the brake scorecard
Score every brake the same way.
A brake either works or it doesn't, but "works" has parts. If everyone grades on the same seven, the reports stack into something a regulator can read. This is the test the policy paper calls control integrity, written out so you can run it in your own hand.
the seven parts of a working brake
Discoverable
Can you find the control without googling it?
Clear
Does it say what will change? “Show me less” is not “turn off recommendations.”
Immediate
Does the feed change soon after you set it, or only on some later refresh?
Material
Does the feed actually change in a way you can perceive, or is it cosmetic?
Persistent
Does the choice survive closing and reopening the app, another device, and time?
Scoped
Does it cover Reels, Shorts, Explore, notifications, and suggested accounts, or just one screen?
Non-circumventing
Does the platform respect it, or nag, reset, and route you back?
four honest outcomes (a real test lets a platform pass)
Held
The choice took effect and survived the reopen.
Reset
It reverted to the algorithm when you came back.
Never
It did nothing you could perceive.
Inconclusive
Unclear, partial, or you could not tell.
We do not announce the result before the test. If your brake held, that is a real result too, and it tells the platform which control to copy.
the board
swipe the board sideways →
| Platform | Verified reports | |
|---|---|---|
| awaiting reports | file one → | |
| awaiting reports | file one → | |
| TikTok | awaiting reports | file one → |
| YouTube | awaiting reports | file one → |
| Snapchat | awaiting reports | file one → |
| X | awaiting reports | file one → |
This board is built from what people find, not from what we assume. It stays empty of verdicts until real reports fill it, and it fills honestly, holds and fails both. A central, submittable tally is the next piece of infrastructure; until it exists with a published data-retention and moderation policy, the record lives in the reports you post with #WheresTheBrake.