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FIFA said Sunday that a project using artificial intelligence to track social media abuse targeting players at the 2022 World Cup has identified more than 300 people whose details are being provided to law enforcement.
Football’s governing body said in a report detailing efforts to protect players and officials during the tournament in Qatar that people had posted “abusive, discriminatory or threatening comments” on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
The final report, from a project jointly created by FIFA and players’ world federation FIFPRO, said the biggest spike in violations occurred during the quarter-final match between France and England. Use artificial intelligence to help identify and mask abusive social media posts.
“The violence and threat became more extreme as the tournament progressed with players’ families increasingly being referred to and many threatened if players returned to a particular country – whether the nation they represent or where they play football,” the report said.
About 20 million posts and comments have been deleted and more than 19,000 have been flagged as offensive. More than 13,000 of these have been reported to Twitter for action.
Fifa said accounts located in Europe sent 38% of identifiable violations and 36% from South America.
“The numbers and findings presented in this report are not surprising, but they are still deeply concerning,” said David Aganzo, President of Netherlands-based FIFPRO.
Players and teams were offered a moderation program that intercepted more than 286,000 offensive comments before they were seen.
FIFA said the identities of more than 300 people identified for spreading offenses “will be shared with relevant member associations and judicial law authorities to facilitate real-world action against offenders”.
“Discrimination is a criminal act. With the help of this tool, we identify the perpetrators and report them to the authorities so that they can be punished for their actions,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“We also expect social media platforms to live up to their responsibilities and support us in fighting all forms of discrimination,” he said.
FIFA and FIFPRO have expanded the system for use at the Women’s World Cup, which begins next month in Australia and New Zealand.
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