harassment
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Reddit widens its anti-harassment policies to enable swifter crackdowns
Reddit is toughening its anti-harassment policies, and that's having consequences for parts of its community. The social site's new approach no longer limits harassment to those instances of "continued" or "systematic" activity, and includes any instance where a perpetrator tries to "shut someone out of the conversation," not just threats to real-world safety. That can include direct threats against people or whole groups, rallying others for harassment campaigns, following someone around or otherwise taking measures that would "discourage a reasonable person" from using Reddit.
EA meets with gamers to help curb toxic behavior online
EA knows online harassment is a problem with its games like anyone else's, and it's taking some (small) steps toward creating a less toxic space. The publisher used the recent Gamescom expo to hold the first meeting of the Healthy Communities Player Council, a group of gamers teaming with EA to address vile behavior in online gaming. While EA focused on sharing updates on its own efforts (including improved harassment reporting tools and research into disruptive behavior), the Council offered feedback on what EA could do better -- and it apparently had a few ideas.
Google employees still face retaliation for reporting workplace issues
It's been nearly a year since 20,000 Google employees held a walkout to protest the company's handling of sexual harassment and misconduct. While Google promised to make changes, employees have since charged the company with having a "retaliation culture." Today, Recode reports that a dozen current and former Google employees are still afraid to report workplace issues.
Epic vows to support 'Ooblets' studio following exclusivity harassment
Indie studio Glumberland, developer of cute and quirky life simulator Ooblets, announced its decision to sign a PC exclusivity deal with Epic Games last week. It essentially secured the company's future, but it has also become the target of widespread harassment as a result of locking its PC title to the Epic Games Store.
Lyft acknowledges its response to sexual harassment has fallen short
Lyft acknowledges that its response to sexual harassment has fallen short in some instances. Despite the ridesharing company's attempts to position itself as a mission-driven brand with a "friendly, hospitality-oriented personality," a growing number of women say they've been harassed by drivers. To make things worse, they say, the company's response is often tone-deaf and insufficient.
Two-thirds of online gamers in the US experience 'severe' harassment
It's no secret that online gaming can harbor toxic and abusive behavior. But a new survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says as many as many as two-thirds of US online gamers have experienced "severe" harassment. More than half of the respondents said they've been targeted based on their race, religion, ability, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity. Nearly 30 percent claim they've been doxxed in an online game, and nearly a quarter of respondents say they've been exposed to white supremacist ideology.
Twitter will label tweets from politicians that violate rules
Twitter is adding a label to tweets that break its rules but are still considered to be in the public interest, namely from elected officials or those running for office. The company mentioned in March it was considering such a policy, and now it's enacting the measure effective immediately.
Google will work with LGBTQ+ groups on harassment policies
In the wake of YouTube's controversial decision not to pull videos containing homophobic and racist attacks, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote an internal email acknowledging that "the LGBTQ+ community has felt a lot of pain and frustration over recent events." While a few Google execs have already apologized for YouTube's decision, Pichai's email carries more weight given his position. The email, obtained by The Verge, also suggests that Google plans to conduct more internal discussions aimed at addressing its harassment policies.
YouTube tries to explain its policies on harassment, again
Over the last few days, there has been a lot of focus on YouTube's inaction when it came to an internet personality harassing Vox host Carlos Maza with anti-gay and racist speech that frequently incited harassment. Tonight the streaming platform released its first detailed statement about the incidents, as well as its decision not to pull the videos posted by Steven Crowder and follow-up decision to demonetize them. Unlike notes sent to Engadget in response to previous inquiries and tweets sent out today from the @TeamYouTube account, this has a name attached -- that of head of communications Chris Dale. In his post, Dale said (without mentioning specific examples) "we sometimes host opinions and views that many, ourselves included, may find offensive." However the most notable section is here: Not everyone will agree with the calls we make — some will say we haven't done enough; others will say we've gone too far. And, sometimes, a decision to leave an offensive video on the site will look like us defending people who have used their platforms and audiences to bully, demean, marginalize or ignore others. If we were to take all potentially offensive content down, we'd be losing valuable speech — speech that allows people everywhere to raise their voices, tell their stories, question those in power, and participate in the critical cultural and political conversations of our day. Specifically relating to Crowder's channel, Dale reiterated YouTube's claim that for reinstatement of monetization, it would need to deal with "all relevant issues" causing harm to YouTube's community. There's still no indication of exactly how YouTube plans to improve its enforcement, but as it has many times before, the company is out there trying to explain what it thinks it's doing to make things better.
YouTube declines to pull videos containing homophobic, racist attacks
YouTube is catching flak for an apparently inconsistent approach to tackling hate speech on its platform. The site has declined to remove videos from right-wing commentator Steven Crowder after Vox host Carlos Maza provided evidence of Crowder using targeted homophobic and racist speech over two years, including uses of offensive stereotypes. Maza noted that the attacks led to a "wall" of bigoted abuse on social networks, not to mention doxxing that led to hundreds of texts to his cellphone and a phone call. YouTube, however, claimed that Crowder hadn't violated any policies.
Xbox chief outlines plans to curb toxic behavior
Xbox head Phil Spencer has laid out some measures to combat some of the more negative aspects that pervade gaming communities such as toxicity and abuse. He wrote in a blog post that "gaming is for everyone" and people everywhere, from all backgrounds and walks of life, "are welcome to play and welcome to all the fun and skill-building that comes with gaming."
YouTube wants more YouTubers in its 'Trending' feed
YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki has answered mounting concerns about how it handles content, including who gets the most coveted promotions. She acknowledged feedback that the "Trending" section tended to rehash content "again and again," and vowed that the site would have "at least half" of its trending videos come from YouTubers, with the rest belonging to music and conventional outlets. The company was already near that goal, Wojcicki said, but it would "expand on" that target.
Google makes it easier for employees to report harassment
Google is making it easier for employees to file harassment and discrimination complaints by setting up a dedicated site for them to do so. Melonie Parker, the company's chief diversity officer, wrote in a letter to employees that Google has firmed up some of the commitments it made in November following an outcry from employees.
Tesla accuses investor of harassing and stalking its workers
Tesla and Elon Musk haven't been fans of people short-selling company stock (earlier talk of going private was partly a response to that), but they apparently have extra reason to be worried about one short seller in particular. The EV maker has obtained a temporary restraining order against Randeep Hothi after accusing the man of routinely threatening its staff. He reportedly injured a security guard at Tesla's Fremont factory with his car in February after he was asked to leave the parking lot, and on April 16th stalked a Tesla-owned Model 3 for 35 minutes on the freeway to the point where he forced the car into a automatic emergency maneuver to avoid a collision.
Austria draft law would require real names for internet comments
It's not just China that wants to reduce anonymity online. Austria's government has introduced a draft law that would require you to provide your real name and address to larger sites before commenting. You could still use a nickname in public, but authorities would have an easy way to find you if they believe you're harassing users or otherwise violating the law. Companies that didn't honor the law could face fines up to €500,000 (about $562,000) if they didn't comply, and twice that with a repeat offense.
Twitter lets you appeal suspensions in the app for a faster response
Twitter users suspended for violating conduct guidelines can now appeal the decision inside the app, a new feature that the company says will lead to faster response times. The social media giant unveiled the feature on Tuesday in a tweet that showed how a recently suspended user goes through the steps of filing an appeal. Normally, after you tweet something that gets reported or flagged, Twitter moderators rule whether or not your account deserves to be suspended. Users who believed they were wrongfully suspended had to resort to an online form, and response times usually varied from a few hours to more than a week.
'Overwatch' endorsements reduced toxic behavior by 40 percent
Blizzard has been waging a war against toxic players for a while, but how is it faring, exactly? Quite well, it seems. The company's Natasha Miller has revealed that the number of matches with "negative behavior" has dropped 40 percent since the addition of endorsements, the "looking for group" feature and penalties for prematurely quitting matches. Players were not only encouraged to play as a team and stick through the entirety of matches, but could find teammates who were more likely to complement their skills and gameplay styles.
Study says 37 percent of Americans have faced 'severe' online harassment
It might be premature to claim the internet is becoming more civil. A YouGov study commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League indicates that 37 percent of Americans dealt with "severe" online harassment and hate speech in 2018, or more than twice as much as they reported in 2017. Moreover, women and minorities reported at least some kind of harassment based on their identity. About 63 percent of LBGTQ+ respondents said they'd been targeted, while Muslims (35 percent), Hispanics (30 percent), African-Americans (27 percent), women (24 percent), Asian-Americans (20 percent) and Jews (16 percent) also encountered hate speech.
YouTube will experiment with ways to prevent dislike button 'mobs'
YouTube is all too aware of the potential for abuse of the dislike button, and it could soon take steps to make people think carefully about hitting that thumbs-down icon. Project management director Tom Leung posted an update this week revealing that YouTube is discussing experiments that could prevent "dislike mobs" from running rampant. It could turn off rating counts by default, require an explanation for a dislike, remove just the dislike count or even remove dislikes altogether.
Trolls threaten laid off reporters in coordinated online campaign
Unfortunately, sustained online harassment campaigns are still a reality. NBC News has learned that trolls have launched a coordinated threat campaign against BuzzFeed and Huffington Post (owned by Engadget parent Verizon) journalists recently let go as part of layoffs. They appear to have originated from 4chan and used the same far-right memes before launching into racist and sexist slurs as well as death threats. The attackers have largely targeted writers on social networks like Twitter and Instagram, although they've also used email and even PayPal.
