Batch Comment Reporting Option
An option that allows users to flag multiple posts from different users within one report.
How does this mitigate hate?
When harassers target users, it is often done through a network of users targeting a specific user. But reporting each harassing post can take a long time and doesn’t detail the relationship between posts and users.
In recognition of the coordinated nature of some harassment campaigns, platforms need to give users the ability to report abusive accounts and content in bulk to reduce the burden of piecemeal reporting.
When to use it?
Platforms whose content creators experience network harassment should include this pattern in their reporting process to allow those creators to identify comments that are harassing to the creator or create an unsafe environment with other users interacting with the content.
Including this pattern could help to eliminate network or campaign harassment before it begins.
How does it work?
Content creators are given the opportunity to batch select comments from users whose intention was to harass the original creator or other users and then report all selected comments to the platform.
The creator making the report should be able to easily classify what types of hate or harassment the comments fall under and why they feel they should be reported (targeted characteristics).
The process for selection and reporting should be easy for the content creator and should provide methods for escalation should the number of harassing or problematic comments become overwhelming.
Advantages
Providing users the ability to report multiple comments in one report eliminates the necessity of users creating unique reports for each user and posted comment.
It can also help platforms better target networks of harassers by tracing the users of batch reports to users who are central to a network of harassment, and therefore should be highest priority to address.
Adding a specification for suspected bot activity would also provide potentially useful data for identifying networks of bots.
Disadvantages
Enabling users with this ability could lead to abuse by harassers, as they could target specific groups of users through falsely reporting their content in a batch report.
To prevent this from affecting falsely reported users, batch reports should be examined by real people to see if the posts are related and part of network harassment
Examples
TikTok allows content creators to batch report comments made on their content. The image shows the user flow for how that process happens.
References
Vilk, Viktorya, Elodie Vialle, and Matt Bailey. “No Excuse for Abuse: What Social Media Companies Can Do Now to Combat Online Harassment and Empower Users.” Edited by Summer Lopez and Suzanne Nossel. PEN AMERICA. PEN America, March 31, 2021. https://pen.org/report/no-excuse-for-abuse/.