Rugby Australia is embracing artificial intelligence through social media in the form of a free app to combat real-time online abuse and player harassment.
At Australia’s Sports First, RA is partnering with Social Protect to make AI-powered social media protection apps accessible to all clubs, staff, volunteers and participants, from elite levels such as Wallaby to community rugby.
Social Protect automatically detects and removes harmful, offensive, abusive comments in real time from your social media profile, posts, or pages.
Deleted comments will be recorded in the Administration Portal. This is accessible to the RA for legal and policy enforcement purposes.
In a two-month examination across social media accounts of national teams such as Wallabies and Wallaroos, Social Protection has quarantined more than 1,500 comments.
RA boss Phil War said the partnership will set new standards for how sports can respond to the issue of abuse on social media.
“This groundbreaking partnership is an important step in Rugby Australia’s commitment to providing a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved in our game, from Wallabies and Wallaros to grassroots players, volunteers and judges,” Waugh said in a statement.
“Social Protect provides tools to actively prevent harm, rather than simply waiting for it to respond after it happens.
“By making the app available throughout the rugby ecosystem, we are proud to lead the way in Australian sports and send you a clear message that abuse and harassment (online or offline) doesn’t have a place in rugby.”
Shane Britten, founder and CEO of Social Protect, said the app was built to empower individuals to define their own boundaries in online spaces.
“Abuse is abuse whether it’s on the scene or in the comments section,” he said.
“The adoption of the entire sport in Rugby Australia makes it clear that participants’ safety is now extended beyond bystanders.
“This partnership proves that it is possible when an organization truly commits to protecting people.”