Online bullying worsens amid empty promises to combat the hate

‘I always tell people online hate is death by a thousand paper cuts’

By SIMHA HADDAD

(This is part two of a special report looking at cyberhate and bullying from a queer perspective. To read part one, visit losangelesblade.com)

Amid empty promises by social media companies to create safer and more inclusive platforms, online hate and harassment rates continue to rise to record levels.

Nearly half of all Americans having experienced some kind of online harassment and hate, many find themselves frustrated by a lack of government anti-hate legislation and enforceable social media guidelines to help eradicate this ever-growing problem.

What’s worse is that online hate speech has now been linked to physical hate crimes, with many physical and illegal acts of violence starting as seeds in the comment section.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations:

• Hate speech online has been linked to a global increase in violence toward minorities, including mass shootings, lynchings, and ethnic cleansing.

• Policies used to curb hate speech risk limiting free speech and are inconsistently enforced.

• Countries such as the United States grant social media companies broad powers in managing their content and enforcing hate speech rules. Others, including Germany, can force companies to remove posts within certain time periods.

Social media platforms need to take firmer action against hate, and laws on inciting violence need to be rewritten to consider online hate as a direct threat to a victim’s safety.

“I think these platforms need to come out very strongly against hate speech,” said Shyne. “It is very simple. Just take a stand for people. If their lawyers are saying this is protected speech, then as a corporation, they can take a stance. They can use their algorithms and all their technology and institute their community standards.”

“We also have to reconsider our laws about what is considered inciting violence because those laws didn’t consider social media at the time. When those laws were created, they were about people saying things in person and then asking whether or not it is probable that violence will ensue from that interaction. But now we have people on social media saying horrible things that do lead to violence.”

One small step in the right direction came in September 2022, when Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he signed a social media transparency bill (AB 578) by Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel, which will require social media companies to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech, disinformation, harassment, and extremism on their platforms, and report data on their enforcement of the policies. However, the bill is still in it’s early stages of implementation so it has not yet made a notable change in online hate regulation.

Eric Nathans

Eric Nathans is CEO of Nathans Investigations, a Miami, Florida-based private investigation agency that focuses on cybercrime and cyber harassment.

He has gained his reputation from assisting a lengthy list of high-profile clients, tracking down harassers and stalkers who, at first, are able to hide their identities behind false usernames and email addresses.

People who turn to Nathans are often frustrated with social media platforms.

“You’ll go around in circles with Facebook or Instagram because they don’t really take it seriously just because of how much it is happening. It happens so often,” Nathans said.

A 2019 study by academics from Cardiff University’s HateLab has concluded that there is a direct correlation between social media hate against minorities and physical acts of hate and violence.

These studies and reports are among the many highlighting the real dangers of cyberhate lie beyond the platforms themselves, begging the question, what can be done to stop this?

Sepi Shyne, The first Queer Iranian female mayor of West Hollywood, told The Blade that two things need to happen to make the Internet a safe place again:

When asked about the uptick in cybercrime, keeping PIs busy, Nathans told the Blade, “Between emails and phone calls, I probably get about twenty a week with the same exact issue. This is really a big issue.”

From cyber stalking to harassment to defamation from anonymous emails, Nathans has investigated the gamut of mysterious, aggravating and unpredictable cases around the globe.

“We deal with things on a daily basis that no one would believe,” said Nathans.

As an example, Nathans recounted the case of one particular OnlyFans model who was being harassed online. The male perpetrator would send this model everything from lewd remarks to graphic photos of his body. The model’s boyfriend enlisted Nathans help to find and stop these disturbing messages.

“Do you know how it turned out to be?” said Nathans. “It was the female’s father that was harassing her.”

Shocking stories like this one naturally spark many, many questions. The most obvious being how did the father think he could get away with something like this?

“People think they can be whoever they want,” said Nathans, explaining that the main issue with online harassment nowadays is that people find it easy to assume a new identity under fake usernames and what they think are anonymous email addresses.

However, in spite of these efforts at anonymity, Nathans has built a business on sniffing out these cybercriminals. While he would not disclose his methods for security reasons, he did say that he has found alternative and sometimes nontraditional means of identifying the guilty party.

“Things that people don’t usually think about is how I usually find them,” he noted.

Nathans explained that those who turn to him often know that cyber hate can lead to cybercrime.

“A real stalking will start online. I’m not a psychiatrist or a doctor, but I do believe mental illness is often involved. They want more and more of a response. They want a reaction. If they aren’t getting that online, they might show up in person.”

“I think it’s important to ask why this person has become a stalker. Often it is because they want a reaction because they are so awfully controlling.”

Of course, once a stalker does commit a physical act, different departments of the police get involved.

“My personal feeling is if there were stronger laws against all of this craziness, it would put a stop to some of these people.”

According to a study at the Williams Institute at UCLA, members of the LGBTQ+ community are nine times more likely to experience hate speech than nonLGBTQ+ people.

In a comment on GLAAD’s report on social media’s failure to stop anti-LGBTQ hate speech, Jenni Olson, GLAAD’s director for social media safety and author of the report, said, “The reality is, there’s very little transparency and very little accountability. And people feel helpless.”

With the evident targeting of LGBTQ+ people on social media and the nature of the platforms providing a deep window into the lives of internet celebrities, now is one of the most dangerous times to be an openly queer influencer. But it is also one of the most important times to stand out and stand up against homophobia and transphobia.

In light of the rising dangers for LGBTQ+ people around the world, three queer influencers shared their struggles with cyberhate with the Blade.

Amir Yass

Amir Yass is a queer Muslim influencer who found his calling on TikTok when he started posting funny videos of himself over COVID. An avid advocate for queer rights, Yass often takes part in well-attended panels at the LGBT center and popular podcasts.

Yass has received a flurry of cyber hate, from messages shaming him for being queer and Muslim to comments telling him he will burn in hell.

“I will never forget one comment I got that said, ‘I can’t wait for you to come to the Middle East so I can throw you off the roof.’ I was in shock. I didn’t even know

that was a thing.”

Sadly, Yass told the Blade that the ignorance and prejudice he experienced as a young Mulsim growing up in the conservative town of Orange County, CA, somewhat prepared him for this onslaught of hate.

“When I was in school, and 9-11 happened, they asked me to talk to the whole school about it. I was like, ‘I’m fifteen. What do I know about this?’”

“I developed a hard shell because that was the only way to deal with this. I’m a Persian, gay, fat Muslim. Growing up, my mom had a Hijab. I grew up fasting and praying. That all ‘othered’ me in so many ways. In a weird, very warped way, all of the prejudice I got growing up prepared me for all the hate I got on TikTok.”

Prepared by childhood though he might be, Yass admitted that the comments do get to him sometimes.

“I always tell people online hate is death by a thousand papercuts. It’s all the little things. You’re old. You’re fat. You’re ugly. You’re gross. Go kill yourself. They start to add up.”

“People assume I’m a celebrity when they see a video of mine get 13 million views and Will Smith duetting it. But I’m not. And regardless, I’m still a human being.”

When asked whether or not he reports the haters, Yass explained why he found appealing to the platforms themselves futile.

“I stopped reporting because nothing ever really happens. I notice that when I do report something, I get shadow banned. I’m not getting the views I should.”

(Shadow banning is a colloquialism for when a social media platform adjusts the algorithm so that any particular account does not appear in the feeds of as many viewers as before the ban. This results in content going unseen and is potentially harmful to those who rely on likes and views to maintain their brand, image, or message.)

“I’ve responded to hate videos, and they (the social media platform) took my video down, saying it was me bullying that person. But the hate video was still up.”

Yass told the Blade that he, like Weho’s Mayor Shyne, wished the platforms would be more proactive about removing hate speech.

“I shouldn’t have to block someone who threatens to slit my throat. This should be taken down.”

But, ultimately, Yass has had to find the strength within himself to overcome the hate.

“In a video of 4,000 comments, there will be 1,000 hateful comments. I just stopped looking for the hateful comments. I used to look for them and actively pursue them. I would get into these battles of thirty-five comments. But now I just respond with, ‘Thank you so much,’ or ‘I love you so much.’ That kind of humor kind of works. Sometimes my other followers will step in to defend me too.”

Yass also said that while he sometimes is negatively affected by cyberhate, he refuses to allow haters to discourage him from being present and visible online.

“I’ve wanted to delete my account so many times. But why do I have to leave? Sometimes I think it’s important to take up space.”

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