1 in every 2 people have encountered hateful content online: Bumble Study

Bumble, the women-first social networking app, is partnering with the Centre for Social Research (CSR), to release a one-of-a-kind safety handbook to help drive awareness around digital safety and empower its community to recognise and combat online hate, bullying and discrimination.

Did you know that one in every 2 people, or 50 percent of internet users, have encountered hateful content online? For women users, the harassment extends even further as one in every four people have witnessed negative comments about their physical appearance and abuse against women in general at least once a week.

As many as 40 per cent of people surveyed say that they have faced online hate-driven speech and bullying with regards to discrimination against a particular group or community and their physical appearance.

This online harassment is causing a lot more harm than we think as more than half (52 per cent) of people surveyed said they have felt angry after facing online hate and bullying and 48 percent of people say that facing online hate and bullying has made it hard for them to trust other people.

Out of this, more than half respondents surveyed have been women. The startling findings were part of a recent nationwide study by Bumble, a women-first social networking app, conducted by YouGov in November 2021, which revealed how online harassment is affecting people across the country.

In response to this growing concern around digital safety in India, especially for women users, Bumble is partnering with the Centre for Social Research (CSR), a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating a violence-free, gender-just society in India, to release a one-of-a-kind safety handbook to help drive awareness around digital safety and empower its community to recognise and combat online hate, bullying and discrimination.

“We are delighted to partner with the CSR and Nyaaya to create this one-of-a-kind safety handbook to support our community and equip them with crucial information to recognise and combat online abuse, discrimination and harassment. Bumble is built on the core values of kindness, respect, inclusivity and equality, and safety has been central to Bumble's mission from day one. Our ‘Stand for Safety’ initiative further demonstrates our deeper commitment to creating a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable,” said Mahima Kaul, Head of Public Policy APAC at Bumble.

The first edition of ‘Stand for Safety’ was launched last year as a part of the app’s continued global effort to help to create a safer, kinder and more respectful internet. The handbook, created in association with Nyaaya, an independent open access digital resource, provides simple, actionable information to educate people about their legal rights and ways to exercise them when faced with online hate and discrimination.

“Equal, equitable and inclusive online spaces can become a reality when we all work together. We are happy to have partnered with Bumble in India in their efforts to make the Internet a safer and kinder space especially for women and other marginalised communities. Creation of Bumble’s Safety Handbook is a vital step in the right direction, and the purpose is to give agency to the users, and to empower them with the right tools to fortify their well-being, while navigating the online space,” said Jyoti Vadehra, Head, Media and Communications at Centre for Social Research.

Considering India’s sociocultural and multi-linguistic diversities, Bumble will be working towards updating its guidelines by adding more stop words in multiple Indian regional languages in continuation of its commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive space online.

In addition to the safety handbook, Bumble also offers a full suite of product features with a focus on safety. The app provides the option for users to block and report any person who goes against their Community Guidelines. People can easily access the Safety + Wellbeing Centre resource hub within the app built to help the community have a safe and healthy dating experience. As a geographic-specific feature for the Bumble community in India, a woman can choose to use only the first initial of her name to create her Bumble Date profile and can share her full name with connections when she feels ready and comfortable.

In 2019, the company introduced Private Detector, a feature that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect and blur unsolicited nude images. The feature then alerts the recipient who can choose to view, delete, or report the image. Bumble also updated its terms and conditions to explicitly ban any unsolicited and derogatory comments made about someone’s appearance, body shape, size or health, and became one of the first social networking apps to ban body shaming.

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