Today we read from the indo a story on cyber bullying,but is it facebooks responsibility ?
Some will say yes,some will say no,some blame the parents,some blame the corporate money making company.So who is at fault?
Facebook can be proactive so can we and so can parents.
Also what is needed is a clear under standing of the meaning of cyber bullies,trolls etc.
Some people dont understand and will write articles on such and its clearly missed the point.Mostly in this case its people who are seeking revenge or just immaturity of the whole concept.Social media environments are a haven for some in a bad way but mostly good for most users.
One thing ive noticed is people seem to to misunderstand what cyber bullying is,people call it been a troll or a pest where constructive criticism if often mixed up with cyber bullying.
Have a read of facebooks failure here and see what you think .
FACEBOOK has ignored a request for a meeting with Irish school principals to discuss the risks associated with the misuse of social networks by young people.
Second-level principals sought discussions with the world’s largest social network in light of growing problems with cyber-bullying.
The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) want to discuss specific issues, including what they see as a need for a schools’ “hotline” toFacebook.
The principals’ concerns also include a refusal to, or delay in taking down abusive posts and underage (under-13s) students setting up Facebook accounts. A letter from the principals was sent to Patricia Cartes, Facebook’s public policy manager, and copied to Simon Milner, its director of policy for Ireland and the UK.
Facebook’s reply sets out its approach to safety and cyberbullying, as well as arrangements in place for reporting any concerns. NAPD director Clive Byrne said the letter from Facebook was “generic” and ignored the request for a meeting.
He said this was “disappointing” and “surprising, since NAPD raised a very specific set of issues, and principals have the care of the country’s schoolchildren in their hands”.
Mr Byrne welcomed Facebook’s commitment to what they call a “zero-tolerance approach to bullying” and said that it showed that it took seriously its responsibility to tackle cyber risk.
“But NAPD is concerned that the network is not prepared to deal directly with schools’ requests to take down abusive posts promptly, or to provide dedicated liaison teams for schools and parents,” he said.
Instead, Mr Byrne said Facebook believed it was adequate to involve third-party “partners”, such as the Department of Education and its internet safety site, webwise.ie or hotline.ie, a service for reporting illegal content on the internet, in the reporting exercise.
He said “given the deeply hurtful nature of some online posts, and their sometimes tragic consequences, we believe that Facebook also had a duty to handle calls from schools, users and parents directly using dedicated liaison teams”
Concerns
Mr Byrne said Facebook should be more proactive in raising public awareness of cyberbullying, and advising on safe and responsible internet practice. The Irish Independent asked Facebook if it was willing to meet the principals to discuss their concerns. In an emailed response, it did not address this question.
“Nothing matters more to Facebook than the safety of our users. We’d like all teachers to know what to do about bullying online and we responded in full to this letter, once we received it. We are always open to opportunities to improve understanding, working with partners such as webwise.ie.”
