Related Activity Report
Allow users to add additional context when reporting hate and harassment, including further information about and links to off-platform content and cross-platform abuse, which would strengthen the content moderation process.
How does this mitigate hate?
Users often face complex or coordinated abuse across platforms. Abuse also evolves quickly to evade filters and skirt platform policies. By enabling users to provide additional context about why they consider specific content abusive, platforms can make better informed decisions when moderating content.
When to use it?
Users often face complex or coordinated abuse across platforms. Abuse also evolves quickly to evade filters and skirt platform policies. By enabling users to provide additional context about why they consider specific content abusive, platforms can make better informed decisions when moderating content.
How does it work?
When reporting online abuse and adding additional context, users should be able to select from common options to streamline the process, including: “This user is also harassing me offline,” “This user is also harassing me on other social media platforms,” and “This user has a history of harassing me.”
Add a field that allows users to include links and additional information about off-platform content and behavior to be evaluated in context as part of the review, explaining cultural or regional nuances in language, flagging symbols or images being used to mask abuse or hate, etc.
Users should also be able to indicate the severity level in order to help platforms prioritize and expedite the review process (see Hate Severity Report Option).
Allow users to report cross-platform abuse and develop a publicly-available protocol that maps out when and how safety teams within one platform can coordinate with other platforms
Disadvantages
Additional context provided by users may lengthen the process of reviewing reports and delay response.
Sharing this information across platforms would require the development of industry standards for abuse, harassment and toxic behavior and could potentially violate privacy and data policies protecting other users.
Examples
YouTube gives users the option to “provide additional details” when they report hate and harassment.
References
Sinders, C., Shukla, V., & Voegeli, E. (2021). Trust through Trickery. Commonplace (2021). Accessed at: https://doi.org/10.21428/6ffd8432.af33f9c9.
Vilk, V., Vialle E., & Bailey, M. No Excuse for Abuse: What Social Media Companies Can Do Now to Combat Online Harassment and Empower Users., PEN America (2021). Accessed at: https://pen.org/report/no-excuse-for-abuse/.
Collaboration
Written in collaboration with PEN America
