Online hate speech could be contained like a computer virus, say Cambridge researchers

The spread of hate speech via social media could be tackled using the same "quarantine" approach deployed to combat malicious software, according to University of Cambridge researchers.

Definitions of hate speech vary depending on nation, law and platform, and just blocking keywords is ineffectual: graphic descriptions of violence need not contain obvious ethnic slurs to constitute racist death threats, for example.

As such, hate speech is difficult to detect automatically. It has to be reported by those exposed to it, after the intended "psychological harm" is inflicted, with armies of moderators required to judge every case.

This is the new front line of an ancient debate: freedom of speech versus poisonous language.

Now, an engineer and a linguist have published a proposal in the journal Ethics and Information Technology that harnesses cyber security techniques to give control to those targeted, without resorting to censorship.

Cambridge language and machine learning experts are using databases of threats and violent insults to build algorithms that can provide a score for the likelihood of an online message containing forms of hate speech.

As these algorithms get refined, potential hate speech could be identified and "quarantined". Users would receive a warning alert with a "Hate O'Meter" - the hate speech severity score - the sender's name, and an option to view the content or delete unseen.

This approach is akin to spam and malware filters, and researchers from the 'Giving Voice to Digital Democracies' project believe it could dramatically reduce the amount of hate speech people are forced to experience. They are aiming to have a prototype ready in early 2020.

"Hate speech is a form of intentional online harm, like malware, and can therefore be handled by means of quarantining," said co-author and linguist Dr Stefanie Ullman. "In fact, a lot of hate speech is actually generated by software such as Twitter bots."

"Companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google generally respond reactively to hate speech," said co-author and engineer Dr Marcus Tomalin. "This may be okay for those who don't encounter it often. For others it's too little, too late."

"Many women and people from minority groups in the public eye receive anonymous hate speech for daring to have an online presence. We are seeing this deter people from entering or continuing in public life, often those from groups in need of greater representation," he said.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently told a UK audience that hate speech posed a "threat to democracies", in the wake of many women MPs citing online abuse as part of the reason they will no longer stand for election.

While in a Georgetown University address, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke of "broad disagreements over what qualifies as hate" and argued: "we should err on the side of greater expression".

The researchers say their proposal is not a magic bullet, but it does sit between the "extreme libertarian and authoritarian approaches" of either entirely permitting or prohibiting certain language online.

Importantly, the user becomes the arbiter. "Many people don't like the idea of an unelected corporation or micromanaging government deciding what we can and can't say to each other," said Tomalin.

"Our system will flag when you should be careful, but it's always your call. It doesn't stop people posting or viewing what they like, but it gives much needed control to those being inundated with hate."

In the paper, the researchers refer to detection algorithms achieving 60% accuracy - not much better than chance. Tomalin's machine learning lab has now got this up to 80%, and he anticipates continued improvement of the mathematical modeling.

Meanwhile, Ullman gathers more "training data": verified hate speech from which the algorithms can learn. This helps refine the "confidence scores" that determine a quarantine and subsequent Hate O'Meter read-out, which could be set like a sensitivity dial depending on user preference.

A basic example might involve a word like 'bitch': a misogynistic slur, but also a legitimate term in contexts such as dog breeding. It's the algorithmic analysis of where such a word sits syntactically - the types of surrounding words and semantic relations between them - that informs the hate speech score.

"Identifying individual keywords isn't enough, we are looking at entire sentence structures and far beyond. Sociolinguistic information in user profiles and posting histories can all help improve the classification process," said Ullman.

Added Tomalin: "Through automated quarantines that provide guidance on the strength of hateful content, we can empower those at the receiving end of the hate speech poisoning our online discourses."

However, the researchers, who work in Cambridge's Centre for Research into Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CRASSH), say that - as with computer viruses - there will always be an arms race between hate speech and systems for limiting it.

The project has also begun to look at "counter-speech": the ways people respond to hate speech. The researchers intend to feed into debates around how virtual assistants such as 'Siri' should respond to threats and intimidation.

Toys for Tots top Marine always delivers

After 25 years, Robert “Bob” Harris will step down as local coordinator of Toys for Tots. During his time served, he provided the children of Stark County with more than a million toys.

MASSILLON If Robert Harris had a long white beard, you might call him Santa Claus.

Christmastime is Harris’ busiest season as local coordinator of Toys for Tots. He and his “elves” sort and distribute toys in a Massillon-based workshop.

All is calm when Christmas Day comes around. Each year, Harris starts the day by enjoying a cup of coffee with his wife in their Hartville home.

Though no one can hear them, the couple says a prayer for the families of Stark County.

“Merry Christmas,” they say with a smile.

The retired U.S. Marine has served as the local coordinator of Toys for Tots for 25 years and will have delivered more than a million toys to local children by the end of the season. The 78-year-old plans to step down from his duties in January after final paperwork is completed for the year.

“I love it because it helps so many children,” Harris said. “Without Toys for Tots, millions of children would not have a Christmas.”

Longtime coordinator

When Harris volunteered to be the Stark County coordinator of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots in 1994, there weren’t many local chapters in Northeast Ohio.

Kari Harris, who has helped her grandfather with the organization for at least 15 years, said donated items were stored in her grandfather’s basement when the Stark County chapter began. Toys for Tots has had a number of homes since then and is now based in Massillon.

“It just went from there,” Bob Harris said. “I just stuck with it. I kept doing it because I love helping the children.”

Harris, who is nicknamed “The General,” works alongside his granddaughter, who has earned the nickname “The Little General.” The duo wore matching shirts with the titles printed in red glitter as they sorted toys earlier this month.

Kari Harris oversees the sorting of the toys in the warehouse while her grandfather handles all the paperwork, she said. A troop of women assist Harris to sort the toys by gender and age group.

“I figured it would bring us closer together,” Harris said. “We spend a lot of time together this part of the year.”

New leadership

Because Kari Harris is not a Marine, she cannot take over the local Toys for Tots from her grandfather, she said. However, she plans to continue her work with the organization by heading up the sorting as usual.

Jeff Weber, a Marine who served in Desert Storm, will take over the paperwork aspect from Bob Harris. The 1980 Jackson High School grad has been helping the Toys for Tots effort for the past five years.

Weber decided to join the Marine Corps League McKinley Detachment #277 with the vision of getting involved with Toys for Tots.

“I think that you get to the point in your life ... where you just want to do something that matters,” Weber said.

Weber credits three women — including Kari Harris — for organizing the toys at the warehouse.

Bob Harris will continue acting as the local coordinator until Jan. 15, which is the deadline to send the report to the foundation.

The season kicked off in September when Harris attended a conference in Leesburg, Va. and purchased $25,000 new toys for the children of Stark County. Collection began in October and ended Dec. 14.

Each year the toys are distributed to one of six nonprofit agencies, including Salvation Army and A Community Christmas, which Harris oversees and will continue to serve as president after his retirement from Toys for Tots.

“I’ve made a legacy that I didn’t even know I made in stark County,” Harris said. “I’m almost 80 years old. I think it’s time for the young people to step up and take over the responsibility.”