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Players at this year’s Wimbledon tournament are being protected from online abuse by new artificial intelligence technology.
Threat Matrix from Signify Group is scanning posts about players in the tournament for threatening, racist, sexist and otherwise harmful content and then flagging results.
The step from the All England Club comes after several major tennis players, including former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, said online abuse has made them delete social media apps.
Britain’s current female number two, Harriet Dart, said she has been affected by negative experiences on social media and said she only uses it occasionally because of “hate”.
“I just think there’s a lot of positives for it [social media] but also a lot of negatives. I’m sure today, if I open one of my apps, regardless if I won, I’d have a lot of hate as well,” she said, the Guardian reports.
Signify says Threat Matrix scans social media for data, processes it then and passes it on for human review. It is at this point that action can be taken.
This can see those who send inappropriate and threatening messages in a range of 35 different languages identified and tracked down.
“Players and their families need support and protection to help evidence, deflect and report abuse,” Threat Matrix’s website reads.
“Threat Matrix offers this service, stripping anonymity from protagonists and ensuring that abusers don’t go unpunished.”
News of the use of the technology was announced by Wimbledon’s director Jamie Baker, who said it will also be used at the US Open.
“You won’t see us shout about it, but basically we are scrolling social media for any of this type of content and it means that we can get information that we haven’t had in the past,” he said.
“We’re not just relying on what the player might be saying has happened to them, but also if there is something that is of concern, that is when our security team is going to basically kick in and actually help do something about it.”
He revealed that a more extensive version of the technology is available to scan private messages for concerning content too.
When an issue is discovered, the person involved is notified and then the appropriate next steps are taken with their consultation.
“If we’ve got anything that we think is a concern or worth flagging, ultimately it’s engaging with the player and then you deal with the next steps on that. The benefit of having it is that you do have the ability to officially register what is going on with the right people there.
“But we wouldn’t be taking any of those steps without actually engaging with the player and their teams to try to get a feel of what’s going on.”
World Rugby used the technology to identify and locate an Australian who sent a referee and his wife threatening messages on Facebook during the 2023 World Cup in France.
The person involved was subsequently charged with using a carriage service to menace or harass via online communication.
World Rugby said at the time of the April prosecution that it was taking steps to prevent them from attending future events.
A spokesperson for the All England Club told The Independent: “We are committed to playing our part to protect players from online abuse and threats. The implementation of a proactive monitoring service is an important way to support players’ mental health and overall wellbeing which is a major priority for us.”
The Independent has reached out to Threat Matrix and the for more information.
