Askfm-Report-Helped-Prevent-69-Cases-Of-Threatening-User-Safety

In 2020, the application helped prevent 69 cases of threatening user safety offline, 3 of which were extremism: ASKfm Transparency Report

The Internet allows you to receive tons of information in an instant. But there is also a downside to the coin – content on the Web is not always intended for the psyche of children, teenagers and youth, so you need to take measures to ensure the safety of children on the Internet.

As noted in UNICEF, today the lives of millions of children and teens have shrunk to the size of their apartment and the screen of a computer, tablet or phone. For many of them, these screens have become the only “window” to the world: there they play, communicate with friends and study. And the fact that modern technology allows them to continue their education and keep in touch with other people is a great achievement. But the same technologies could be the source of many dangers, experts at the UN Children’s Fund warned.

In the annual Transparency Report, ASKfm has shared data of moderation teamwork in 2020 with its users.

Moderation checked 45% more questions and answers reports per daily active user in 2020 compared to 2019, and 240% more profile reports than in 2019. Such dynamics became possible thanks to the automation of moderation processes. The app uses a templating system that recognizes web links, words and expressions as offensive or suspicious, blocking content before it is published on the platform.

“In 2020, we have added 33,734 items to our list of patterns. When we identify a new threat on our platform, we add new variation patterns to the system to prevent it from re-emerging. We also create Global Exceptional Templates to identify textual content that could pose a threat to our users. Thanks to these patterns, almost 1 million messages with insults and negative language were deleted without reaching the platform. ”

ASKfm Transparency Report 2020

We are committed to escalating issues that threaten the safety of our users that may require Law Enforcement intervention. From our side, we reported 69 cases with the top priority threats to Law Enforcement. 3 of them were extremism cases in 2020.”

Security mentors in the ASKfm application are Tech Against Terrorism, an Initiative launched and supported by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED) working with the global tech industry to tackle terrorist use of the internet whilst respecting human rights.

ASKfm announced that it is open for cooperation with official organizations in the fight against threats to others or oneself, threats of violence, illegal activities and content that harm minors on the network.