Level 3: A user that has also reached a large number of followers, has made many posts with positive engagement and signed up at least 30 days ago.
• Level ! (between -1 and -3): A user that has committed one serious amplification violation recently, or multiple less serious violations.
• Level !! (level -4 and below): A user that has committed many serious amplification violations recently. Less serious violations have a cap on how low they can reduce a level.

Content and Amplification

Every time a user posts content, their current amplification level gets applied to that content. This is only updated if the user edits that content later with a lower amplification level. When shown to other users, Sonata will check both the content's amplification level and the creator's current level. The lower of these two numbers will be used when deciding if and how to display it.

Example 1:_ A user with level 3 amplification posts a note, which has level 3 applied to it as well. That user then commits a violation elsewhere, and is reduced to level -1. The note is then treated as if it were level -1 until the user's violation expires, at which point it returns to being treated as level 3.*

Example 2:_ A user with level 0 amplification posts a note, which has level 0 applied to it. That user then reaches level 3 amplification. This note continues to be treated as level 0.*

Example 3:_ A user with level 2 amplification posts a note, which has level 2 applied to it. That user commits an amplification violation and is reduced to level -3. They then edit this note. The note is lowered to level -3, where it remains, even after the user's violation expires.*

Changes at Each Level

Gaining Levels

Levels are gained by following the requirements for each level, shown on the amplification page in the settings. If you have an active amplification violation, you can progress towards level requirements, but you cannot claim the new levels until the violation has expired.

Losing Levels

Levels can only be lost when a user receives an amplification violation for breaking a rule in the amplification policy.

When this happens, the user is immediately suspended from their positive levels. All of their active violations are then added up and reduced from 0 to calculate their negative level.

All violations have a time limit and the account will be fully restored with no lasting consequences once this time runs out and their positive levels will be re-instated immediately.

If a user has more than one violation at the same time, the expiry timers run concurrently. The existing violations have an effect on the expiry timers of new violations through a multiplier, meaning that as violations stack up, they start lasting for longer. More serious violations have higher multipliers.

Appeals

As with prohibited content violations, all amplification violations can be appealed. This is done on the amplification page in settings. If the appeal is accepted, the violation will be removed and your amplification level recalculated. Other active violations might immediately expire, as the duration multipliers will be recalculated.

Profiles

It's not just notes that can get amplification violations, profiles can receive them too. This can happen if the content on your profile breaks the amplification policy.

If your amplification level is below 0, a warning will show to other users visiting your profile.

Options

You currently have two amplification options for how you see content on Sonata. These are found in settings.

Amplify: Minimise: Any note replies below the amplification level that you set will be minimised and grouped. This lets you filter out low amplification level content without actually removing it, if you did want to take a look.

• Users that you follow will still appear in your feed (with a warning)
• Any notes you have saved will still appear in Saved Notes (with a warning)
• Notes that you have pinned to your own profile will show (with a warning)
• Profiles of all users will show with a warning

Amplify: Remove: Any content below the amplification level that you set will not appear at all for you, as if you had blocked the users. This comes with a few exceptions:

• Any notes you have saved will still appear in Saved Notes (With content blocked)
• Notes that you have pinned to your own profile will show (With content blocked)
• Profiles of users will show a reduced view
• Renotes containing a quote, where the renote is below your setting will still show (with a warning). The quote note will not have a warning.

Violations

Each amplification violation is grouped into one of 6 categories called schedules. These are ranked by seriousness, with level 1 being the most serious and level 6 being the least. More serious violations will have larger effects: longer durations, higher duration multipliers and will reduce the violation level by a larger amount.

Each schedule has a minimum level. These are the lower limits that any number of violations of this schedule can reduce a level to. For example:

If someone receives one schedule 4 violation, their Amplification level will be reduced to -3.

If they receive twelve schedule 4 violations, their Amplification level will be reduced to -3 again as it is capped at -3.

Schedule 1:

• Minimum level: -10
• Violation Length: 90 days
• Multiplier: 1.6
• Each violation reduces level by: 6

Schedule 2:

• Minimum level: -10
• Violation Length: 75 days
• Multiplier: 1.3
• Each violation reduces level by: 5

Schedule 3:

• Minimum level: -7
• Violation Length: 30 days
• Multiplier: 1.2
• Each violation reduces level by: 4

Schedule 4:

• Minimum level: -3
• Violation Length: 10 days
• Multiplier: 1.15
• Each violation reduces level by: 3

Schedule 5:

• Minimum level: -3
• Violation Length: 5 days
• Multiplier: 1.1
• Each violation reduces level by: 1

Schedule 6:

• Minimum level: -3
• Violation Length: 3 days
• Multiplier: 1.05
• Each violation reduces level by: 1