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The Verge
4 days ago
- The Verge
Facebook ranks worst for online harassment, according to a global activist survey
Activists around the world are calling attention to harassment they've faced on Meta's platforms. More than 90 percent of land and environmental defenders surveyed by Global Witness, a nonprofit organization that also tracks the murders of environmental advocates, reported experiencing some kind of online abuse or harassment connected to their work. Facebook was the most-cited platform, followed by X, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Global Witness and many of the activists it surveyed are calling on Meta and its peers to do more to address harassment and misinformation on their platforms. Left to fester, they fear that online attacks could fuel real-world risks to activists. Around 75 percent of people surveyed said they believed that online abuse they experienced corresponded to offline harm. 'Those stats really stayed with me. They were so much higher than we expected them to be,' Ava Lee, campaign strategy lead on digital threats at Global Witness, tells The Verge. That's despite expecting a gloomy outcome based on prior anecdotal accounts. 'It has kind of long been known that the experience of climate activists and environmental defenders online is pretty awful,' Lee says. Left to fester, they fear that online attacks could fuel real-world risks Global Witness surveyed more than 200 people between November 2024 and March of this year that it was able to reach through the same networks it taps when documenting the killings of land and environmental defenders. It found Meta-owned platforms to be 'the most toxic.' Around 62 percent of participants said they encountered abuse on Facebook, 36 percent on WhatsApp, and 26 percent on Instagram. That probably reflects how popular Meta's platforms are around the world. Facebook has more than 3 billion active monthly users, more than a third of the global population. But Meta also abandoned its third-party fact-checking program in January, which critics warned could lead to more hate speech and disinformation. Meta moved to a crowdsourced approach to content moderation similar to X, where 37 percent of survey participants reported experiencing abuse. In May, Meta reported a 'small increase in the prevalence of bullying and harassment content' on Facebook as well as 'a small increase in the prevalence of violent and graphic content' during the first quarter of 2025. 'That's sort of the irony as well, of them moving towards this kind of free speech model, which actually we're seeing that it's silencing certain voices,' says Hannah Sharpe, a senior campaigner at Global Witness. Fatrisia Ain leads a local collective of women in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where she says palm oil companies have seized farmers' lands and contaminated a river local villagers used to be able to rely on for drinking water. Posts on Facebook have accused her of being a communist, a dangerous allegation in her country, she tells The Verge. The practice of 'red-tagging' — labeling any dissident voices as communists — has been used to target and criminalize activists in Southeast Asia. In one high-profile case, a prominent environmental activist in Indonesia was jailed under 'anti-communism' laws after opposing a new gold mine. Ain says she's asked Facebook to take down several posts attacking her, without success. 'They said it's not dangerous, so they can't take it down. It is dangerous. I hope that Meta would understand, in Indonesia, it's dangerous,' Ain says. Other posts have accused Ain of trying to defraud farmers and of having an affair with a married man, which she sees as attempts to discredit her that could wind up exposing her to more threats in the real world — which has already been hostile to her activism. 'Women who are being the defenders for my own community are more vulnerable than men … more people harass you with so many things,' she says. Nearly two-thirds of people who responded to the Global Witness survey said that they have feared for their safety, including Ain. She's been physically targeted at protests against palm oil companies accused of failing to pay farmers, she tells The Verge. During a protest outside of a government office, men grabbed her butt and chest, she says. Now, when she leads protests, older women activists surround her to protect her as a security measure. In the Global Witness survey, nearly a quarter of respondents said they'd been attacked on the basis of their sex. 'There's evidence of the way that women and women of color in particular in politics experience just vast amounts more hate than any other group,' Lee says. 'Again, we're seeing that play out when it comes to defenders … and the threats of sexual violence, and the impact that that is having on the mental health of lots of these defenders and their ability to feel safe.' 'We encourage people to use tools available on our platforms to help protect against bullying and harassment,' Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in an email to The Verge, adding that the company is reviewing Facebook posts that targeted Ain. Meta also pointed to its 'Hidden Words' feature that allows you to filter offensive direct messages and comments on your posts and its 'Limits' feature that hides comments on your posts from users that don't follow you. Other companies mentioned in the report, including Google, TikTok, and X, did not provide on-the-record responses to inquiries from The Verge. Nor did a palm oil company Ain says has been operating on local farmers' land without paying them, as they're supposed to do under a mandated profit-sharing scheme. Global Witness says there are concrete steps social media companies can take to address harassment on their platforms. That includes dedicating more resources to their content moderation systems, regularly reviewing these systems, and inviting public input on the process. Activists surveyed also reported that they think algorithms that boost polarizing content and the proliferation of bots on platforms make the problem worse. 'There are a number of choices that platforms could make,' Lee says. 'Resourcing is a choice, and they could be putting more money into really good content moderation and really good trust and safety [initiatives] to improve things.' Global Witness plans to put out its next report on the killings of land and environmental defenders in September. Its last such report found that at least 196 people were killed in 2023. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. 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National Observer
21-07-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Trump's inaugural fund received US$19m from fossil fuel industry, analysis shows
This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration The fossil fuel industry poured more than US$19m into Donald Trump's inaugural fund, accounting for nearly eight per cent of all donations it raised, a new analysis shows, raising concerns about White House's relationship with big oil. The president raised a stunning $239m for his inauguration – more than the previous three inaugural committees took in combined and more than double the previous record – according to data published by the US Federal Election Commission (FEC). The oil and gas sector made a significant contribution to that overall number, found the international environmental and human rights organization Global Witness. The group pulled itemized inaugural fund contribution data released by the FEC in April, and researched each contributor with the help of an in-house artificial intelligence tool. It located 47 contributions to the fund made by companies and individuals linked to the fossil fuel sector, to which Trump has voiced his fealty. On the campaign trail and in his inauguration speech, the president pledged to 'drill, baby, drill'. 'We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,' Trump said in his inaugural address, just hours before he signed a spate of executive orders to 'unleash American energy' and roll back environmental protections. His administration has since worked to boost the oil industry, including by taking aim at city- and state-led fossil fuel accountability efforts, opening up swaths of land to extraction, and cracking down on renewable energy expansion. 'It's no surprise the oil and gas industry handed millions to Donald Trump for his inauguration, and they seem to have reaped a huge return on their investment, said Nicu Calcea, a senior data investigator at Global Witness. Nearly eight per cent of all of the donations raised by Donald Trump's inaugural fund came from the fossil fuel industry, raising concerns about the White House's relationship with Big Oil. Among the oil-linked donors identified, the energy giant Chevron made the largest contribution to Trump's inaugural fund at $2m, tying it for fourth-largest donor overall alongside other givers such as the crypto platform Coinbase and the financial services company Robinhood. Reached for comment, a Chevron spokesperson said: 'Chevron has a long tradition of celebrating democracy by supporting the inaugural committees of both parties. We are proud to have done so again.' ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Occidental Petroleum each made $1m donations. None of the three companies responded to the Guardian's requests for comment. Altogether, Global Witness identified $19,151,933 in donations from fossil fuel-linked donors. That number is probably an underestimate, it says, because it does not include contributions from unverified energy-linked donors, or from diversified investors and businesses that do not work primarily in oil and gas. Trump's profile of inaugural fund donors starkly contrasts with Joe Biden's; the former president banned contributions to the fund from the oil and gas sector. 'So Trump's day one love-in with the oil and gas industry really tells us whose side he's on,' said Alice Harrison, head of fossil fuel campaigning at Global Witness. Set up as charitable organizations, presidential inaugural funds are used to cover the costs of parades, galas and receptions as a new president enters the White House. Unlike presidential election campaigns, there are no set limits on how much a corporation or US citizen can give to an inaugural committee. Fossil fuel interests poured an additional $96m into Trump's re-election campaign and affiliated political action committees, a January report found. Though that was less than the $1bn
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- The Guardian
Death threats and falsehoods among online abuse reported by land and climate defenders
Death threats, doxing and cyber-attacks are just some of the online threats recounted by land and climate defenders in a new report, amid concerns that harassment is having a chilling effect on environmental activism. Interviews and questionaires sent out to more than 200 environmental defenders across six continents by Global Witness found that nine in 10 activists reported receiving abuse over their work. Three in four defenders who said they had experienced offline harm believed that digital harassment contributed to it. The findings come after Meta announced in January that it was axing factchecking, reducing 'censorship' and increasing political content, following similar moves by X since 2022. Fatrisia Ain, a member of a collective of women fighting to regain land rights taken through Indonesia's palm oil plantation partnership programme in Sulawesi, told the Guardian about repeated intimidation attempts. 'Accounts have taken selfies from my personal Instagram and posted them on Facebook groups, spreading lies about me and 'red-tagging' – a very sensitive issue in Indonesia.' The posts remain visible in public groups with up to 40,000 members. Almost two-thirds of defenders who had received abuse said it led them to fear for their safety, and Ain felt that being a woman made her 'even more vulnerable'. 'They falsely accused me of having an affair with a married man because I'm an unmarried woman activist,' she said, describing it as 'another serious allegation in Indonesia'. She said the online attacks had seriously worried her family, who had begged her to stop her activism. Ain said Facebook refused to remove the posts about her after she reported them for hate speech. 'It said they're not dangerous – but I explained that it is in Indonesia,' she said, calling on platforms to exercise cultural sensitivity in their moderation practices. Just 12% of defenders who reported abuse said they were happy with platforms' responses, and Global Witness found evidence suggesting European defenders were more likely to receive responses when reporting harmful content. In 2023, at least 196 land defenders were killed worldwide for their work, and Ain told the Guardian that she had been physically attacked last year. 'I was hit by another motorbike on our way to an assisted village surrounded by plantations,' she said, describing the attack as 'very intentional'. 'I just had a few scratches, but it was very terrifying. Now, for security, we use cars.' She said she had received WhatsApp messages condemning her activism before the attack. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The poll, carried out by Survation, is a global first. Challenges with reaching land defenders en masse mean it may not be representative of all activists. Ava Lee, Global Witness's campaign lead, said digital threats – and platforms' increasingly lacklustre responses to tackling them – harmed climate and environmental advocacy. 'We're definitely concerned that it will have a chilling effect on the movement. We know that there are lots of women that don't want to go into politics because of the abuse that they see female politicians getting online – the same can be said now for the climate movement,' she said. While she called on social media companies to invest in content moderation, Lee also noted that 'these algorithms are designed to keep people online as much as possible and platforms have discovered that the best way of doing that is through division … That's also a choice.' Global Witness contacted Google, Meta, TikTok and X with the report's findings. Meta pointed to its Safety Center and resources on bullying and harassment prevention, which include a 'hidden words' feature that allows users to filter offensive comments and direct messages. It said it had limits in place to prevent abuse of its features. TikTok referenced its community guidelines on harassment and bullying and said it did not allow harassing, degrading or bullying statements and behaviour. The others declined to comment. Lee said: 'It doesn't have to be this way. We're talking about some of the most wealthy companies that hold so much power. [The climate] is the biggest crisis of our lifetimes – if they put their resources into making sure their platforms are safe, we'd have a much better chance of meeting it head-on.'
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- The Guardian
Death threats and falsehoods among online abuse reported by land and climate defenders
Death threats, doxing and cyber-attacks are just some of the online threats recounted by land and climate defenders in a new report, amid concerns that harassment is having a chilling effect on environmental activism. Interviews and questionaires sent out to more than 200 environmental defenders across six continents by Global Witness found that nine in 10 activists reported receiving abuse over their work. Three in four defenders who said they had experienced offline harm believed that digital harassment contributed to it. The findings come after Meta announced in January that it was axing factchecking, reducing 'censorship' and increasing political content, following similar moves by X since 2022. Fatrisia Ain, a member of a collective of women fighting to regain land rights taken through Indonesia's palm oil plantation partnership programme in Sulawesi, told the Guardian about repeated intimidation attempts. 'Accounts have taken selfies from my personal Instagram and posted them on Facebook groups, spreading lies about me and 'red-tagging' – a very sensitive issue in Indonesia.' The posts remain visible in public groups with up to 40,000 members. Almost two-thirds of defenders who had received abuse said it led them to fear for their safety, and Ain felt that being a woman made her 'even more vulnerable'. 'They falsely accused me of having an affair with a married man because I'm an unmarried woman activist,' she said, describing it as 'another serious allegation in Indonesia'. She said the online attacks had seriously worried her family, who had begged her to stop her activism. Ain said Facebook refused to remove the posts about her after she reported them for hate speech. 'It said they're not dangerous – but I explained that it is in Indonesia,' she said, calling on platforms to exercise cultural sensitivity in their moderation practices. Just 12% of defenders who reported abuse said they were happy with platforms' responses, and Global Witness found evidence suggesting European defenders were more likely to receive responses when reporting harmful content. In 2023, at least 196 land defenders were killed worldwide for their work, and Ain told the Guardian that she had been physically attacked last year. 'I was hit by another motorbike on our way to an assisted village surrounded by plantations,' she said, describing the attack as 'very intentional'. 'I just had a few scratches, but it was very terrifying. Now, for security, we use cars.' She said she had received WhatsApp messages condemning her activism before the attack. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The poll, carried out by Survation, is a global first. Challenges with reaching land defenders en masse mean it may not be representative of all activists. Ava Lee, Global Witness's campaign lead, said digital threats – and platforms' increasingly lacklustre responses to tackling them – harmed climate and environmental advocacy. 'We're definitely concerned that it will have a chilling effect on the movement. We know that there are lots of women that don't want to go into politics because of the abuse that they see female politicians getting online – the same can be said now for the climate movement,' she said. While she called on social media companies to invest in content moderation, Lee also noted that 'these algorithms are designed to keep people online as much as possible and platforms have discovered that the best way of doing that is through division … That's also a choice.' Global Witness contacted Google, Meta, TikTok and X with the report's findings. Meta pointed to its Safety Center and resources on bullying and harassment prevention, which include a 'hidden words' feature that allows users to filter offensive comments and direct messages. It said it had limits in place to prevent abuse of its features. TikTok referenced its community guidelines on harassment and bullying and said it did not allow harassing, degrading or bullying statements and behaviour. The others declined to comment. Lee said: 'It doesn't have to be this way. We're talking about some of the most wealthy companies that hold so much power. [The climate] is the biggest crisis of our lifetimes – if they put their resources into making sure their platforms are safe, we'd have a much better chance of meeting it head-on.'
The National
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
EU risks international law breach with Israel gas deal, campaigners say
An investigation by Global Witness, an international NGO that focuses on the environment and human rights, has claimed the deal "tramples over Palestinian rights" and helps "bankroll Israel's genocide in Gaza". The gas deal was signed in 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as the EU took a clear stance on ending "the era of Russian fossil fuels" and sought to diversify its gas supply. According to Israel's energy ministry, the agreement enables substantial Israeli gas exports to Europe. The route for this gas to be exported from Israel to the EU relies on a pipeline, operated in part by a subsidiary of US oil giant Chevron, which crosses Palestinian territory without regard for international conventions. READ MORE: Protest announced for Donald Trump's UK state visit The deal signed between Israel, Egypt and the EU, which has come up for renewal this June, is likely to make the EU complicit in breaches of international law, the investigation said. Campaigners are calling for member states to immediately end imports of Israeli gas, and for all state and corporate actors involved in the running of the pipeline to be held legally accountable. Sarah Biermann Becker, senior investigator at Global Witness, said: "Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has tried to position itself as a defender of human rights, but its continued business with Israel exposes a deplorable double standard. 'What we've effectively seen is the EU swapping out one human rights abuser for another – pursuing a gas deal that tramples over Palestinian rights and effectively helps bankroll Israel's genocide on Gaza. 'As Israel's relentless and brutal aggression towards the Palestinian people shows no sign of abating, the EU must act – it must halt all gas imports via the EMG pipeline immediately and cancel the trade agreement. The EU's complicity in Israel's human rights violations must end now.' Global Witness said it received in-depth legal advice from expert lawyers outlining multiple possible breaches of international law posed by the pipeline. Expert lawyers outlined that if the EMG pipeline breaches international law, the EU would also be complicit in these breaches – through both the gas deal itself and through purchase of gas transported through the pipeline. READ MORE: BBC breached editorial guidelines in Gaza documentary, review finds Speaking in a personal capacity, MEP Lynn Boylan, who chairs the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine, said: "This shameful deal should never have been signed. 'As we see the Israeli Government and the US Government openly discussing a resource grab in Gaza, the EU cannot be complicit and must now take the opportunity to end this shameful agreement once and for all."
