Can a single button stop misogyny on Twitter?
Bullying, threats and alarming amounts of misogyny take place on Twitter. Will a "Report Abuse" button actually discourage harassment on the micro-blogging website?
It's not Twitter, but it's happening on Twitter: Bullying, threats, and an alarming amount of misogyny. Pressure is building from those who say it's not good enough to simply decry online human nature. Will a "Report Abuse" button actually discourage harassment on the micro-blogging website?
When Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman checked her Twitter account on Wednesday, instead of the usual retweet or mention, she found that threat. Police in the United Kingdom are now investigating similar threats made to several other well-known journalists, all female.
According to Del Harvey, Twitter's U.K. director for trust and safety, it's not their policy automatically to report threatening or abusive messages to police. But calls to Twitter for increased security might change that. Twitter is now working on a solution that will allow all users to tap on a tweet and more easily report it as abusive.
Whose responsibility is it to police abusive messages on Twitter? And will a single button be enough to discourage misogyny on the website? We heard from:
This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar, Vanessa Greco, Theresa Burke and Leif Zapf-Gilje.
Want to weigh in? Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Find us on Facebook or email us. Or call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366. And if you missed anything on The Current, grab a podcast.
When Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman checked her Twitter account on Wednesday, instead of the usual retweet or mention, she found that threat. Police in the United Kingdom are now investigating similar threats made to several other well-known journalists, all female.
According to Del Harvey, Twitter's U.K. director for trust and safety, it's not their policy automatically to report threatening or abusive messages to police. But calls to Twitter for increased security might change that. Twitter is now working on a solution that will allow all users to tap on a tweet and more easily report it as abusive.
Whose responsibility is it to police abusive messages on Twitter? And will a single button be enough to discourage misogyny on the website? We heard from:
- Jessica Luther: Freelance writer, activist, and the editor of the website Flyover Feminism. Jessica has been the target of online vitriol before and while she believes the "Report Abuse" button is a step in the right direction, she has some reservations.
- Toby Young: Blogger with The Telegraph Newspaper, U.K. While Toby Young condemns harassment, he worries that Twitter's new feature will lead to censorship on the website.
Special Note
We did request an interview with a spokesperson from Twitter, but did not hear back. Here is an excerpt from a blog entry Twitter U.K. released regarding the "Report Abuse" feature:
To the extent that our system is based around the filing of reports with our Trust & Safety team, we strive to make it easier and more practical to file them. Three weeks ago, we rolled out the ability to file reports from an individual Tweet on our iPhone app and the mobile version of our site, and we plan to bring this functionality to Android and desktop web users.Del Harvey, Senior Director, Trust & Safety
This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar, Vanessa Greco, Theresa Burke and Leif Zapf-Gilje.
Want to weigh in? Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Find us on Facebook or email us. Or call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366. And if you missed anything on The Current, grab a podcast.