Reddit CEO is Late to the Party: Realizes Trolling Isn’t Cool

Reddit CEO is Late to the Party: Realizes Trolling Isn’t Cool Last month, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, frustrated with the bullying and personal attacks taking place in the The_Donald subreddit group, decided to use a tactic that had been successful in the past: trolling the trolls.  Initially believing…

Boston Police to Begin Monitoring Social Media Content for Terrorist Threats

Boston Police to Begin Monitoring Social Media Content for Terrorist Threats The Boston Police Department (BPD) announced recently that it will be purchasing software that will allow it to scan content in blogs, forums, websites, and comment areas such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.  The software…

Use of Encrypted Software Thwarts Anti-Bullying Efforts

Use of Encrypted Software Thwarts Anti-Bullying Efforts What can a cyberbullying victim do when they are told by both police and school officials that there is nothing they can do to help them because the bully’s account is untraceable?  A CNN article says that is what 18-year-old Brandy Vela of…

Is the Prevalence of Internet Shaming Causing it to Lose Potency?

Is the Prevalence of Internet Shaming Causing it to Lose Potency? The author of a recent Scientific American article speculates that Internet shaming (personal attacks that go viral) has reached a crescendo and because there is so much of it, the impacts are becoming less severe. To illustrate,…

University Athletes Suspended For Posting Offensive and Racist Texts

University Athletes Suspended For Posting Offensive and Racist Texts Two recent cases highlight the need for increased monitoring of messages posted to social media sites by University students. The most recent took place at Columbia University, where members of the school’s wrestling team, over…

Prince Harry Asks Internet Trolls and Tabloids to Lay Off His Girlfriend

Prince Harry Asks Internet Trolls and Tabloids to Lay Off His Girlfriend Last week, British tabloids, particularly The Sun and Daily Mail, angered Prince Harry enough to issue a public statement about their treatment of his relationship with U.S. actress Meghan Markle.  On November 8, the Kensington…

When It Comes to Bullying, Some Safety Nets Have Gaping Holes

When It Comes to Bullying, Some Safety Nets Have Gaping Holes As much as we try to protect kids from the effects of bullying, some still fall through the safety nets we place underneath them.  The latest illustration is Bethany Thompson, an 11-year-old cancer survivor from Ohio. At the age of…

Facebook Removes Swedish Cancer Society Breast Exam Images

Facebook Removes Swedish Cancer Society Breast Exam Images As reported in The Guardian last week, Facebook removed a video posted by The Swedish Cancer Society which illustrated how to perform breast exams.  Facebook said the video, which used concentric pink and red circles for breasts, was offensive…

25 Percent of Canadians Are Harassed on Social Media

25 Percent of Canadians Are Harassed on Social Media A recent survey by the Angus Reid Public Interest Research Institute found that one-fourth of Canadians are subjected to “unwelcome comments, vicious insults, threats of violence, or worse,” with the bulk of abuse coming from Facebook and Twitter. …

After School, Kids Use “After School” to Cyberbully Each Other Anonymously

After School, Kids Use “After School” to Cyberbully Each Other Anonymously When the last bell of the day rings, many high-school-age kids grab their smart phones and launch the After School app, which takes them to a place its developers call, “a positive and safe place to share and connect…