The Ethical Web Magazine Fall 2014 (Standalone) | Page 13

How to Report

the terms of service violations

on social media sites

Many major social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have set terms and conditions when communicating with other users while using their services. When people violate those terms, there are ways to report the violations. Here is a list of the terms, and how to report bullying, harassment, and other forms of abuse.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards

Facebook does not allow threats, bullying, harassment, and hate speech. The website also does not allow users to promote criminal and terrorist activity, self-harm, fraud, deception, and violent or sexual content. Instructions on reporting another user can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/help/263149623790594/

Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/help/guidelines

Flickr has user guidelines on what you can and cannot do when using their photo service. They do not allow copyright infringement and illegal content. They are strict on harassment and bullying. Flickr allows legal mature content but it must be set to the appropriate content filter. Go to this page to report any kind of abuse by another user:

https://www.flickr.com/abuse

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/yt/policyandsafety/

While they encourage free and artistic expression, YouTube discourages the uploading of pornography, explicit content, and any content that would encourage violent and dangerous acts to anyone, including children. They prefer you not to upload any copyrighted content unless you have permission. YouTube has a staff working around the clock 24/7 that views and flags content. If you wish to report anything they might have missed, or something offensive like a video or an abusive user, they offer this page:

https://www.youtube.com/yt/policyandsafety/reporting.html

Wikipedia

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use

A site like Wikipedia, is an interesting one. The submitted content on the site are the sole responsibility of the uploader and editor. There are numerous editors and posters around the world, and if you are found in violation of their terms and conditions, they have the right to terminate your account without question. There are places you can report to if you see copyright violations:

https://www.chillingeffects.org/

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/DMCA_takedowns

Twitter

https://twitter.com/tos

The wonderful people at Twitter have a saying that they wish every tweeter would follow: “You are what you tweet.” Unfortunately there are some people that don’t like to follow the rules. They have a strict policy against posting violent and sexual tweets, images, and videos. Their “How to Report Violations” page is extensive with every possible offense under the sun. They provide links and emails to report violators on this page:

https://support.twitter.com/articles/15789

Read more at

http://theethicalweb.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/social-media-tools-and-community-standards/

Reddit

http://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette

Reddit is a site that is all about free expression of thoughts and ideas. Their idea of posting etiquette is “would I say this to my friend?” It has policies set so that if there is adult content, to flag it NSFW. They don’t support illegal activity, whether violent or sexual in nature. They crackdown on trollers and hate speech. If you feel that a user is being inappropriate: “If you got an inappropriate or harassing PM, click “report” and/or “block user” in the options under the PM.”

http://www.reddit.com/contact/