![](https://t1.daumcdn.net/cfile/cafe/27753E4C57B904292C)
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.