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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 17 February 2022
Continued from Front rassment and free speech
From teen cyberbullying to can be blurry. Police and
authoritarian governments prosecutors often lack suf-
silencing dissent, online tox- ficient training or resources.
icity is a fact of life for ev- Tech companies say they
eryone, with women, teens are getting better at iden-
and religious and racial mi- tifying and stopping ha-
norities the most likely to be rassment. For example, In-
targeted. stagram, which is owned
And there is evidence the by Facebook parent com-
problem is getting worse. pany Meta, made several
In 2014, 15% of Americans changes designed to re-
said they had faced se- duce harassment, includ-
vere or significant online ing putting warning labels
abuse, defined as stalking, on potentially abusive lan-
physical threats, sustained guage and making it easier
harassment or sexual ha- to block or report harassers.
rassment. In 2021 the num- Yet those moves haven't
ber was 25%, according to been enough. Internal
studies by the Pew Chari- Facebook documents
table Trusts. leaked by former employ-
Health care workers, jour- ee Frances Haugen show
nalists, teachers, police that executives are aware
and government workers of the potential for their
have all reported increases products to be used to ha-
in online harassment in re- rass people. One internal
cent years, as the pandem- study cited 13.5% of teen
ic and political polarization girls saying Instagram exac-
led many people to re- erbates suicidal thoughts
lease their anger and fear and 17% saying it worsens
online. Nearly three in four eating disorders.
female journalists reported "Online harassment is a
receiving threats or other problem for everybody, but
forms of online harassment, I think it's especially prob-
according to a survey by lematic for kids," said Nata-
UNESCO and the Interna- lie Bazarova, a professor at
tional Center for Journal- Tina Meier, founder of the Megan Meier Foundation, poses for a photo in the foundation's office Cornell University who stud-
ists that polled more than Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, in St. Charles, Mo. ies social media.
700 journalists in more than Associated Press She said a multifaceted
100 countries. One in five of approach is required to
those said the harassment be a better place without ment campaign against cost her in person. address the problem: leg-
escalated to offline abuse you." Police later deter- female video game de- Anonymity can make it eas- islation to require minimum
or even assault. mined that "Josh" was ac- signers that began in 2014, ier to be cruel without fear safeguards from tech com-
The growth of the internet tually an adult woman, the known as Gamergate, be- of offline repercussions. It's panies, technical innova-
has also expanded the mother of one of Megan's came so pervasive — in- a phenomenon called the tions and extensive educa-
ways that people can be classmates. cluding threats of rape, online disinhibition effect, tional efforts such as simu-
targeted beyond merely While polls show all types torture and murder — that and it's one reason why lations that teach teens to
email to social media posts, of people are susceptible some women hired security trolls feel comfortable say- spot cyberbullying and use
direct messages, texts and to online harassment, ex- or went into hiding. ing things they would never social media safely.
streaming video. And with tensive research has shown Online harassment has also say to someone in person. Technical solutions include
the rise of smartphones and that women and people been used globally to at- As part of a 2009 settlement automated systems that
cheap, ubiquitous internet, of color are far more likely tack journalists, dissidents of Heller's lawsuit against flag posts for signs of harass-
harassment can now be a to be targeted. That's also and others in the public her harassers, she asked to ing language — all-capital
24-7 problem for victims. true for people with disabili- arena. meet them face to face. letters, repetitive phrases,
"We've made so many ties, people who belong Political consultant Maria One was a 17-year-old boy certain key words — or insti-
strides — there's more to religious minorities and Cardona began receiv- who had posted that he'd tuting a short delay before
awareness now — but it's members of the LGBTQ ing nasty emails and direct like to gouge Heller's eyes users can respond to posts,
easy to get frustrated and community. messages once she began out and have sex with her giving them a chance to
to feel like we've gotten Women are more likely presenting her opinions on corpse. cool off.
nowhere," said Tina Meier, than men to say online ha- national news shows. She's "They all essentially said the Now in its "awkward ado-
who started a foundation rassment is a serious prob- noticed that many of her same thing: that they didn't lescence," the internet is
to teach kids and parents lem, Pew found. They're critics seem focused on realize their actions were not the first invention to
about online harassment also more likely to report the idea that an outspoken impacting a person in that change how humans com-
after her daughter's suicide being the victims of online Latina woman could be way, that they didn't realize municate, Heller said.
in 2006. sexual harassment and considered an authority on there was a person on the "People said similar things
Thirteen-year-old Megan more serious abuse such as politics. other side of the screen," about the telegraph, the
Meier had been bullied threats of physical harm. One typical message read: Heller recalled. "And they telephone and the tele-
by someone she met on- The difference is so great "I hope you get raped and all said, 'I am so sorry.'" vision — that they were
line who she thought was that many men may not have your throat slit." California enacted the na- somehow going to ruin so-
a teenage boy named understand the severity of "They want to shut us up, tion's first law against cy- ciety," she said. "They were
Josh. The two had flirted the demeaning language, they want to scare us, they berbullying in 1999, and all regulated about 25
until the person suddenly sexualized insults and un- want to intimidate us," said most states have since fol- years into their life cycle.
turned against Megan. "Ev- wanted attention that Cardona, who now keeps lowed suit. Enforcement Those regulations didn't kill
erybody hates you," "Josh" women frequently face on- her office locked after can be difficult, however, the telephone, the televi-
wrote. "The world would line. A coordinated harass- someone showed up to ac- as the lines between ha- sion or the radio."q