Moderation Team
Moderation Team goals is to build and manage the moderation process.
Moderation Team is composed of experienced users, or people motivated to help (and who are not afraid to ask questions).
Moderation rules
First of all, as a moderator, if you're not sure of what you're doing, ask other moderators in the #moderators chanel on Slack.
For every case you should take care of the whole concerned product: a moderation issue often reveals a completely false product.
If you're not sure a new product matches with a real product, delete the whole product.
The following rules don't apply to the product itself: ex. if a product contains a picture with a face.
1. Product picture with a people face
- The face is clearly recognizable? => Delete the picture.
- The face isn't clearly recognizable? => Keep the picture, optionally crop it.
2. Product picture containing both the product and part of a body
- The part of the body can re-identify somebody? => Delete the picture.
- The part of the body cannot re-identify somebody (ex. legs) => Keep the picture, optionally crop it.
- Delete the picture.
4. Product picture containing parts with obscene or illegal content
- Delete the picture.
5. Empty or nearly empty products
- When the product entered is almost empty (no name, no picture, no nutritional information, but possibly lang and country), it is automatically deleted. There is no need to delete it.
- When the product only have very few data (name, country, maybe brand) but no picture, no or very few nutritional information, it won't be automatically deleted, so you can remove it.
6. Non-food products
Many non-food products are published on the Open Food Facts website.
- If possible, move the whole product: just put
obforopforopff(respectively for Open Beauty Facts, Open Products Facts and Open Pet Food Facts), in the first field of the form, introduced byIf the barcode is not correct, please correct it here:. - Sometimes the product already exists and you can't move it. In this case:
- You can still move the photo using the
Manage Imagesinterface (see screenshot). Select the photos and fill the Barcode field, either withobforopforopff. - When you have moved the photos and the content, you can delete the product on Open Food Facts.
- You can still move the photo using the
7. Picture taken from manufacturer's site, shopping sites or other sites
As mentioned in the FAQs:
Can I add product pictures or data from the manufacturer's site, shopping sites or other sites?
Probably not. Almost all other sites forbid reproduction and reuse of their data and images, and that is actually the reason why we have created Open Food Facts: to make all this data available to all and for all uses.
To avoid any legal problem, we therefore ask contributors to only add pictures that they took themselves, and only data that is coming from the product packaging and label.
Hence, if you find a picture that is taken from other website:
- check that it was not uploaded by the producer itself
- make sure that it is taken from other website by finding the original picture. You can use reversed image searches. Mind the details such as expiry date, lot number, etc.
- ask confirmation from other moderators
- make sure that all possible information from the picture have been extracted to the fields (such as product name, brand, weight, etc.) because if this picture is the single picture of the product, these information will be lost.
- finally, delete them
How to delete a picture
prerequisite: you need to be moderator.
- Click on the Edit button
- Click on Manage images
- Select the picture(s) you have to delete
- Click on Delete the images
How to delete a product
prerequisite: you need to be moderator.
- Next to the Edit button, click on Delete the product page
- Write the reason of removal under Reason for removal
- Click on Delete the product page
Recurrent vandalism from a user
Here is our current process about it.
- Don't delete the user account: it's easier to watch the activity of a known vandal.
- Try to contact the user to stop him/her.
- Write a factual email (see template below). Be gentle! We are a project for providing food transparency and not to argue with somebody about bad practices or legal issues.
- Tell other moderators about your action.
- Prefer moderation-off-private private Slack channel. Other channels are ok.
- If you don't get any answer and the user still abusing, block his/her IP.
- Ask a sysadmin to block the IP.
- Sysadmin can find the corresponding IP: sysadmin@off1:~$ [todo]
- Sysadmin should add the date to know when to delete old entries.
- Ask a sysadmin to block the IP.
Email template
Subject: False data in Open Food Facts database
Hello,
[if you prefer]I'm writing you as a member of the Open Food Facts moderation team.[/if you prefer]
You have entered many false data in Open Food Facts database. This is against our terms of use which you have agreed:
"Contributors agree to enter true information when they register and to update it if it changes.
Contributions are public.
All contributions are archived and the edit history of the product pages is public. Furthermore, the lists of products added or edited by a specific user are public.
In order to ensure the integrity and traceability of information and data, the public nature of contributions cannot be revoked."
Please, do not continue to enter false data.
Best regards,
Recurrent errors from a user
Here is our current process about it.
- Don't blame him/her, don't delete the user account: he/she's probably acting in good faith.
- Try to contact the user to help him/her.
- Write a factual email (see template below). Be gentle! We are a project for providing food transparency and not to argue with somebody about bad practices or legal issues.
- Tell other moderators about your action.
- Prefer moderation-off-private private Slack channel. Other channels are ok.
- If you don't get any answer, repeat step 2 twice or three times.
- If you don't get any answer and the user still making annoying errors, block his/her IP.
- Ask a sysadmin to block the IP.
- Sysadmin can find the corresponding IP: sysadmin@off1:~$ [todo]
- Sysadmin should add the date to know when to delete old entries.
- Ask a sysadmin to block the IP.
Email template
Subject: Issues in Open Food Facts database
Hello,
[if you prefer]I'm writing you as a member of the Open Food Facts moderation team.[/if you prefer]
You have [describe the issue here, be factual]. [Then explain why this is an issue].
Maybe you want to achieve a particular goal. Can you explain it? Can we help you? Do you want to have a short talk to speak about it?
Don't hesitate to ask me any question, or joining Open Food Facts Forum or Slack space to ask every kind of questions, share your thought, or even meet other contributors.
Best regards,
FAQ
Q: What are the responsibilities of a moderator?
(main article: Admin rights) A: Moderators help maintain the accuracy and quality of Open Food Facts data. They have various tools to ensure this, including:
- Editing product information: This includes correcting ingredient lists (with one click!), deleting products in cases of vandalism or incorrect barcodes, and moving products to the appropriate category (Open Beauty Facts or Open Products Facts).
- Managing product images: Moderators can move images to the correct product page and delete irrelevant images (pictures of people, animals, etc.). However, they should not delete product images themselves, even if they are old or of poor quality (see other question as to why).
- Limited access to producer platform: Moderators can view and edit products from different users and organizations, but only for specific purposes.
Q: When should I delete a product?
A: Products should only be deleted in rare cases, such as vandalism or incorrect barcodes (and only after checking you can’t move the data to the proper barcode). If you're unsure, consult with other moderators.
Q: Can I delete images of products?
A: Only delete images that are not relevant to Open Food Facts, like pictures of people or animals. If possible, move misplaced images to the correct product page instead of deleting them.
Q: What about editing the product barcode?
A: If you encounter an incorrect barcode, simply correct it. You can also indicate you want to move a product to Open Beauty Facts, Open Pet Food Facts or Open Products Facts by adding "obf", “opff” or "opf" in the designated field.
Q: Can I access the producer platform?
A: Moderator access to the producer platform is restricted. Only use this feature if you have a clear reason to do so, and please notify Manon or Charlotte beforehand (producers@openfoodfacts.org) .
Q: What does checking the product checkbox do?
A: Checking the product checkbox adds information about the last edit/verification time and moderator username to the product data (API). This information is updated if the product is edited further and the second checkbox appears. Remember: If you're unsure about any moderator action, always ask for guidance from other moderators.
Why does Open Food Facts Keep All Images, Even Old and Duplicates?
Open Food Facts keeps all product images, even old and duplicate ones, for a few key reasons: - Data Verification: Images act as a primary source of truth for the information entered. By having the actual packaging alongside the listed ingredients, nutrition facts, etc., users can verify the data’s accuracy and even spot errors. - Some images include information not visible on similar images - Sometimes, we realize the value of information many years after they are taken, as our knowledge of little symbols evolves, or as data extraction systems become better. - Tracking Packaging Changes: Over time, product packaging can change. Keeping older images allows users to track these design modifications and identify specific product versions. - Open Data Philosophy: Open Food Facts is committed to open data, meaning information is freely available for anyone to use. This includes all images, even duplicates, which can be valuable for various purposes. For instance, researchers might use them to analyze historical food labeling trends. While storing duplicates might seem redundant, the benefits of comprehensiveness and data verification outweigh the storage space considerations for Open Food Facts.