On the eve of National Anti-Bullying Day, Bodyguard revisits the challenges of online bullying and the solutions available to help users, especially young people, protect themselves.
Nice, 4 November 2020 – While the first lockdown highlighted the importance of social media and its benefits in maintaining social ties, it also led to a resurgence of hateful content and online harassment. As France enters a new phase of lockdown and on the eve of National Anti-Bullying Day, Bodyguard is mobilising its ecosystem – partners as well as influencers who use the app – to highlight the urgent need to raise awareness among users aged 7 to 77 about the risks of harassment, whether at school, at home or in the workplace.
A social problem that needs to be defined
Based on the observation that hateful content on social media increased by 601% during the first lockdown, Bodyguard is more committed than ever to combating this multifaceted phenomenon. From homophobic and racist comments to attacks based on individuals' physical appearance, Bodyguard emphasises the importance of distinguishing between the different types of terminology associated with this 21st-century phenomenon.issue century in order to raise awareness among the entire population.
Indeed, if public debate sometimes pits combating online hate and freedom of expression, For Bodyguard, these two concepts must be separated in order to curb the former and defend the latter. As Charles Cohen, founder and developer of the Bodyguard app, points out, cyberbullying involves repeatedly sending content to the same individual, while hateful content is offensive in nature. At Bodyguard, the battle is being waged against such inappropriate comments and behaviour.
« Harassing someone under the cover of anonymity is not freedom of expression. We give a voice to those who know they are protected, and with Bodyguard, we want to prevent the self-censorship that is becoming increasingly widespread among young people.. », recalls Charles Cohen, founder of Bodyguard
Bodyguard, a technological solution at the service of people
To carry out this mission, Bodyguard relies on technology that is guided above all by humans. The free app, which has more than 50,000 users, differs from machine learning and deep learning – more commonly adopted by digital giants – thanks to unique technology developed by internal teams. This controlled and participatory technology makes it possible to identify the tone of comments and their target(s) without infringing on anyone's freedom of expression. Collaboratively developed by the Bodyguard teams, the lines of code and rules are always defined by humans, enabling the identification of different forms of hate speech, which are constantly evolving, just like living languages.
Teenagers on the front line of cyberbullying
In an era where social media is an integral part of everyday life, it is urgent to take action to preserve kindness on the internet. Indeed, while a study conducted by the e-Enfance Association, the official partner of the Ministry of Education in the fight against cyberbullying, highlights that one in ten teenagers report having been victims of cyberbullying in recent months, Bodyguard and the e-Enfance Association have decided to join forces in a new partnership.
Leading player in the protection of minors on the Internet, The e-Enfance Association operates the national toll-free number 0800 200 000 to combat cyberbullying, providing advice and assistance to young victims and their parents. The aim of this partnership is to pool their technological and human expertise in order to protect young people more effectively against online hate and cyberbullying.
« Our Net Ecoute helpline recorded a 30% increase in calls during lockdown, mainly due to teenagers left to their own devices on social media. The start of the new school year in September confirmed this trend, with a 26% increase in cyberbullying cases compared to 2019. This new lockdown brings with it its own set of threats. Even though parents are aware of this, they are sometimes at a loss as to how best to support their children. This partnership will provide a concrete solution for the whole family to improve the safety of young people on social media.», comments Justine Atlan, Managing Director of the e-Enfance Association
Changing mindsets to end hatred
From raising awareness among parents to diversifying different virtual worlds, Bodyguard is attentive to societal issues and announced today that it will be paying particular attention to the gaming world, which is regularly plagued by misogyny. Indeed, as this category attracts more and more female players, the Stream'Her community – by and for female streamers – is partnering with Bodyguard to contribute to the development of the «Misogyny» category, available today on the application. Designed to protect users of the Twitch gaming platform from hate speech, this partnership of expertise once again highlights the possibilities offered by new technologies when they are driven by values of common good.
« Online, women receive a multitude of hateful content specific to their gender. Collaborating on the development of a «Misogyny» category in the Bodyguard app is another step forward in the fight against this harmful behaviour on social media. At Stream'Her – a community that supports and promotes female streamers in all fields – we share common values with Bodyguard and are proud to partner with them to take concrete action like this.» indicates Chloé, Founder of Stream'Her, a community of female streamers
In a context of crisis affecting the entire population, Bodyguard continues to mobilise expertise to protect every individual from the dangers caused by online hate. To go even further, the app's founder, Charles Cohen, has also announced the development, in the coming weeks, of solutions that are increasingly tailored to the needs of individuals and organisations alike, with:
- The development of a Family offering aimed at parents
- The development of a B2B offering aimed at professionals
- Integrating new languages to detect even more hateful content
- The integration of new features, in partnership with the e-Enfance Association
The replay of the talk «Online harassment: an intergenerational scourge» will be available soon. here
Press contacts
Hopscotch for Bodyguard
Marlène Para – 01 41 34 23 74 – mpara@hopscotch.fr
Tansu Yuksel – 01 41 34 18 59 – tyuksel@hopscotch.fr
About the e-Enfance Association
Recognised as a public utility, the e-Enfance Association has been the benchmark for the protection of minors on the Internet since 2005. Approved by the Ministry of National Education, it offers interventions in schools, training on the risks and proper use of the Internet, and operates the issue 3018 on combating cyberbullying.
Free, anonymous and confidential, Net Ecoute 0800 200 000 is the national helpline specialising in the protection of minors on the Internet. It is the only alert system directly linked to social networks, the «Pharos» platform of the National Police and the «Brigade numérique» of the National Gendarmerie, and 119-Enfance en danger (Children in Danger). e-childhood.org
For more information about Bodyguard, visit https://www.bodyguard.ai/
