People don’t commit violence against other groups - or even condone it - spontaneously. First they must be taught to see other people as pests, vermin, aliens, or threats. Malicious leaders often use the same types of rhetoric to do this, in myriad cultures, languages, countries, and historical periods. We call this Dangerous Speech. Violence might be prevented by making it less abundant or less convincing. We work to find the best ways to do this – while protecting freedom of expression.
This Wikimedia resource compiles interdisciplinary research on understanding and responding to the problem of online harassment, and serves as an excellent starting point for scholars and practitioners alike.
Watch (or listen) to a full conversation with DSP's Susan Benesch, Bobby Chesney, and moderator Chimène Keitner about Dangerous Speech and "deep fake" inauthentic content online.
Myanmar's genocide of Rohingya Muslims was shaped by uniquely modern forces, like social media and rising ultra-nationalism. But if we learn from the factors which fueled this 21st-century atrocity, we can better predict and prevent the next ones.
From Louise Matsakis at Wired: Twitter will soon enact a conduct policy on dehumanization - but DSP's Susan Benesch explains the difficulty in moderating such content.
