Owen Blacker Profile picture
Nov 4, 2017 40 tweets 13 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Next at #ORGcon: @mariafarrell with @nighatdad and Azmina Dhrodia talking about abuse online and what we can do about it
With @amnesty, Azmina released a qualitative and quantitative report using machine learning to look at the abuse sent to MPs.
In the 6 weeks up to the 2017 election, @HackneyAbbott received 45% of all abuse sent to MPs. Removing her data, female MPs of colour >
< received 30sth % of all abusive tweets sent to female MPs. Intersecting identities massively increase the amount of abuse ppl receive.
Sth @nighatdad found is that, while law in place to tackle online harassment, it wasn't enforced. And local context can make a big >
< difference, as "honour killings" mean that fake profiles claiming to be specific women in conservative parts of Pakistan can literally >
< be a threat to women's lives. @nighatdad set up a phone helpline to help women experiencing online abuse—including mental health support
(Link to @SnazzyAzzy's report with @amnesty mentioned earlier: )
Last weekend at #Mozfest @nighatdad spoke, as did @emilymaynot of @iHollaback. My thread then: #ORGcon
(And it's been pointed out in using #ORGcon not #ORGcon17. Doh; More threads earlier in my stream.)
Important to note that online harassment is a reflection of patriarchy and discrimination against other disadvantaged groups. > #ORGcon17
< It's important to address those systemic issues, as well as to recognise that online harassment has real-world effects. #ORGcon17
While marginalised groups have definitely benefitted from the Internet, it's becoming common to see established patriarchal and reactionary>
< groups using their freedom of speech as a means of excluding the freedom of speech of minority groups. #ORGcon17
While @SnazzyAzzy's report says abuse crosses party lines @mariafarrell suggests important to note majority of abuse comes from far-right
To that, @SnazzyAzzy does point out that they didn't study whether that is the case, so can't prove or disprove with data. As human rights >
< org they want to make a point about abuse in general and the intersectional nature of the abuse. Without further study can't claim reasons
Number of potential remedies for abuse: education, takedown by platforms, criminal law. What's working? @nighatdad: policy important but>
< govts will make laws for their own reasons and enforce them selectively. Noone punished for abuse sent to a woman under new Pakistani law
As at #Mozfest, @nighatdad points out an app made by white dudes in Silicon Valley wouldn't solve issues of brown woken in Pakistan
Also, whole the helpline was set up for women, they receive 37% of calls from men, almost completely on behalf of women. #ORGcon17
Though @nighatdad points out they also get a bunch of abuse—pticly from men who think women shouldn't be online in the first place #ORGcon17
Twitter says they respond to 10× as many reports of abuse as a year ago, but no transparency means we don't know if that's helpful #ORGcon17
Abuse reports can be used by trolls to have minority voices silenced. @nighatdad talks about Facebook takedowns for blasphemy & "anti-state"
Audience member asked about open-sourcing the data sample @SnazzyAzzy used for her report; they're looking into doing that atm #ORGcon17
It would also be useful if Twitter would deign to reply to @SnazzyAzzy's requests for more comprehensive dataset #ORGcon17
Audience ask about cross-jurisdictional issues for whose blasphemy, for example. @nighatdad points out PK blasphemy law is problematic and >
< she can't speak about it in detail both because it's complicated and because she has to go back to Pakistan
Q: what do you think men's role is in this conversation. Many men have left the room and not come back; do they not think it important?
*applause* to that question.
A: Yes clearly there's plenty people of all genders can and should do — flagging abuse, provide solidarity >
< share articles about why this is an important issue. Try to understand what women go through and don't hijack the conv. @nighatdad saw >
< lots of Pakistani men mansplaining what abuse is.

Maria quotes the effort involved for Azmina's report: "on a practical level, threats>
< of violence or really time consuming, taking to police, House authorities, comforting distressed staff."

Q about #metoo, @nighatdad >
< didn't see much pushback but did see a lot of women taking about childhood abuse and reporting of that, which is great to see in a >
< conservative country.
@Nesient asks abt false appearance of unpopularity that abuse can give. @HackneyAbbott is very popular in her seat
Every MP @SnazzyAzzy spoke to hesitates to talk about abuse cos they don't want to discourage other women from becoming politically involved
The main difference @SnazzyAzzy thinks could be made is that @Twitter could actually do something about reported abuse. Some MPs stopped >
< reporting abuse they receive on Twitter because there's no point—they get told that even violent threats are not ToS violations #ORGcon17
Last word from young activists in the audience: Lots of victim-blaming and silencing tactics in the face of abuse. #ORGcon17
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More from @owenblacker

Nov 4, 2017
Next at #ORGcon17: @mikebutcher and @PaulbernalUK: What does #Brexit mean for digital rights?
Paul: most important thing to understand is that we don't understand what will happen with Brexit—pticly with tech matters. Most of our >
< UK digital rights law originates from Europe. And the great timing of GDPR, which we will be required to do … for a few months > #ORGcon17
Read 45 tweets
Nov 4, 2017
Next at #ORGcon17: @JamieJBartlett taking about online extremism. Far more difficult to censor and control, so govt increasing penalties
This is bad, because we're entering a time of increased radicalism—and we need radicals who bring new ideas to democrats. #ORGcon17
Bartlett recently wrote book "Radicals", for which he went to "Liberland", a libertarian anarchocapitalist state in territory disrupted >
Read 22 tweets
Nov 4, 2017
Next at #ORGcon: @tkingdot and @CCriadoPerez: can online campaigns effect real-world change?
While social media can be a cesspool, it's also a massive advantage to disadvantaged voices. @CCriadoPerez wants to point out that >
< while she is a Jane Austen fangirl, it was a campaign to get female representation on our banknotes, not specifically Austen 😉
Read 26 tweets
Nov 4, 2017
Next at #ORGcon: @NiNanjira: is the Internet helping disadvantaged groups or cementing the power of the powerful?
Half the world's population is still offline, disproportionately women. Women 50% less likely to be online and 35–50% less likely > #ORGcon
< to be politically active online even if they are. Partly because of the cost of access & devices. For the Web to be for everyone > #ORGcon
Read 32 tweets
Nov 4, 2017
Moving from dystopian questions, #ORGcon now hears from @audreyt, civic hacker and Digital Minister of Digital Enterprise for Taiwan.
Short video presentation followed by live Skype Q&A session #ORGcon
(The video's coming from YouTube, but I can't find a link, sorry.)
Read 25 tweets
Nov 4, 2017
Next at #ORGcon: @glinner and @helenlewis. Are we building a utopian dream or a dystopian nightmare?
Graham Linehan has left @Twitter cos their terms of service are clearly meaningless if not applied to @realDonaldTrump, @Cernovich #ORGcon
The free speech of people monetising hate is limiting the free speech of disadvantaged groups. Both speakers talk abt 45's erosion > #ORGcon
Read 31 tweets

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