GLAAD Calls the Entire Social Media Sector ‘Unsafe for LGBTQ Users’

GLAAD released its inaugural Social Media Safety Index Monday, analyzing LGBTQ user safety across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube, and the lowlight of its glum findings was, “Surveying the current landscape of leading social media platforms, the entire sector is effectively unsafe for LGBTQ users.” The Social Media Safety Index marks the first ever tech industry baseline of LGBTQ user safety, and it was based on an in-depth review of industry research, as well as publicly available content and ad policies, interviews with advisory committee members and reporting and testing of LGBTQ policies across each of the platforms. It was created with support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies and the Gill Foundation. GLAAD also shared another resource Monday, its Listing of Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate Speech, to help expose anti-LGBTQ conduct and content on platforms and create pressure and accountability for those platforms to address it. It was modeled after the Hate Symbols Database from the Anti-Defamation League. Other key findings from GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index include: The prevalence and intensity of hate speech and harassment is of special concern and represents the most significant problem in urgent need of improvement.The problem of anti-LGBTQ hate speech and misinformation is a public health and safety issue. GLAAD said that in recent months, organizations including the ADL and Color of Change have issued pleas for effective platform responsibility, and its release of the Social Media Safety Index “adds LGBTQ recommendations to this necessary and urgent dialogue.” The organization’s platform responsibility checklist calls for: Greater protection of LGBTQ users in community guidelines.Improved content moderation (and multiple related and overlapping areas including hate speech and misinformation mitigation, enforcement, transparency and accountability, user-reporting systems and self-expression).Mitigating algorithmic bias and bias in artificial intelligence.Addressing privacy and outing (including data privacy and micro-targeting).Overall transparency and accountability.LGBTQ hiring, inclusion and leadership.Engagement of independent researchers and social scientists.Engagement of affected users and communities, especially underrepresented groups.Promotion of civil discourse. GLAAD convened an advisory committee of thought leaders to advise on the content of the the Social Media Safety Index, which included: Lucy Bernholz, director, Digital Civil Society Lab, Stanford UniversityBrandi Collins-Dexter, visiting research fellow, Shorenstein Center and senior fellow, Color of ChangeLiz Fong-Jones, principal developer advocate for site reliability engineering and observability, HoneycombLeigh Honeywell, CEO and co-founder, Tall PoppyTom Rielly, founder, TED Fellows program and founder, PlanetOut.comMaria Ressa, journalist and CEO, RapplerSarah T. Roberts, co-director, UCLA Center for Critical Internet InquiryKara Swisher, contributing writer and host of the Sway podcast at The New York Times and co-host of the Pivot podcast at New York MediaMarlena Wisniak, co-director, Taraaz GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement, “At a time when talk of regulation around content and ads on social media is rapidly escalating and social media platforms consider the critical and urgent calls for transformation from other marginalized communities, the unique needs of LGBTQ people have largely been invisible or fall low on the priority list. The spread of misinformation and disinformation over social media is a leading barrier to full LGBTQ equality and acceptance. The tech industry must realize its obligation to protect LGBTQ users, and tech executives must harness their power as innovators to ameliorate the unsafe environments that have far too long persisted across social media.” GLAAD senior project consultant Jenni Olson added, "The amount of dehumanizing and dangerous anti-LGBTQ hate on social media platforms is astounding. Research shows that social media companies have effective solutions they could be implementing, but they continue to prioritize profits over public safety. Ongoing pressure like GLAAD's Social Media Safety Index is necessary until LGBTQ people are safe on these platforms.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

GLAAD Calls the Entire Social Media Sector ‘Unsafe for LGBTQ Users’

The organization released its inaugural Social Media Safety Index

David Cohen

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David Cohen