How to Crack Down on Social Media Threats
Last week, a prominent feminist writer left Twitter after a rape and death threat was directed at her 5-year-old daughter. Online violent threats are not uncommon, especially for women and minorities, but when they are reported, police are often not responsive. How can law enforcement crack down on threats of violence made on social media?
* prominent = 유명한; 중요한; 눈에 잘 띄는/ feminist = 남녀평등주의자/ rape = 강간/ death threat = 살인협박/ direct at ~ = ~로 향하다[겨냥하다]/ responsive = 즉각 반응[대응]하는/ law enforcement = 법의 집행자; 경찰관/ crack down on ~ = …에 단호한 조치를 취하다; …을 엄히 단속하다, 탄압하다; …을 통렬하게 비난하다
법 집행 기관(경찰 기관)은 어떻게 소셜 미디어에서 발생되는 폭력적 위협을 엄히 단속할 수 있나요?
1. We Have Had to Defend Ourselves
Vocal black women on social media are the least protected users of these platforms, and relatively
few people are penalized for online harassment.
2. Enforce Existing Threat Laws
Officers often don’t take online threats seriously because they lack training to understand the devastating
impact of this speech.
3. Better Coordination Between Victims, Police and Tech
The velocity of online behavior is faster than law-making so we need to combine legal oversight with
tech policy vigilance.
4. Cybermobs Multiply Threats and Their Danger
It costs virtually nothing to post threatening comments and gather a posse to join in on the abuse.
Sample Essay
We Need Better Coordination Between Victims, Police and Tech to Combat Online Threats
Those who would engage in violence against women — and that includes violent threats — should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Cyber harassment is a particularly insidious threat because it has become so ubiquitous. But while the internet sometimes feels like the Wild West, many of our long-standing laws are still applicable in the digital world. In California, Attorney General Kamala Harris has made enforcement of these laws a top priority. Last year, for example, our office prosecuted the first successful case against a website operator who hosted a site where people posted naked photos and personal information of victims without their consent.
Improving enforcement starts with identifying the issues when they first arise. Federal and state laws can help victims find justice, but only if they know they can get help. One recent survey revealed that only 16 percent of "sextortion" victims reported it to the police. That's why our office launched an EndCyberExpolitation initiative that educates victims about possibilities for recourse.
Just as important, law enforcement needs to ensure first responders understand the severity of incidents of cyber exploitation and how to investigate them. Clear policies must guide report writing, evidence collection and educating victims of their rights and resources. Better documentation makes for swifter prosecution.
Finally, law enforcement and social media platforms need to team up. The velocity of online behavior is inevitably faster than law-making so we need to combine legal oversight with tech policy vigilance. Our office convened with over 50 tech companies to work on identifying a set of nonconsensual pornography best practices and take-down policies. But new social media start-ups and practices will continue to emerge. Law enforcement and tech companies should seek to develop a broader set of “safety by design” principles; these should be bolstered by venture capitalists and implemented upon any social media company launch, as opposed to companies waiting until they become big enough that it “warrants” building in precautionary measures. As we saw with Pokémon Go, some apps can take off literally overnight and we need to ensure they do so safely.
Women and minorities are the primary targets for abuse online. Just as law enforcement works with communities to ensure public safety IRL (“in real life”), we all need to work together to develop and enforce digital citizenship norms that make social media platforms hospitable for everyone.
