The Tip-Off | When it comes to tackling racism, can sport prove be an effective Facebook influencer?

Turns out all it took was an increasingly dire situation, some really poor publicity, and the threat of “billions of pounds” in government fines for Facebook to take some responsibility over the continued abuse of soccer players on its platforms.Speaking to the BBC, the social media firm’s UK head of content policy Fadzai Madzingira said the company has been “horrified” by a recent surge in instances of online hate as she outlined new measures to tackle the issue, which include temporarily banning the Instagram accounts of individuals who repeatedly send abusive messages.However, the Tip-Off cannot help but wonder whether Facebook has really been that horrified given that the measures are only now being introduced after a lengthy period of inaction over a problem that has existed for years. It’s also hard not to question if the threat of time on the naughty step alone will be enough to deter social media users from continuing to target high-profile players.As it happens, the UK’s leading soccer bodies don’t believe temporary bans are enough. The likes of the Premier League, English Football League (EFL),  » Read More