Anti-social media: fighting to prosecute online trolls | 60 Minutes Australia

Subscribe here: http://9Soci.al/chmP50wA97J Full Episodes: https://9now.app.link/uNP4qBkmN6 | Anti-social media (2020)

There’s no doubt social media is a great innovation. Except for one thing: the people who choose to use their keyboards as weapons of hate. But if anyone thinks tech giants like Facebook and Twitter are doing everything in their power to silence the idiots of the internet, they’re in for a shock. Not only do these companies welcome trolls, they benefit from more of them. It’s as cynical a business model as there is, but bullies, it seems, are good for profits. In this 60 MINUTES investigation, Tom Steinfort interviews former senior executives from Facebook and Twitter who reveal the dirty tricks used to encourage the trolls. But Steinfort also reports there’s a fightback underway led by high-profile Australians who have been subjected to cruel and targeted attacks. Former NRL coach Anthony Seibold, who was the victim of a horrendous attack, has launched his own investigation to track down those who spread vicious untruths about him on social media. Channel 9’s Erin Molan, who has suffered years of unrelenting abuse on Facebook and other platforms, is now campaigning for much tougher penalties, including prison sentences for perpetrators of trolling. As she tells Steinfort, “This impacts every single Australian. The time to ignore trolls is over. The time to prosecute trolls is here!”

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For forty years, 60 Minutes have been telling Australians the world’s greatest stories. Tales that changed history, our nation and our lives. Reporters Liz Hayes, Tom Steinfort, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett and Sarah Abo look past the headlines because there is always a bigger picture. Sundays are for 60 Minutes.

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