Australian Football Tackles Online Abuse With AI Technology
April 8, 2022
A-Leagues, Australia's top division football league, and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have partnered with British safety technology company, GoBubble, to silence online hate. In what is believed to be a 'sporting world first' by the organisations involved, the social media channels of an entire sporting league (all A-League clubs and players) will be shielded from abusive, harmful and offensive language thanks to new AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology.
With online hate continuing to escalate around the world, the partnership addresses the wellbeing of players and the community managers who run the official social media channels of football clubs. The GoBubble Community uses machine-learning based software that monitors social media accounts to identify toxic content, adressing racism, misogyny and homophobia. According to the company, the AI powered automated solution can be tailored to the needs of any organisation and shields them from abuse in a matter of minutes.
“These days we often find the cheapest seats in the house are behind a keyboard, with players being subjected to terrible online abuse in the course of doing their jobs. Back in November last year we met with some of the biggest sporting codes in the country and pledged to work together to do more to protect players, coaches and support staff from online abuse," said Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
The software identifies and blocks offensive content to the player and their followers, though it remains visible to the sender's followers. The intent is to stop the poster from reaching their intended audience and decrease their reach overall. A successful trial occurred in February on Twitter profiles from Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners during the inaugural Pride Cup Double Header. It is now being rolled out across A-League Men and Women affiliated accounts.
“The A League is taking the lead to roll out use of this technology across all clubs, and we now hope to see this approach replicated by sports governing bodies across the globe," said GoBubble Founder Henry Platten. "This powerful step will protect teams, players and communities from online abuse, and promote a positive and supportive virtual experience across their social channels.”
The A-Leagues and PFA view this move as important in helping to keep all Australians safe online, and a key prevention strategy for athletes and staff who are targets of online abuse. Both organisations are signatories of eSafety's Commitment to Online Safety in Sport launched as part of the #PlayitFairOnline campaign.
”Football has a unique power to connect people from all walks of life, and we want the A-Leagues to be the most welcoming and safe place at every level - in our online communities and in real life,” stated A-Leagues CEO Danny Townsend.