bullying
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Instagram will soon let you appeal post takedowns
While Instagram has made it easy for users to report posts that may violate its policies, there hasn't been a way for people to contest those decisions. But that will be changing soon. In a media briefing in New York City, the company said it is going to start rolling out a new appeals feature over the next few months. This will give users the chance to request a review of content that was taken down, all from inside the app. Instagram says that, if it realizes it made a mistake, it'll restore posts. Any appeal will be sent to a completely different reviewer than the one who made the original decision, in order to ensure that the posts are thoroughly inspected.
Instagram is testing more tools to combat bullying
At the F8 conference today, Facebook announced it's working on more tools to stop and prevent bullying. The changes will include things like nudges -- if you make an aggressive comment, Instagram will warn you to tone it down a bit. The platform will also offer a new away mode, which users can opt into when they're going through a sensitive time -- possibly a breakup or a transition to a new school.
Instagram uses machine learning to spot bullying in photos
Instagram can already thwart some bullying in comments. Now, however, it can do the same for photos. The social service is introducing a system that uses machine learning to "proactively" spot bullying in photos and their captions. Human moderators will still review the content before making a judgment call, but this theoretically catches harassment that might not be reported for a while, if at all. You'll see the feature roll out over the "coming weeks."
Facebook adds new tools to address harassment and bullying
Facebook is releasing a handful of new tools aimed at protecting people from bullying and harassment. First, users will soon have new methods of dealing with harassing comments. When a user finds that comments on their post are negative, hurtful or in any way unwanted, they'll be able to hide or delete multiple comments at one time. The feature is rolling out now on desktop and Android and should be available on iOS in the coming months. Additionally, Facebook says it's also testing ways for users to easily search for and block certain words from showing up in their comments, though there's no word yet on when that function might be available.
Twitter wants to ‘increase the health of public conversation’
Twitter doesn't only want to be more transparent about the toxic content on its site, it also wants to be more proactive about removing it altogether. Speaking to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today, as part of a hearing titled "Twitter: Transparency and Accountability," CEO Jack Dorsey said that his company's singular objective is to "increase the health of public conversation." But he said this isn't just about spotting and removing abusive content like harassment, or blocking suspicious accounts. It's also about doing so in a timely, more proactive manner. As it stands, Dorsey said, Twitter relies heavily on users reporting others' bad behavior and that simply needs to change.
Ruby Rose is the latest celebrity driven off Twitter by abuse
It's only been a few days since Ruby Rose was cast as "Batwoman" for the CW series Arrowverse, but the Australian actor has already had to quit Twitter after a stream of abusive messages. Much of the backlash has focused on accusations that Rose -- who identifies as gender fluid and is a prominent LGBTQ activist -- isn't "gay enough" to play the role of Kate Kane (aka Batwoman) who is a lesbian in the comic books. Some others took issue with the fact that, unlike the character in the comics, Rose isn't Jewish. Still others simply questioned her acting ability, leading to the creation of #recastbatwoman campaign on social media.
Facebook: AI will protect you
Artificial intelligence is a key part of everything Facebook does, from chatbots in Messenger to powering the personalized recommendations you get on apps like Instagram. But, as great as the technology is to create new and deeper experiences for users, Facebook says the most important role of AI lies in keeping its community safe. Today at F8, the company's chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, highlighted how valuable the tech has become to combating abuse on its platform, including hate speech, bullying and terrorist content. Schroepfer pointed to stats Facebook revealed last month that showed that its AI tools removed almost two million pieces of terrorist propaganda, with 99 percent of those being spotted before a human even reported them.
Facebook reveals how it handles harassment inside US offices
Facebook has been publicly searching for a solution to harassment, hate speech and bullying on the site for years -- and at the same time, less publicly, the company has been honing its internal approach to these subjects. Today, Facebook published its US harassment policy, in full, in an attempt to "be as transparent as possible, share best practices, and learn from one another -- recognizing that policies will evolve as we gain experience," according to COO Sheryl Sandberg and VP of People Lori Goler.
Facebook to train UK students as cyber safety experts
Facebook has pledged more than £1 million to help turn British schoolchildren into "digital safety ambassadors." The scheme, created by Childnet International and The Diana Award, will teach students about social media, cyberbullying and the hazards of the wider internet. They will then act as a support group for their friends and fellow pupils, fielding questions and leading online safety initiatives in the classroom. Facebook says its investment will allow every UK secondary school to have its own digital safety ambassador, should they be interested in the project. In total, that could be an extra 4,500 pupils sharing good advice with their peers.
UK teens say Instagram is the worst app for cyberbullying
New research claims Instagram is home to more cyberbullies than any other social media platform. The findings form part of UK anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label's annual survey, which consulted over 10,000 young people aged 12 to 20.
Online harassment keeps getting worse, study shows
Harassment is sadly an increasing inevitability on the internet with a new study showing that 41 percent of adults saying they've it experienced personally and 73 percent saying they've seen it happen to someone else. According to the Pew Research Center study, the most common form of online harassment is offensive name-calling, which has been personally experienced by 51 percent of men aged 18-24. Men in this age group were also more likely to have been purposefully embarrassed and physically threatened.
Leak reveals Facebook's rules for controversial content
It's no secret that Facebook's judgment calls on risky content are sometimes more than a little problematic. But just what are the rules guiding those decisions? You'll know after today. The Guardian has obtained leaked copies of over 100 internal documents outlining Facebook's rules for handling sensitive content, and it's clear that the social network is struggling to walk a fine line between freedom of expression and protecting users. At least some of it is understandable, but there are areas where its decision-making might rub you the wrong way.
Police make first arrest in Facebook Live sexual assault case
Law enforcement is taking sweeping action following a horrific sexual assault streamed on Facebook Live. Chicago police report that they've made the first arrest in the case, bringing a 14-year-old boy into custody. There will be more arrests soon, according to the CPD, including a 15-year-old who's next in line. Details of the case are mostly under wraps beyond a connection between the victim and one of her attackers (their age prevents disclosing some of the facts). However, it's already clear that the livestream wasn't the end to the internet-based trauma -- in fact, it's still ongoing.
Kesha's internet advice: Don't read the comments
Online bullying is a problem for many of us who use the internet, but it's an especially pressing issue for young people. It's a subject pop star Kesha understands well, having been bullied herself and working as an anti-bullying advocate. Here at SXSW Interactive, the musician sat down for a talk about reclaiming the internet, where she delved into her own issues with social networks (and also, unrelatedly, her love of animals).
US and UK among the most civil nations online, Microsoft says
Today is "Safer Internet Day," so Microsoft has released some stats showing relative safety and civility by nation. It turns out that people find each other pretty civil online in the US, as the nation placed third on Microsoft's "Digital Civility Index." It can't hold a candle to the UK, however, which has the nicest internet community by a comfortable margin. By contrast, the worst places to be online are South Africa, Mexico and Russia, nations that also happen to struggle with high violent crime rates in the real world.
Kanye West, incest and Twitter's First Amendment conundrum
NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts. On Nov. 11th, 2014, Kim Kardashian's ass broke the internet. Her iconic posterior, photographed by Jean-Paul Goude, graced the cover of Paper magazine and became an instant meme. Like a pillow-y flesh bomb, Kardashian's butt exploded into a firestorm of praise and disgust. The New York Times warned of the perils of a massive ass, while social networks and daytime talk shows teemed with hot takes about the young mother's butt.
Instagram should have had harassment prevention tools years ago
I was never sure when it was going to happen next. I'd open Instagram and see the heart-shaped notification icon lit up. Maybe three of you liked my latest #nofilter sunset shot! Except sometimes, instead of hearts, what I saw were comments from strangers. Usually mean ones.
Nicki Minaj and Will.i.am backed the 'perfect' bullying app
Hip-hop artists Nicki Minaj and Will.i.am are under fire for investing in an app, called Blindspot, that's said to encourage bullying. Launched last month for Android and iOS, the application lets users send anonymous messages to anyone from their contacts list. While it's being compared to the now-defunct Secret social network, Blindspot only focuses on private chats between two people -- similar to services such as WhatsApp and Viber. Here, however, the receiver never knows who a message is from, and that could easily become the perfect tool for bullies, trolls and other people with hateful intentions.
Unfriending Facebook friends can be considered bullying in Australia
It's tempting to unfriend people on social networks when you're mad at them, but you may want to think twice about it when coworkers are involved... at least, in Australia. The country's Fair Work Commission has determined that an administrator's decision to unfriend a fellow employee on Facebook constituted evidence of bullying. While this wasn't the only example (there was plenty of name-calling and purposeful neglect), it helped demonstrate the "lack of emotional maturity" involved with the harassment. As a result, the victim now has an order to stop the bullying, which triggered anxiety, depression and sleeping disorders.
'#Notifications' is a weak attempt at simulating online abuse
Spend enough time on social media and you're bound to make a mistake that'll piss a few people off. It's pretty much inevitable. That's what the free indie "game" #notifications is all about. It begins the way many of us start our day: lying in bed, checking Twitter ("Twiddler" in this case) on a smartphone. There's a single eponymous notification for you at this point: a favorite on a tweet from the night before reading, "Tomorrow's going to be good, I can feel it!" That was incredibly short-lived.