PCA PRESS RELEASE
Professional Players Federation (PPF) releases guideline document to tackle online abuse.
The Professional Players Federation (PPF) has called for more action on social media abuse as the body published new guidance on the topic for players.
The PPF has released a set of Social Media Guidance for players and associations including the PCA to help individuals manage and report social media abuse, and the document can be accessed via the organisation’s website.
The new PPF guidelines will supplement work already being done by the PCA in this area, which includes annual social media training for players and free, comprehensive advice from social media experts.
The twelve player associations that form the PPF are also reiterating their call for more action to be taken to protect players from the vile online abuse they receive each day.
The sporting world has already come together to protest in a social media boycott and now the PPF is calling for the following considerations to be met by the government when publishing its upcoming Online Safety Bill:
- Online abuse of players needs to be designated a priority harm within the Online Safety Bill.
- Discriminatory abuse and threats of violence must carry the same legal weight online as if it was said in person.
- Social media companies need to be held accountable for illegal abuse on their platforms. The PPF and PCA support measures for significant fines if companies fail in this proposed duty of care.
- Emojis are increasingly being used as a form of abuse and need to be recognised as having the potential for abuse within any legislation.
- People who break the law online should expect to be held accountable – through criminal charges and not just bans from social media.
- It is essential that individuals are able to make complaints to Ofcom and under any new legislation. It is not acceptable to only permit “super complaints” as currently proposed.
- Any new law must not undermine existing recourse to the law. It would not be acceptable if the new law reduced the willingness of police forces and the CPS to prosecute online harms due to the regulation by Ofcom.
The PPF has also reiterated its call for social media companies to take the following actions:
- To automatically filter posts and messages for racist or discriminatory material including emojis
- To take swifter action to remove offensive posts
- To ban abusive accounts and stop the same people setting up new accounts
- Assist police investigations to identify perpetrators of criminal online abuse
PCA Director of Member Services, Ian Thomas, said: “The PCA takes a zero tolerance approach to abuse of any kind, and is committed to tackling online hate directed towards its members. We welcome the new guidelines published by the PPF as an educational tool for professional cricketers, and we also support the organisation’s calls for more action to be taken against those individuals who perpetuate online abuse.”
PPF Chief Executive, Simon Taylor, said: “This is an issue which affects all sports and one that the PPF is focusing on during the passage of the Online Safety Bill which is before Parliament this year. Professional athletes and their families are subject to a range of sickening online abuse including race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. In addition, a worrying number receive threats of violence and people wishing serious illness upon athletes and their families. We trust that the Government will amend the draft Bill to reflect the Prime Minister’s promise that online racist abuse will be designated a priority harm.”
