Tennis association combats player abuse with 'threat matrix'
Tennis' governing body is working with Threat Matrix to curb abuse of players online.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said the initiative aims to better protect female athletes from online abuse.
Threat Matrix uses artificial intelligence (AI) and human oversight to monitor social media channels for offensive comments, particularly racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism. The Company may identify those making threatening and offensive comments and notify appropriate parties, including law enforcement agencies.
From January 1, the Tennis Association will work with Threat Matrix to curb abuse of players online.
"This development reflects the International Tennis Federation's commitment to protecting and supporting athletes from the psychological trauma and potentially real threats of online harassment and abuse," the organizations said in a joint press release.
Sports Betting Violation
Tennis players have reported an increase in online abuse in recent years. The expansion of legal sports betting in the United States (now legal in more than 30 states) has been blamed in part on an increase in online threats.
The threat matrix service will support the identification of perpetrators and all available measures will be taken against them," the authority said."Tennis is committed to supporting athletes in their fight against online abuse and this ground-breaking initiative will make a significant contribution to that end . "
Tennis is unique in that it is a sport that is most often played directly. Since players can determine the outcome of a game, it is believed that players are more vulnerable to online attacks from bettors who are upset that bets are going against them. Tennis players are also a common target of cheating bettors who try to get players to give up on matches.
Threat Matrix monitored the social media accounts of 454 tennis players last year and concluded that one in four were victims of online abuse. The protection platform was able to identify the people behind 438 accounts issuing threats and provide this information to the relevant authorities.
No Harassment Campaign
ITF president David Haggerty said player safety extends beyond the pitch.
"Social media abuse is a serious issue for athletes and this initiative takes a decisive, industry-leading step towards tackling it. "Tennis must be a sport that enables players to perform at their best and is free from any form of A campaign of harassment,” Hagerty said.
Threat Matrix checks X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok for abusive and threatening content in 35 languages. Players are also encouraged to forward direct messages to Threat Matrix in this language.
The service provides rapid threat assessments to personal safety and works with law enforcement authorities to investigate the most serious cases. Last year's tennis study monitored more than 1.6 million X posts and 19,000 Instagram comments.
Artificial intelligence company Signify Group is behind the Threat Matrix product. The company’s mission statement is to “demonstrate how artificial intelligence and big data can build social empathy and inspire better products and policies.”
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