Using the online tool, a complainant can report details about the harassment including when it started, what form the harassment took, whether they fear for their personal safety, and how many times they’ve reported the issue to Twitter.
Online harassment can take place in various forms including user impersonation, violent threats, hate speech (sexist, racist, or homophobic), releasing someone else’s private information, encouraging people to harass someone offline, and revenge porn.
Under the pilot program, WAM will monitor incoming harassment reports and forward them to Twitter, as well as track the social network’s response to different types of gendered harassment to help the company improve its harassment related policies.
WAM’s executive director Jaclyn Friedman, “The disproportionate targeting of women online results in them removing their voices from the public conversation. We’re so glad that Twitter recognizes that the best way to ensure equally free speech for all users on their platform is to ensure that all users are equally free to speak without being targeted by harassment, abuse and threats.”
The announcement follows a recent Pew survey which found that 25 percent of young women have admitted been sexually harassed online with 26 percent of them claiming they were stalked.
