“Damn idiot, I hope your wife dies in a car accident, they take your children away as an alcoholic and finally when they come back they kill you
.
The text corresponds to a publication by an anonymous user addressed to a protagonist of the
2023 Rugby World Cup
that was played in
France
.
Publications like that were filtered by a protection service that had the purpose of eradicating hate messages, but also identifying those responsible and in some cases, prosecuting them.
The artificial intelligence-based system identified, investigated and provided support related to abuse and threats received by referees, players, teams and officials throughout the tournament.
Focusing on open social networks such as
X
and
, as well as private direct messaging, the system covered the use of text, images and emoji and operated in 35 languages and dialects.
As a result,
one person in Australia is facing legal proceedings for cyber abuse
and there are other cases pending in different countries and 1,600 accounts reported for failure to comply with community guidelines.
In the case of extremely abusive accounts - with texts like the one at the top of this article - the reports helped the platforms themselves eliminate the users.
“You are a disgrace to World Rugby. I hope you get fired and never play another game again. You're an idiot who gets paid, you fucking dog. I hope someone finds you and cuts your throat
,” is another of the real texts released by the World Cup organization to chart the cases.
The entity that organizes the World Cup every four years, partnered with
Signify Group and its
Threat Matrix
artificial intelligence service
and open source forensic investigation techniques.
The development was launched in 2020 to detect these types of hate posts in real time and this year it will be applied in women's and men's rugby competitions.
The system is used by clubs, leagues, players' unions, federations and global sporting event organizers to protect athletes and other stakeholders, as well as for use in investigations and intelligence support.
“Those who abuse or threaten players, referees or their families must realize that their actions will have consequences. It is fantastic to see World Rugby leading the way and to see the first charges brought against those individuals sending such atrocious messages. There is simply no place for that behavior in rugby, in sport or in society
,” remarked the referee of the last World Cup final,
Wayne Barnes
, who was also one of the most targeted on social networks.
It happens that the referees, including the TMO match officials,
received more attacks or threats than the players
or teams.
49 percent of the abuse recorded during the World Cup was directed at them and Barnes received
a third of all abuse
.
“You idiot, you fucking loser. I will chase you and make your life hell, damn it
,” was another of the leaked texts that World Rugby released to illustrate the tenor of the expletives.
The geographical origin of the verified abusive accounts was Europe with 58 percent of cases, Africa, 19;
Oceania, 10;
South America, 3 and of that percentage 2 percent corresponds to Argentina, with Los Pumas as the main target.
The remaining 10 percent were registered in regions without competitors in France 2023.
“The rise of online hate in society and sport is worrying and totally unacceptable;
“We will continue to do everything we can to protect and support our international match officials and their families by bringing abusers to justice,” said World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin.
In the coming weeks, the institution will release a documentary that records the impact of attacks on the privacy of people who are part of the world of rugby.