Facebook promise ‘new tools’ to combat vile abuse as Raheem Sterling targeted on Instagram after Man City win over PSG
FACEBOOK has promised ‘new tools’ to combat vile online abuse after Raheem Sterling became the latest footballer to be targeted by sick trolls on social media.
The Manchester City star, 26, was the victim of vile comments shortly after helping his side reach the Champions League final at Paris Saint-Germain’s expense on Tuesday night.
The revolting abuse on Instagram came less than 48 hours after English football’s social media boycott ended.
And now Facebook – who own Instagram – have vowed they are ‘committed’ to ending online abuse and have even promised ‘new tools’ to combat trolls.
A Facebook statement read: “The racist abuse sent to Raheem Sterling is unacceptable and we do not want it on Instagram.
“We have removed the comment and taken action against the account that posted it.
“As part of our ongoing work in this space, we’ll soon be rolling out new tools to help prevent people seeing abusive messages from strangers.
“No single thing will fix this challenge overnight.
“But we’re committed to doing what we can to keep our community safe from abuse.”
Sterling has previously spoken out about being abused online, demanding social media sites take responsibility – and action.
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In October, the England winger said: “I don’t know how many times I need to say this…
“Football and social media platforms need to step up, show real leadership and take proper action in tackling online abuse.
“The technology is there to make a difference, but I’m increasingly questioning if there is the will.”
Sterling was speaking in response to a worrying report, commission by the PFA and Kick It Out, which found:
- 43 per cent of players involved in the study experienced targeted and explicitly racist abuse
- Almost one in three racist posts featured emojis
- Half of the abuse was launched at Sterling, Wilfried Zaha and Adebayo Akinfenwa alone.