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Strategic partnership to develop open educational
resources for teaching digital citizenship
2019-3-RO01-KA205-078053
DIGCIT
D14 – Digital Citizenship “Rights and Responsibilities” Course
Revision: v.1.1
Intellectual output
IO2 - Educational Materials for digital citizenship
Activity
Course Curriculum Development
Deliverable lead
Athens Lifelong Learning Institute, Greece
Due date
15 March 2021
Authors
Ourania XYLOURI
Abstract
Rights, duties and responsibilities cannot be dissociated from each other.
Living as members of society inevitably entails duties and responsibilities as
well as rights.
The course intends to create a safe and enabling online environment where
intermediaries, users and all parties know their rights and responsibilities.
Participants will enjoy the benefits of the online environment while
minimizing their exposure to risks.
This course has been developed as a supplement and a tool for trainers to
help students understand the different rights and responsibilities people
have in today's digital world.
The tools included in this educational material will empower trainees to
protect their digital rights and adhere to their responsibilities in the digital
world.
They will become aware of the existing tools and processes to address
violations of digital rights and of their responsibilities to counteract when
they notice such violations.
Keywords
Model course; digital citizenship; course plan; rights; responsibilities; online
rights; online responsibilities; digital citizenship skills; public domain;
plagiarism; sexual harassment; cyberbullying; hate speech; violation of digital
rights; education; reflection
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Acknowledgement
This paper has received funding from the European Commission under Grant Agreement—2019-3-
RO01-KA205-078053, ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnership project “Strategic partnership to develop open
educational resources for teaching digital citizenship”.
Disclaimer
„The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an
endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot
be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”
Copyright notice
© 2020 - 2022 DIGCIT Consortium
The license Attribution CC BY lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even
commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of
licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.
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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 6
1. Module 1 - Introduction to digital rights and responsibilities ........................................................ 8
Human Rights ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Digital rights and responsibilities ........................................................................................................ 9
Basic types of digital rights ............................................................................................................... 10
Digital Responsibilities ...................................................................................................................... 12
Exercise 1: Digital rights violations and responses ........................................................................... 14
2. Module 2 - Copyright issues .......................................................................................................... 16
What is copyright .............................................................................................................................. 16
Public domain ................................................................................................................................... 20
Plagiarism in education ..................................................................................................................... 22
Exercise 2: Referencing ..................................................................................................................... 24
3. Module 3 - Online sexual harassment .......................................................................................... 29
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 29
Four types of online sexual harassment ........................................................................................... 29
Impact of online sexual harassment ................................................................................................. 33
Exercise 3: Talk to Sara...................................................................................................................... 38
4. Module 4 - Cyberbullying .............................................................................................................. 41
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 41
Cyberbullying and human rights ....................................................................................................... 43
Types of cyberbullying ...................................................................................................................... 44
Why should we care .......................................................................................................................... 45
Cyberbullying prevention .................................................................................................................. 47
Helplines for cyberbullying ............................................................................................................... 49
Exercise 4: Gone too far .................................................................................................................... 51
5. Module 5 - Online hate speech ..................................................................................................... 54
The meaning and the different forms of online hate speech ........................................................... 54
The reasons and the effects of online hate speech .......................................................................... 55
Hate speech as a violation of digital rights ....................................................................................... 56
How to respond to online hate speech and the responsibilities of the users .................................. 57
Exercise 5: Anti-hate campaign ......................................................................................................... 57
6. Assessment quizzes ....................................................................................................................... 59
7. References .................................................................................................................................... 63
Appendix ............................................................................................................................................... 66
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Assessment quiz check sheets .......................................................................................................... 66
Instructional design review checklist for youth workers .................................................................. 67
Feedback on topic for students ........................................................................................................ 68
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Introduction
Digital citizenship can be a hard concept for youth to grasp in today's digital society, especially when
it comes down to the rights and responsibilities we have to adhere to when using the Internet in our
everyday lives. In other words, digital citizenship is accompanied by many rights and responsibilities,
which refer to those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world, and which are intended to
protect all users as well as everyone else with whom they might interact. This course has been
developed as a supplement and a tool for trainers to help students understand the different rights
and responsibilities people have in today's digital world.
In sum, digital rights are human rights in the digital era. The advent of the internet and information
technology has occasioned a change in the way we enjoy and exercise our fundamental rights, such
as freedom of expression, access to information, education and political choice. The term ‘digital
rights’ therefore comprises the rights that are implicated in our access to and use of these
technologies. It also necessitates the consideration of the commensurate obligations and
responsibilities there are on states and on all users to protect these rights.
The course will introduce trainees to the privileges and freedoms extended to all digital technology
users, and the behavioural expectations that come with them. It will help them understand that they
must act responsibly, ethically and legally as they participate in the digital world. The course will
address issues related to copyright laws and plagiarism, as well as the rights all people have as creators
of information and media. Cyberbullying and threatening behaviour are two other major issues related
to this topic of digital rights and responsibilities, also addressed during the course. Trainees will
understand that just as bullying is not tolerated in school and in offline environments, bullying online
cannot be tolerated either. Threatening others through technology is also another inappropriate use
of technology, causing hurt and negative effects. The course has been designed to help trainees
identify the factors that can intensify online cruelty, online hate speech, online sexual harassment and
cyberbullying as well as create solutions for dealing with such situations and for helping others when
this occurs. They will become aware of the existing tools and processes to address violations of digital
rights and of their responsibilities to counteract when they notice such violations. Overall, the course
will empower trainees to protect their digital rights and adhere to their responsibilities in the digital
world.
Why is this course needed?
The digital environment has become a complex environment, especially in terms of the rights and
responsibilities of users. Just as citizens in a society have certain rights and responsibilities, digital
citizens in the online world also have certain rights and responsibilities. Digital citizens can enjoy rights
of privacy, security, access and inclusion, freedom of expression and more. However, with those rights
come certain responsibilities, such as ethics and empathy and other responsibilities to ensure a safe
and responsible digital environment for all
1
.
Taking into account these considerations, this course is needed because it is essential that digital
citizens become aware of and understand their own online rights and responsibilities in order to not
infringe the rights and responsibilities of others.
More specifically, this course is needed because, in view of current alarming or even illegal online
behaviours and practices, young people need to realize and understand:
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Digital Citizenship Education Handbook, 2019, Council of Europe
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• the importance of assessing and adjusting practices and behaviours related to digital means
in order to respect the digital rights of all users
• the necessity of a respectful, legal and ethical online behaviour
• the connection between human rights and digital rights and responsibilities
• the extent to which digital rights and responsibilities affect our offline life
• the significance of issues related to digital rights and responsibilities, such as cyberbullying,
intellectual property, online privacy and hate speech
• the necessity to identify and counteract what constitutes a threat to or a violation of digital
rights, especially in the cases of online hate speech and online sexual harassment.
This course transforms the lessons through exploration and willingness to discover new concepts, new
ideas and new ways of thinking.
This is intended to be a course that provides trainees with knowledge, skills and competences in order
to become respectful, ethical and active digital citizens, maintaining the integrity of the local, national
and international internet community.
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1. Module 1 - Introduction to digital rights and responsibilities
Upon completing this module, you will be able to:
■ Identify the connection between human rights and digital rights
■ Match digital rights with the responsibilities these rights result in
■ Explain the necessity to respect digital rights
■ recognize the positive effects of respecting digital rights
■ Identify the most common violations of digital rights
■ Give examples of how to address and counteract when such violations occur
■ Explain the significance of digital rights and responsibilities
■ Identify the areas where digital rights and responsibilities relate to
■ Categorize those digital rights which are commonly violated or neglected
■ Judge the behaviours related to violations of digital rights
■ Determine the interconnection between online and offline rights and responsibilities
Human Rights
Human rights are a set of principles concerned with equality and fairness. They recognize our freedom
to make choices about our lives and to develop our potential as human beings. They are about living
a life free from fear, harassment or discrimination.
Human rights can broadly be defined as a number of basic rights that people from around the world
have agreed are essential. These include the right to life, the right to a fair trial, freedom from torture
and other cruel and inhuman treatment, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to
health, education and an adequate standard of living.
These human rights are the same for all people everywhere – men and women, young and old, rich
and poor, regardless of our background, where we live, what we think or what we believe. This is what
makes human rights ‘universal’.
Human rights cover virtually every area of human activity. They include civil and political rights, which
refer to a person’s right to take part in the civil and political life of their community without
discrimination or oppression. These include rights and freedoms such as the right to vote, the right to
privacy and freedom from torture.
They also include economic, social and cultural rights, which relate to a person’s rights to prosper and
grow and to take part in social and cultural activities. This group includes rights such as the right to
health, the right to education and the right to work.
One of the main differences between these two groups of rights is that, in the case of civil and political
rights, governments must make sure that they, or any other group, are not denying people access to
their rights, whereas, in relation to economic, social and cultural rights, governments must take active
steps to ensure rights are being fulfilled.
Human rights are important because they promote the values of tolerance, equality and respect which
can help reduce friction within society. Putting human rights ideas into practice can helps us create
the kind of society we want to live in
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.
2
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/introduction-human-rights
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Human rights are an important part of how people interact with others at all levels of society - in the
family, the community, in schools, the workplace, in online interactions, in politics and in international
relations. It is vital, therefore, that people everywhere should strive to understand what human rights
are. When people better understand human rights, it is easier for them to promote justice and the
well-being of society.
Question 1:
Based on the information provided above, which human rights can also be included in digital rights?
Digital rights and responsibilities
Digital rights are merely an extension of the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
by the United Nations as applied to the online world. Its main objective is to guarantee access to the
Internet, avoid the so-called digital divide, and proper use of the network as a common asset belonging
to the whole of humanity
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.
Digital Rights and Responsibilities are the "privileges and freedom extended to all digital technology
users, and the behavioural expectations that come with them" (Ribble & Bailey, 2007). In other words,
all people have the privilege and freedom to engage in technology use during school or work as well
as at home. However, there are expectations that accompany the privileges and freedom to use
technology. Everyone must act responsibly while participating in the digital world
4
.
Digital rights and responsibilities set an expectation that each user will follow the rules and
procedures, as identified in school, at home and in society. In an ideal world, when someone posts,
shares, comments, emails and so forth, others will enjoy the information without abusing it, passing
it off as their own work, or using it to threaten or harass. Unfortunately, this is not always the case
and it is important to set some boundaries so as to avoid causing any harm. All people and especially
the youth need a clear understanding of how to behave in an online world.
Through internet-enabled devices, young people can be active digital users and need to develop
respect for others, for themselves and for intellectual property issues as online consumers and
creators. They need to build trust in an online space and be trusted. Some simple tips to survive include
following acceptable use policies, using online material ethically- including citing resources and/or
requesting permissions, reporting cyberbullying, threats and other inappropriate use.
Question 2:
Based on the general information provided above, could you make a list of some digital rights and
some digital responsibilities?
As you may notice while answering Question 2, the list of digital rights and responsibilities can be
enormous, since it encompasses numerous rights and responsibilities.
Question 3:
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https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/what-are-digital-rights
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http://areyouadigitalcitizen.weebly.com/digital-rights-and-responsibilities.html
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Look at the following list of digital rights and responsibilities
5
. What else would you add in each list?
Be as detailed as possible.
Digital Rights
Digital Responsibilities:
Right to freedom of expression
Responsibility to report bullying, harassment, sexting, or
identity theft
Right to privacy
Responsibility to cite works used for resources and
researching
Right to credit for personal works
Responsibility to download music, videos, and other material
legally
Right to digital access
Responsibility not to falsify our identity in any way
Right to our identity
Responsibility to keep data/information safe from hackers
Right to safety
Responsibility to respect others online
Basic types of digital rights
It is important to keep in mind some of the basic types of digital rights that all countries and
individuals should follow and protect:
■ Universal and equal access
People should be able to access the Internet regardless of their income, their geographical location or
their disabilities. The UN Human Rights Council recognizes in a report that the right of access is
essential to freedom of opinion.
Moreover, access to the Internet enables you to exercise your human rights. As a general principle,
you should not be disconnected from the Internet against your will, except when it is decided by a
court. Moreover, Internet access should be affordable and non-discriminatory.
■ Freedom of expression, information and communication
These basic human rights are threatened on the Internet when governments block websites or social
networks, which is a violation of the right to communication and free association, or censor content,
which is contrary to freedom of expression and information.
Moreover, regarding your personal use of the internet, you are free to express yourself online, and to
access information and opinions, including those that may offend, shock or disturb, whilst respecting
others’ reputations and privacy. Public authorities have a duty to respect and protect this right. Any
restrictions to your freedom of expression must pursue a legitimate aim in accordance with the
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https://sites.google.com/site/digitalcitizenshipdferris/digital-rights-and-responsibilities
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European Convention on Human Rights, for example, the protection of national security or public
order, and must comply with human rights laws. Restrictions may apply to expressions which incite
discrimination, hatred or violence.
■ Privacy and data protection
Citizens must have control over who stores their personal data and be able to delete them at any time.
The right to privacy is threatened on the Internet by the theft of credentials, the appropriation of
personal data and their use for financial gain, etc.
Your personal data should only be processed with your consent, or if it is laid down by law. You should
be informed if your personal data is processed or transferred to other parties and when, by whom and
for what purpose. You should also exercise control over your data (check the accuracy or request a
correction or deletion). Finally, this right means that you should not be subject to general surveillance
or interception, except in exceptional circumstances prescribed by law, such as a criminal
investigation.
■ Right to anonymity
This right means that you may choose not to disclose your identity online, but you must be aware that
national authorities may take measures which might lead to the revelation of your identity.
The right to anonymity and encryption of communications is particularly threatened in those countries
that prohibit the sending of encrypted messages and communications, which is necessary for reliable
and secure transactions on the Internet.
■ Right to be forgotten
This is the right to have a person's private information removed from Internet searches, databases
and directories. It is currently recognized by the EU in the GDPR as a 'right to delete' and it has already
been invoked in other countries.
■ Protection of minors
If you are a child or a young person, you are entitled to special protection and guidance while using
the Internet. If the content you have published compromises your dignity, security, and privacy or can
be detrimental to you in the future, upon your request, it should be deleted within a short period of
time. You should also be protected from interference with your physical, mental and moral welfare,
in particular regarding sexual exploitation and abuse. Governments must not only ensure the
protection of children on the Internet, as in the case of child pornography but also ensure that
companies provide the means to guarantee safe access without infringing the rights of children.
■ Intellectual property
Authors must receive guaranteed recognition of their artistic or literary work and the right to be
remunerated for its use while guaranteeing free access to works that are already in the public domain.
■ Freedom of assembly, association and participation
You have the freedom to use any website, application, or other services to associate with your peers.
You also enjoy the right to protest peacefully online. However, you should be aware that you may face
legal consequences if online protest leads to blockages, disruption of services or damage to the
property of others.
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■ Education and literacy
Everyone should have online access to education and knowledge in order to exercise their rights and
freedoms on the internet
6
.
Question 4:
Based on the information provided so far, could you make a list of the most common violations of
digital rights in your country and worldwide? Share your list with your colleagues and compare.
Common violations of digital rights
1
2
3
4
5
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Digital Responsibilities
The focus of digital citizenship is on how Internet users should manage online relationships, provide
personal protection from online attacks or violations of their digital rights and show accountability for
posted online viewpoints and opinions.
Numerous other elements also fall under the umbrella of good digital citizenship. They include the
process of combining government regulations, peer pressure, business regulators, moral police and
personal codes into a working system of reasonable Internet behaviour.
Everyone has a right to use modern technology in a manner that fits their reasonable best interests.
However, the keyword is “reasonable.” Every Internet user has personal accountability for how he or
she applies technology to digital relationships, activities and personal goals.
What is at the core of digital citizenship and digital responsibilities? The following are some of the
personal responsibilities that are associated with becoming a productive and respectful digital citizen
7
:
■ Cyberbullying
The Internet provides an immense playground for social networking and social interaction. In many
cases, proper supervision is nonexistent. Although most social sites do establish specific Terms of Use
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Council of Europe: Your Digital Rights in Brief
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https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/responsibilities-that-come-with-digital-citizenship/
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Agreements designed to prevent cyberbullying, predator activities, identify theft and all of the
associated trappings, it is the users who must ultimately take care of policing the communications.
You make the voice. You create the content. You are responsible for how you interact with other digital
users and you are responsible for protecting yourself against abusive online (and of course, offline)
relationships.
■ Internet safety
At times, the emotional and mental aspects of Internet communications spill over into the physical
realm. Barter sites deal with local sales events. Adventure resources sometimes involve physical
meetings for group activities. Almost every social site provides an abundance of opportunities for
predators of every age and type. Sensibility must guide your digital relationships.
Personal safety should always remain foremost in your mind. Many digital citizens believe that
Internet safety is all about children, cyber-bullying and sexual predators. However, the issue spans a
much broader gap. Resources verify numerous cybercrimes, cyber threats and youth-related risks.
■ Reporting Offenders
Safety is always important. Should you notice improper activities going on at your neighbour’s home,
would you ignore the issue? If you witnessed a bully threatening another child, would you remain
silent and neutral? A component of responsible digital citizenship demands that you respond to digital
offenders in a manner that can end the offences. This does not entail a violent exchange of instant
messaging. It merely requires that you report the offender to the website management or, if
necessary, to the proper legal authorities.
■ Digital Law
Learning to protect yourself goes far deeper than the visual aspects of digital communications. You
must also learn the laws that govern Internet activities. For example:
- Do you know and understand digital copyright procedures?
- Are you familiar with websites that involve software pirating?
- How can you prevent someone from stealing your identity?
- How do you identify Internet scams?
- Can you prevent hackers from invading your system?
Everyone and especially young people should have a clear idea of the national and international laws
when working, studying, playing or interacting with others online. It is our responsibility to know and
apply these laws and rules in our everyday online life.
Question 5:
Research and write down the available resources on social media to report violations of digital rights
and responsibilities. Add any national services available for such reporting.
Social Media
Reporting services (WITH ANSWERS)
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/help/420576171311103/.
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/reportabuse
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Twitter
https://support.twitter.com/forms/abusiveuser
Instagram
https://help.instagram.com/contact/584460464982589
Snapchat
https://support.snapchat.com/enUS/co/other-abuse
Exercise 1: Digital rights violations and responses
Objectives:
- Understand the different ways digital rights are violated
- Realize the consequences when digital rights are violated
- Comprehend the take one can take in order to respond to different violations of digital
rights
- Reflect on your own practices regarding the respect for the digital rights of others
- Contemplate on your response in case you witness a digital rights violation
- Formulate feedback to your colleagues
Duration: 30 minutes
Tools: pen, piece of paper/forum, internet
Methods: classroom discussions, description, comparison
Description of the exercise: During this exercise, you will identify real-life cases of violations of digital
rights. You will research such cases nationally or internationally and describe all different aspects of
these cases (violator, victim, what happened, the causes, the results, the counteractions- if any, etc).
Formulate your own response to the cases you have found.
Tasks:
- Research 2 real-life cases of violations of digital rights of people/ organizations/ groups
- Record all relevant data about the cases (when, where, how, violator, victim, what happened,
the causes, the results, the counteractions- if any, etc).
- Formulate your own response to the cases you have found (what would you do if you
witnessed these violations?)
- Share your cases with your colleagues and explain.
Lessons learned: it is our responsibility to respond to different violations of our digital rights and of
others. It is part of being an active member of a community, an active digital citizen.
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Forum
Objectives:
- Identify digital rights and responsibilities
- Understand the factors/ people/ organizations/ policies which violate and/ or protect these
rights
- Give feedback
You are invited to describe/ write down what you already know about the topic “Digital Rights and
Responsibilities” in the forum Know-Want-Learned.
Tasks:
- Share your 5 most important points from the module
- Share some facts that you did not know about digital rights and responsibilities
- Share the advice you would give to someone whose rights are violated
- Reply twice to your colleagues
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2. Module 2 - Copyright issues
Upon completing this module, you will be able to:
■ Understand the importance of copyrights issues in everyday tasks and activities
■ Realize the connection between digital rights and responsibilities and copyright
■ Identify cases when copyright is not respected
■ Determine the reasons and the consequences when violating copyright issues
■ Determine the correct ways to address copyright issues
■ Evaluate cases related to the respect or violation of copyright
■ Analyze the consequences of violating copyright in education and work
■ Recommend the best ways to deal with copyright issues
Many young people -- and even older adults -- do not fully understand the meaning or the power of
copyright law. As we all know, the internet makes it extremely easy to use other people's work without
permission. But access to all this content also gives us incredible opportunities for creation and critical
thinking. Understanding the nuances of copyright law, the doctrine of fair use, public domain, and
Creative Commons licenses can support our development as critical, creative digital citizens.
What is copyright
According to the World International Property Organization, ‘Copyright is a legal term used to describe
the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works. Works covered by copyright range
from books, music, paintings, sculpture and films, to computer programs, databases, advertisements,
maps and technical drawings.’
8
These works cannot be reproduced, performed, recorded, or adapted
without written permission of the author. For educators, for example, this has implications for which
materials they can use and how they can use them.
The level and type of protection of copyright vary between countries. In general, copyright is
territorial, which means that it does not extend beyond the territory of a specific state unless that
state is a party to an international agreement. While many aspects of national copyright laws have
been harmonized through international copyright agreements (see, for instance, the Berne
Convention
9
), copyright laws in most countries have some unique features.
Copyright is usually for a limited time. It subsists for a variety of durations in different jurisdictions.
The length of the term can depend on several factors, including the type of work (for example, musical
composition or novel), whether the work has been published or not, and whether the work was
created by an individual or a corporation. In most of the world, the default length of copyright is the
life of the author plus either 50 or 70 years.
Local and international laws and conventions assure that copyright applied in a country is recognized
and protected in many others.
Copyright is often shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license
the work, and who are commonly referred to as rights-holders. These rights (also known as ‘authors’
rights’) secure protection of both the economic interests of authors – such as reproduction, control
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https://www.wipo.int/copyright/en/
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more on the Berne Convention at: https://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/berne/summary_berne.html
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over derivative works, and distribution – as well as their moral interests (for example, protection
against unauthorized use of their works).
Moreover, creators and authors might not be the only copyright owners of a given work. This has very
important implications for educators because in many cases their universities are also copyright
owners of the works they produce as employees. In those cases, technically, the academics would
need permission from their employers before being able to release their work under Creative
Commons.
The world’s first copyright law was the Statute of Anne, enacted in England in 1710. This Act
introduced for the first time in history the concept of the author of a work being the owner of its
copyright and laid out fixed terms of protection. Nowadays, each country has its own copyright laws.
However, there are some international standards, most based on the Berne Convention. Under the
Berne Convention, each country gives original works from any country the same protections,
regardless of the laws of the country where they originated. For example, if you find an e-book online
by an author from another country, the same copyright laws protect it as a book by an author from
your own country. The Berne Convention grants copyright protection to ‘every production in the
literary, scientific and artistic domain, whatever may be the mode or form of its expression’.
Therefore, what lies at the heart of copyright law is the distinction between artistic works and mere
ideas.
With the coming of the digital era, copyright is facing several issues since restrictions on reuse do not
always fit well with how we use and share information in the digital sphere; furthermore, society
benefits most from certain types of content when they can freely circulate. To maintain a fair balance
between the interests of users and rights-holders, copyright protection is subject to two types of
limitations. On the one hand, works are protected only for a certain period of time, at the expiration
of which they may be used freely. On the other hand, during the term of protection, a number of
exceptions and limitations, allows copyrighted works to be used without a license from the copyright
owner.
If you want to use something that is copyrighted, there are steps you must follow before you use it.
- Check to see who owns it
- Get permission to use it
- Give credit to the creator
- Buy it (if necessary)
- Use it responsibly
Free licenses and Open licenses
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In answer to the current copyright challenges, open licensing movements have risen in recent years,
with a significant impulse from the open software communities.
A public license or public copyright license is a license by which a copyright holder as licensor can grant
additional copyright permissions to any and all persons in the general public as licensees. Open
licenses are a novel use of existing copyright law to ensure a work remains freely available fostering
openness and the free circulation of knowledge.
An open license is a license agreement that describes the conditions under which the holder of the
intellectual property grants the users to perform a variety of uses for his intellectual or artistic works.
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https://course.openmedproject.eu/lesson-2-1-introduction-to-copyright-and-open-licensing/
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Through open licenses, authors grant permission for users to reproduce, adapt, or distribute the work,
with the accompanying requirement that any resulting copies or adaptations are also bound by the
same licensing agreement. To put it briefly, open licenses foster sharing: whoever wants to modify the
content and distribute it (or, sometimes, allow its remote use) can do so provided that he in turn gives
the users the same freedoms that were granted to him.
A real case
vs
“In January 2018, singer Lana Del Rey claimed that Radiohead were suing her because of alleged
similarities between their 1992 debut single Creep, and her song Get Free, from her 2017 album Lust
for Life. The band's publishers Warner/Chappell subsequently denied taking legal action but did
confirm requesting credit for “all writers” of Creep.
The Guardian spoke to a professional composer to analyze the songs, who noted that the chords used
are rare in pop music, and the melodies bear an uncanny resemblance, although in conclusion he
“imagined the similarities are unintentional”.
At a Lollapalooza Brazil gig in 2018, Del Rey appeared to confirm the dispute is over, telling her
audience: "Now that my lawsuit's over, I guess I can sing that song any time I want, right?"
The irony is that Radiohead was themselves accused of plagiarism over Creep, due to a similar chord
progression to The Hollies' 1974 song The Air That I Breathe. The band ended up splitting royalties and
co-writing credits with Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood.”
11
Based on this case, which aspects of copyright issues do you find? Do you know of any other similar
cases in music/ video clips? What happened?
■ Considering Fair Use
12
There are times when you can use a small part of another person’s copyrighted material without
permission or paying a fee – this is called fair use. Fair use only applies when using content in certain
instances including schoolwork and education, news reporting, criticizing or commenting, and comedy
or parody. It is still a good idea to give credit to the creator of the work you use. Specific guidelines
must also be followed:
● only use a small amount of the work
● add new meaning to the work to make it original
● rework it and use it in a totally different way
11
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190605-nine-most-notorious-copyright-cases-in-music-history
12
https://www.spps.org/Page/24462
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● use it for nonprofit purposes
■ Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is a project building a new and more flexible paradigm for copyright. CC
develops standardized copyright licenses and other (optional) technical tools to assist authors wanting
to share some of their rights with users and fellow authors in a way that is easy, flexible and legally
rigorous. Creative Commons licenses were originally designed for sharing creative works. They may
apply to all types of works (scientific or not).
CC licenses protect the people who use or redistribute an author’s work from concerns of copyright
infringement as long as they abide by the conditions that are specified in the license by which the
author distributes the work. Such licenses all grant the ‘baseline rights’, such as the right to distribute
the copyrighted work worldwide for non-commercial purposes, and without modification.
There are different CC licenses, some more permissive than others. Some types of licenses are
particularly broad: the public domain dedication mark such as CC0 (‘No Rights Reserved’) or PDM (‘No
Known Copyright’), the license CC-BY (‘Attribution’) or the license CC-BY-SA (‘Attribution/Share Alike’).
The four different license elements are visualized by the following symbols or icons:
Attribution also called “BY”
Non Commercial also called “NC”
No Derivatives also called “ND”
Share Alike also called “SA”
These four elements can be combined into six licenses, which are presented in the picture “Creative
Commons”.
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As stated above, CC licenses build on copyright law, which means that all exceptions and limitations
to copyright affect also affect CC licenses
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.
Public domain
‘The term public domain refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property
laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual
author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can
ever own it (Stim, 2010)
14
.
Eventually, all original works enter the Public Domain at some point, namely when their copyright
protection expires, but it tends to take a long time – in most jurisdictions, this happens at least 70
years after the author’s death!
The Public Domain Mark (PDM), developed by Creative Commons, is a symbol used to indicate that a
work is free of known copyright restrictions and therefore in the public domain. The PDM is intended
for use with old works that are free of copyright restrictions around the world, or works that have
been affirmatively placed in the worldwide public domain prior to the expiration of copyright by the
rights’ holder. It should not be used to mark works that are in the public domain in some jurisdictions
while known to be restricted by copyright in others.
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https://jorg.pareigis.se/2/2019/02/10/anatomy-of-a-creative-commons-license/
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Stim R. (2010, October). Welcome to the public domain. Copyright & Fair Use. Retrieved from
https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/.
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Nonetheless, copyright holders might want to dedicate their works to the public domain at any point.
In order to do so, they need to explicitly state that they do not wish to reserve any of their intellectual
property rights over a given work, something that can be done for instance, by making use of the CC0
tool.
Using CC0, you can waive all copyrights and related or neighbouring rights that you may have in all
jurisdictions worldwide, such as your moral rights, your publicity or privacy rights, rights you have
protecting against unfair competition, and database rights and rights protecting the extraction,
dissemination and reuse of data.
‘In contrast to CC’s licenses that allow copyright holders to choose from a range of permissions while
retaining their copyright, CC0 empowers yet another choice altogether – the choice to opt-out of
copyright and database protection, and the exclusive rights automatically granted to creators – the
‘no rights reserved’ alternative to our licenses’. For instance, you may find datasets contributed by
researchers to the worldwide Public Domain at Figshare. Another example is PixaBay; a repository of
high-quality photographs and illustrations that only contains public domain content released under
CC0. While users can give credit, and even donations, to the authors of content, this is not required.
Rather than thinking of open and closed as binary concepts, it is more appropriate to see them as the
two ends of a wide continuum that can include different levels of openness. That is, resources can be
more or less open depending on the rights reserved by their authors, being Public Domain is the most
open possible option.
Here there is the spectrum of the different levels of openness:
An example
15
If a work exists within the public domain, copyright concerns are null, and the work is available for
"free use" because it is now "owned" by the general public --however that doesn't mean that you can
take credit for something you didn't create. A good example would be Charles Dickens' "Great
Expectations..." Because his works are now in the public domain due to their age and the length of
time since Dickens' death, you can freely use and repurpose his materials. You could shoot a film short
adaptation of the story and put it up on YouTube or use excerpted dialogue and remix it into a musical
chorus and sell the musical track online, but that does not mean that you can re-publish the entirety
15
https://pvamu.libguides.com/intro-fair-use
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of the book and name yourself as the author to gain exclusive rights to royalties. Copyrights expire
and when they do, the works they were attached to enter the public domain.
Question
What would you do in the following situations in order to respect copyright issues?
Situation
Course of action (answers)
You are a teacher. There is a great
text you want to use with students,
and no funding to purchase a class
set.
If that text is published online, you can give the students
the direct link to read it digitally instead of making
multiple paper copies. You could also use a short selection
from the text, or ask the author for permission to use the
whole piece.
You are a student. You have found
the perfect graphic or photo pulled
from the web to go with a
presentation/ essay.
Check the copyright to see if it has a Creative Commons
license for reuse, then cite the source in the final
presentation/ essay.
That piece of pop music fits nicely as
the theme for your summer video,
which you want to upload on social
media.
If it is not copyrighted for reuse, find a different piece with
permission, or use just a few bars as an intro instead of
the whole piece.
Downloading audio and video
Downloading, copying, or sharing music, movies, and photos without the creator's permission is illegal.
When downloading, use sites that have the permission of the artists, or are copyright free. The music
and movie industries have sued individuals for illegal downloading in an effort to stop the practice.
Plagiarism in education
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary explains that plagiarism is “The act of purloining another man’s
literary works, or introducing passages from another man’s writings and putting them off as one’s
own; literary theft.” If a student is taking someone’s idea and taking the credit for it, it is plagiarism.
In other words, plagiarism is ideological theft. When a person takes an idea that is not their own and
represents it for credit. This is a false representation of oneself by using work or an idea that is not
original or stolen from another person
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.
Plagiarism can be either intentional or accidental but the form and modes it takes vary a lot based on
the situation. There is concern about academic plagiarism but there is a wide range from the unknown
to the known, the written and the spoken and just like theft its trends and forms have no limits. The
common one in research is taking some presented idea from a pool of knowledge and presenting it
for credit. When one recycles an old concept or idea it's self-plagiarism and the copy-paste computer
technology surely facilitates plagiarism.
16
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/issues-plagiarism-1510.php
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People have different reasons to justify plagiarism. The world living in the era of rapid fixes and people
have no time to invest in hard work as time becomes the most valuable resource. A majority of the
plagiarism is intentional and by people who are experienced in their fields of knowledge but have little
time to carry out research. The financial and positional gain is attractive. There is all information on
the Web about anything and this makes plagiarism the easy and quick path to take. The economic
trends today have forced people to do extra work, juggle multiple careers, become student workers
and so there is little time to invest in school and learning hence plagiarism is a solution. Self-plagiarism
is one that can be done unaware after years of publishing and quite often it involves misunderstanding
and mistakes of not doing a citation.
Plagiarism affects the individual and the society and the effects can be long lasting and devastating.
The person involved will lose trustworthy, moral, academic and social standing. This becomes worse
when the persons are taken to court or loose their license of practice and face financial losses. Those
in the schools are expelled and many years of study and research go to waste. In the world today,
there are people that have lost positions of power and authority and careers destroyed. In society,
plagiarism can also result in financial losses.
Reflection corner
Read the following news on specific effects plagiarism can lead:
The Guardian, 9/1/2021
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■ “Austrian minister resigns amid thesis plagiarism scandal. Christine Aschbacher leaves cabinet
post after allegations that some of her university work was fraudulent.
■ Austrian minister Christine Aschbacher resigned from her cabinet post in charge of labour,
families and youth on Saturday following allegations that some of her university work was
plagiarized.
■ Aschbacher’s 2006 master's thesis displayed “plagiarism, incorrect quotations and lack of
knowledge of the German language”, alleged blogger Stefan Weber, who specializes in sniffing
out academic fraud.”
CBC, 10/2/2013
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:
■ “Germany’s education minister has been forced to resign amidst a plagiarism scandal involving
her doctorate.
■ Heinrich Heine University revoked Annette Schavan’s title after a 12-2 vote last week, citing
systemic and intentional plagiarism in her 350-page dissertation on how the conscience is
formed.
■ "The office cannot be damaged," a visibly upset Schavan said at a news conference Saturday,
adding she intends to maintain her position in parliament and will take the matter to court.
■ "I will not accept the decision of the university. I have neither written nor deceived. The
allegations hit me deeply."
■ German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she accepted Schavan’s resignation "with a heavy
heart" but didn’t comment on the plagiarism charge itself. At first, Merkel expressed
confidence in her friend and fellow Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party members, but
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/09/austrian-minister-resigns-amid-plagiarism-scandal
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/german-education-minister-resigns-amidst-plagiarism-scandal-1.1379321
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members of the opposition called for her resignation. Critics said she couldn’t remain
education minister with this stain on her academic record.”
Based on this news, discuss with your colleagues the importance of copyright issues related to
plagiarism. What were the effects in both cases? What did the accused ministers say? Do you think it
is fair to resign? Comment on the questions.
Citation basics
The purpose of a citation is to provide the reader with information to find the source of the author's
facts or ideas. A citation includes, at the very least, the title, author, source of publication, and date of
publication.
Citation styles, such as MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian, are sets of rules that determine how citations
are formatted. Different disciplines favour certain styles, so check with your professor if you are
unsure which format to use for your coursework.
Some basic rules for citations and responsible referencing are as follows
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:
- Rule 1: Include relevant citations
- Rule 2: Read the publications you cite
- Rule 3: Cite in accordance with content
- Rule 4: Cite transparently, not neutrally
- Rule 5: Cite yourself when required
- Rule 6: Prioritize the citations you include (if there are restrictions on the number of
references authors are allowed to include)
- Rule 7: Evaluate citations
- Rule 8: Accept that citation cultures differ across boundaries.
Exercise 2: Referencing
Objectives:
- Understand the importance of copyright
- Realize different occasions where knowledge of copyright and referencing is crucial
- Decide on the correct course of action when dealing with copyright and referencing issues
- Formulate feedback to your colleagues
Duration: 20 minutes
Tools: pen, piece of paper / forum
Methods: writing down answers, classroom discussions, description, comparison
Description of the exercise: Accurate referencing enhances your credibility and authority as a writer.
Referencing your sources acknowledges the work of the original authors; it helps others to locate the
same sources for their own learning purposes; and it also helps you to assert your ‘own voice’ in
assignments, as you can use sources to lend support to your own ideas or arguments. Provide an
answer to the following tests and comment on your choices.
19
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006036
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Tasks:
- Answer the questions in Exercise A and Exercise B.
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Exercise A: Is a Reference Needed?
When is a reference necessary in an assignment? Decide if a reference to a source is needed in the
following situations.
Situation
Yes
No
1. When quoting directly from a published source.
2. When using statistics or other data that is freely available from a publicly
accessible website.
3. When summarizing the cause of undisputed past events and where there
is an agreement by most commentators on cause and effect.
4. When paraphrasing a definition found on a website and when no writer,
editor or author’s name is shown.
5. When summarizing or paraphrasing the ideas of a key commentator or
author, but taken from a secondary source, e.g. general reference book.
6. When summarizing in a concluding paragraph of your assignment what
you discussed and referenced earlier in your text.
7. When including in your assignment photographs or graphics that are freely
available on the Internet and where no named photographer or originator
is shown.
8. When emphasizing an idea you have read that you feel makes an
important contribution to the points made in your assignment.
9. When summarizing undisputed and commonplace facts about the world.
10. When using aphorisms, such as: “Pennywise, pound foolish”.
- Discuss with your colleagues your answers
- Discuss with the trainer/ teacher to verify the correct answers and the reasons behind them.
ANSWER FOR TEACHERS:
Situation
Yes
No
1. When quoting directly from a published source.
Comment: The sources of all quotations should be referenced.
✔
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https://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/referencing-exercises/
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2. When using statistics or other data that is freely available from a publicly
accessible website.
Comment: The sources of statistics or other data that you use in assignments should
always be referenced.
✔
3. When summarizing the cause of undisputed past events and where there is
an agreement by most commentators on cause and effect.
Comment: This can be regarded as common knowledge, which does not need to be
referenced. However, the sources for any contentious discussion of the same events
would need to be referenced.
✔
4. When paraphrasing a definition found on a website and when no writer,
editor or author’s name is shown.
Comment: If no named writer, author or editor is shown, you should cite and
reference the name of the website, e.g. Bized 2007.
✔
5. When summarizing or paraphrasing the ideas of a key commentator or
author, but taken from a secondary source, e.g. general reference book.
Comment: You always need to acknowledge your sources, even if they are
secondary ones. However, it is advisable, whenever possible, to consult the main
(primary) sources for yourself and to reference these.
✔
6. When summarizing in a concluding paragraph of your assignment what you
discussed and referenced earlier in your text.
Comment: Providing the sources were properly referenced earlier in your
assignment, there would be no need to re-reference your concluding comments.
However, any new material introduced into your assignment at this point would
need to be referenced.
✔
7. When including in your assignment photographs or graphics that are freely
available on the Internet and where no named photographer or originator
is shown.
Comment: The photographs or graphics are the results of work by another person.
In this situation, you should cite and reference the name of the website that
contains the illustrations.
✔
8. When emphasizing an idea you have read that you feel makes an important
contribution to the points made in your assignment
Comment: This is an important reason for referencing, as it acknowledges the
importance and relevance of the source concerned to the development of your own
work.
✔
9. When summarizing undisputed and commonplace facts about the world.
Comment: General public awareness of undisputed facts can also be treated as
common knowledge (see also 3, above).
✔
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10. When using aphorisms, such as: “Pennywise, pound foolish”.
Comment: this is an example of a common expression, or aphorism, which does
need to be referenced if the source or origin of the expression has been lost in the
mist of time. However, if you were able to identify the period of origin, you could
mention this, e.g. ‘Children should be seen and not heard’ (15th Century British
proverb). You could also identify the originator, if known, in the text citation only,
e.g. “A witty saying proves nothing” (Voltaire).
✔
Exercise B: “I Didn’t Reference the Source Because…”
Below are six statements that might be made by students for not referencing a particular source in an
assignment. They all start with “I didn’t reference the source because…”
However, imagine you were a tutor what would you say in response to these statements? Six likely
teacher responses are shown. Match the likely response to the statement. Write the most likely
response number in the right-hand column below.
Statements
Response
Number:
a. I didn’t reference the source in the text of the assignment because I put the
source in the bibliography.
b. I didn’t reference the source because I found this theory on a Wiki Internet
site; anyone can contribute to these, and no particular author is named.
c. I didn’t reference the source because the statistics were taken from a
government website, which is there for the whole world to see and use.
d. I didn’t reference the source because it just gave me ideas to use in my
assignment; I changed most of the words in the article to my own.
e. I didn’t reference the source of the definition because it was from a tutor
handout; everyone in the class was given a copy.
f. I didn’t reference the source because no author or writer’s name was shown
on the website.
Responses
Match each statement shown above with the appropriate tutor response from the list below.
1. If no named author or writer is shown, you should cite and reference the name of the originator
of the source, which can be a name of an organization or other source.
2. Readers need to match in-text citations with the full details of sources in a list of references.
This enables readers to find and use the sources for themselves if required.
3. The source of all data like this must be fully referenced. Readers may, for example, want to
learn or examine the methodology for the research and data collection.
4. It is advisable, wherever possible, to use primary sources in an assignment, rather than
secondary sources. A primary source, in this example, would be the originator of the theory.
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Secondary sources may not always be reliable. However, if you do use a secondary source, it
needs to be properly referenced.
5. Any source that has played a significant contribution to your assignment must be fully
referenced. By doing this you acknowledge the part another person has played in the
development of your own ideas.
6. This came from work produced by someone else and not by you. It also contributes to the
reader’s understanding of terms you have used in your assignment and so needs to be properly
referenced.
- Discuss with your colleagues your answers
- Discuss with the trainer/ teacher to verify the correct answers and the reasons behind them.
ANSWERS FOR THE TEACHER:
a2, b4, c3, d5, e6, f1
Lessons learned: It is of utmost importance to know, respect and implement the rules on correct
referencing. The same applies to copyright issues related to audio and visual. Do not forget and do not
underestimate!
Forum
Objectives:
- Recognize common misunderstandings on copyright issues
- Describe the correct way to deal with works which are not yours
- Apply knowledge and skills to real-life situations.
You are invited to describe/ write down what you already know about the topic “Copyright issues” in
the forum Know-Want-Learned.
Tasks:
- Write down your answers
- Share them with the rest of the participants and discuss.
Supplementary reading
- The challenges of copyright in the EU:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/564380/EPRS_BRI(2015)56438
0_EN.pdf
- Citing references: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/citing-references
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3. Module 3 - Online sexual harassment
Upon completing this module, you will be able to:
■ Understand what types of behaviour constitute online sexual harassment
■ Define the term online sexual harassment
■ Explore the gendered context in which online sexual harassment takes place.
■ Understand your school/setting’s reporting process
■ Explore the challenges young people face in reporting online sexual harassment
■ Identify the positive effects reporting can have
■ Understand the emotional impact online sexual harassment can have on those involved
■ Recognize examples of online sexual harassment
■ Recognize examples of victim-blaming in response to online sexual harassment.
■ Respond to incidences of online sexual harassment in a sympathetic, helpful and supportive
manner.
■ Recognize the reporting routes available
Introduction
“Sexual harassment is a well-known social problem that affects people at work, school, military
installations, and social gatherings”.
A worldwide phenomenon, it has been thoroughly investigated in recent decades in terms of
prevalence, correlates, individual and organizational outcomes, and prevention; the range of studies
provides an interdisciplinary perspective covering psychological, sociological, medical, legal, and
educational aspects of the phenomenon. (Barak, 2005)
21
,
22
Online sexual harassment encompasses a wide range of behaviours that use digital content (images,
videos, posts, messages, pages) on a variety of different platforms (private or public). It can make a
person feel threatened, exploited, coerced, humiliated, upset, sexualized or discriminated against. In
other words, many of the rights of a person, i.e. the victim of an online sexual harassment incident are
violated and it is our responsibility to react and respond to such incidents, in case we witness them
online.
Among the most alarming aspects of the phenomenon is peer-to-peer online sexual harassment taking
place between young people. Such harassment takes place in a gendered context, with girls being
more likely to be targeted than boys - particularly for some forms of online sexual harassment - and
these incidents often result in more negative outcomes for girls.
Four types of online sexual harassment
Online sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual conduct on any digital platform and it is
recognized as a form of sexual violence. Online sexual harassment can intersect with discrimination
and hate crimes, relating to a person’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, sexual orientation,
race, religion, special educational need or disability. Young people in these groups may face unique
21
A. Barak, Sexual Harassment on the Internet, Social Science Computer Review , vol. 23 no. 1, [2005].
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https://www.jipitec.eu/issues/jipitec-4-2-2013/3742/harassment.pdf
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forms of online sexual harassment, resulting in a more negative impact in both the short and long
term, as well as multiple barriers that can prevent them from accessing support.
Among young people this is typically taking place in a peer-to-peer context, focused around schools
and local communities, and very often being played out online in front of an active, engaged audience.
Whilst it typically takes place amongst peers, it is also possible for adults to sexually harass young
people online.
Online sexual harassment has been categorized into four main types. These different behaviours are
often experienced simultaneously and can overlap with offline experiences of sexual harassment.
More indicatively
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:
1. Nonconsensual sharing of intimate images and videos: A person’s sexual images and videos being
shared without their consent or taken without their consent. This includes a range of behaviours, such
as:
- Sexual images/videos taken without consent (‘creep shots’ or 'upskirting')
- Sexual images/videos taken consensually but shared without consent (‘revenge porn’)
- Non-consensual sexual acts (e.g., rape) recorded digitally (and potentially shared)
2. Exploitation, coercion and threats: A person receiving sexual threats, being coerced to participate
in sexual behaviour online, or blackmailed with sexual content. This includes a range of behaviours,
such as:
- Harassing or pressuring someone online to share sexual images of themselves or engage in
sexual behaviour online (or offline)
- Using the threat of publishing sexual content (images, videos, rumours) to threaten, coerce
or blackmail someone (‘sextortion’)
- Online threats of a sexual nature (e.g., rape threats)
- Inciting others online to commit sexual violence
- Inciting someone to participate in sexual behaviour and then sharing evidence of it
3. Sexualized bullying: A person being targeted by, and systematically excluded from, a group or
community with the use of sexual content that humiliates upsets or discriminates against them. This
includes a range of behaviours, such as:
- Gossip, rumours or lies about sexual behaviour posted online either naming someone
directly or indirectly alluding to someone
- Offensive or discriminatory sexual language and name-calling online
- Impersonating someone and damaging their reputation by sharing sexual content or sexually
harassing others
- Personal information shared non-consensually online to encourage sexual harassment
(‘doxing’)
- Being bullied because of actual or perceived gender and/or sexual orientation
- Body shaming
- ‘Outing’ someone where their individual sexuality or gender identity is publicly announced
online without their consent
4. Unwanted sexualization: A person receiving unwelcome sexual requests, comments and content.
This includes a range of behaviours, such as:
- Sexualized comments (e.g., on photos)
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https://www.childnet.com/our-projects/project-deshame/defining-online-sexual-harassment
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- Sexualized viral campaigns that pressurize people to participate
- Sending someone sexual content (images, emojis, messages) without them consenting
- Unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favours
- 'Jokes’ of a sexual nature
- Rating peers on attractiveness/sexual activity
- Altering images of a person to make them sexual
Relevant terms
Further to the definition and the types of online sexual harassment, there is some key terminology,
which is directly connected to online sexual harassment incidents, as follows
24
:
Online: Any website, app or digital platform including social media platforms, gaming, direct
messaging services (for example, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp,
Musical.ly, YouTube, Xbox LIVE). Whilst some professionals may prefer to use the term
‘digital’, young people are more familiar with the term ‘online’.
Sexual: Any conduct that concerns a person’s sexual activity, body parts or sexual orientation.
Sexual Violence: Unwanted sexual behaviour that abuses, coerces, threatens, exploits or harasses.
Harmful sexual behaviour
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: Sexual behaviours expressed by children and young people under the
age of 18 years old that are developmentally inappropriate, may be harmful towards
self or others, or be abusive towards another child, young person or adult (NSPCC,
2016).
Victim: A young person who experiences online sexual harassment.
Perpetrator: A young person who has carried out online sexual harassment.
Bystander: A young person who witnesses any online sexual harassment.
Reflection corner
Read the following real-life cases
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of online sexual harassment. Each case is firstly described, followed
by the outcome:
Case 1
Who: Sarah is in her 30s and recently moved in with her partner, Ali. After receiving some strange
voicemails from a blocked number, Sarah found out that Ali was still in contact with his ex-wife,
Catherine. Ali assured Sarah that Catherine meant her no harm and that the voicemails were
probably spam calls.
The case: A few weeks after the voicemails, Sarah began receiving threatening emails from
Catherine’s account threatening to ‘ruin her life.’ Catherine then hacked into Sarah’s social media
accounts. Catherine took some of the images Sarah had sent to Ali when they were first dating,
which were a mixture of nude images she had privately sent and other images from Sarah’s wall
24
https://www.childnet.com/ufiles/Project_deSHAME_Dec_2017_Report.pdf
25
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/harmful-sexual-behaviour
26
https://www.stoponlineabuse.org.uk/case-studies
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that was of Sarah and her work colleagues. Catherine began to post the images via social media
and sent some of the images to Ali’s friends and family members. She also later sent the images
to Sarah’s local church by posting flyers. Sarah found out about the images when Catherine sent
them to Sarah herself, by email. Sarah became very distressed as some of the images were of a
sexual nature, and others showed her workplace.
Outcome: Sarah first contacted Facebook and Twitter, and successfully asked them to take down
the images. She asked Ali’s family to delete the photos, and her local church to remove and
destroy the flyers.
Sarah contacted the police about the threats and the disclosure of the images, and Catherine was
arrested and charged with committing the offence under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and
Courts Act 2015; disclosing private sexual photographs with the intention to cause distress.
Catherine pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to three months in prison, and was fined
£600. Furthermore, Sarah was granted a three-year restraining order, barring Catherine from
making any further contact.
The posting of sexual photos or videos of adults online without the person’s consent is a crime.
Case 2
Who: Steven is a bisexual man in his 40s. He is an avid snow sports fan. He had accounts on
different dating sites which he set up several years ago. He recently married Jane. Before doing
so, he had deactivated his accounts on the dating websites specifically for the LGBT community
but had not removed his profiles. He had planned to do this, but in the hectic planning of the
wedding, he had forgotten about them. Steven has not told Jane about his sexuality.
The case: Steven began talking to people who were interested in the same snow sports as him on
Twitter’s direct-messaging service. The group invited him into a group chat on a video-chat
website.
Someone from the group chat had found Steven’s online dating profile. They threatened to
disclose Steven’s sexuality to his wife. On the video chat, they began pressurizing him into
undressing on the chat, which he eventually did. One member took images of Steven and began
blackmailing him with the images. He demanded that Steven send more images of a sexual nature
or he would post the images on Facebook and Twitter.
Steven at first ignored the threats. After a week, the group chat member began posting the
screenshots on an anonymous website with unpleasant and threatening captions. They kept
taking the images down and reposting them again on different websites, making it very difficult
for Steven to know where the images were.
Outcome: Steven, with help from his friends and family, contacted the police and the video-chat
website. They helped him find out the IP address of the group chat member who took the
screenshots. The IP address helped the police locate the perpetrator. They were convicted of
blackmail and the offence of disclosing private sexual images with intent to cause distress. The
perpetrator was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
The posting of sexual photos or videos of adults online without the person’s consent is a crime
Reflect on the cases and discuss the following questions with your colleagues:
- Which type of online sexual harassment did you recognize in each case?
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- Which were the reasons behind the perpetrators’ behaviours?
- How did the victims feel?
- How did the victims react? Can you highlight the steps they took?
- What was the perpetrators’ punishment? Do you find it fair?
- These cases had, more or less, a “happy ending”. Imagine what could happen if victims
and/or bystanders did not react the way they did. What would be the results?
Impact of online sexual harassment
Being a victim of online sexual harassment can cause young people to feel any of the following:
- Threatened or scared
- Exploited
- Coerced
- That their dignity is violated
- Humiliated or degraded
- Shamed or judged
- Upset
- Sexualized
- Discriminated against because of their gender or sexual orientation
- Feel guilty or that they are to blame
The experience and impact of online sexual harassment are unique to the individual and can be felt
both in the short term but also can have long-term impacts on mental health and wellbeing. Long-
term impacts can be amplified because of re-victimization for example, if the content is re-shared
online, or because the initial trauma of the incident returns to the young person much later. It is
important to recognize that there is no single way that a young person may experience online sexual
harassment or be affected by it.
Online sexual harassment can also affect those who witness it or support the victim in the
aftermath. We know the impact of being sexually harassed online not only has a deep impact on
those being targeted but can also allow a harmful, silencing culture to develop where others are
worried they could become future targets. This was highlighted in recent projects, such as deSHAME,
which found that 2 in 5 girls aged 13-17 sometimes didn’t post images because they were worried
about body shaming.
Some more reflection
Read Betti’s story:
Betti, 15 years, goes to school in Budapest. She is with her friend Klári having lunch in school. In
their conversation, it comes up that Betti still has the password for her ex-boyfriend Sam’s
Facebook account. They decide to log in and look through his messages on Facebook Messenger
and they find that he had received a nude from a girl in their year group.
Betti feels really hurt and angry and her friend says the girl is a ‘slut’ and deserves to be called out
for trying to get with Betti’s ex. They screenshot the message (including the nude image) and Betti
shares it in a group chat on WhatsApp with their close girl mates from school, saying ‘what should
we do to the bitch [devil face emoji]’. However, one of the girls in the group screenshots this and
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sends it to someone else and it ends up being shared in a WhatsApp group for their whole year
group.
By the end of the school day, everyone is talking about Betti and saying she is a ‘bitch’ for sharing
the nude and a ‘crazy stalker’ for logging into her ex’s account. Even Betti’s closest friends say she
has gone too far and pushed her away. It gets so bad that Betti cannot face going to school the
next day. Betti feels bad for the girl whose nude has been seen by the whole school and she
knows she has done something wrong. She is scared of getting into trouble and what her family
would say if they found out.
Note: This composite case study is drawn from the real experiences of multiple young
This story shows the story of a perpetrator, rather than the victim.
Contemplate on and discuss the following issues:
- How would the victim feel at first? Later, after receiving others’ support?
- What did the bystanders do in this case? What would happen if they did nothing or if they
were positive about Betti’s behaviour?
- Is Betti also a victim?
- What are your conclusions on the role of the bystanders?
Responding to online sexual harassment: Advice for victims
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If you think you are being harassed, do not blame yourself. People who harass or bully can be
manipulative. They are often good at blaming the other person — and even at making victims blame
themselves. However, no one has the right to sexually harass or bully anyone else, no matter
what. There is no such thing as "asking for it."
There is no single "right" way to respond to sexual harassment. Each situation is unique. It often can
be helpful to start by telling the person doing the harassing to stop. Let him or her know that this
behaviour is not OK with you. Sometimes that will be enough, but not always. The harasser may not
stop. He or she might even laugh off your request, tease you, or bother you more.
That is why it is important to share what is happening with other people you trust. Is there a parent,
relative, coach, or teacher you can talk to? There is no doubt it can feel embarrassing to talk about
sexual harassment at first. However, that uncomfortable feeling quickly wears off after a minute or
so of conversation. In most cases, telling someone sooner leads to faster results and fewer problems
down the line, so it is worth it.
It can help to keep a record of the events that have happened. Write down dates and short
descriptions in a journal. Save any offensive pictures, videos, texts, or IMs as evidence. That way you
will have them if your school or family has to take legal action. To avoid going through feeling upset
all over again, save this evidence somewhere where you do not have to see it every day.
Practically, some of the actions you could take are:
- Block the person/ people who harass you
- Speak to your friends or an adult you trust
- Tell the people involved to stop or take the image/ comments down
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https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/harassment.html
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- Report to the social network and to the police
- Speak to a helpline and seek professional support
- Try not to feel embarrassed about it, do not blame yourself and stop worrying about the
consequences of reporting: it is always for your benefit!
Responding to online sexual harassment: Advice for bystanders
Bystanders play an important role in stopping cyberbullying and online sexual harassment. If you see
someone who is being harassed, take action. If it feels safe and natural to speak up, say, "Come on,
let's get out of here" to the person you see being harassed. You probably should not try to change
the perpetrator's behaviour by yourself, but it is OK to let the perpetrator know people are watching
and will be getting involved.
If you do not feel you can say something at the time you see the incident, report the event to a
teacher, a principal, the coach, your boss, or someone else. This is not snitching. It is standing up for
what is right. No one deserves to be harassed. You could also talk to the victim afterwards and offer
support. Say that you think what happened is not OK and offer some ideas for dealing with
harassment.
Barriers young people face in reporting
Young people usually report a range of barriers that might prevent them from reporting online
sexual harassment, for example to a parent or carer, teacher, police or social network. The most
usual barriers to seeking help are:
- Too embarrassed
- Worried about what would happen next
- Worried about being targeted by those involved
- Worried that they are to blame
- Would rather sort it out themselves
These barriers exist whether they are to report these incidents to the police, their family, their social
networks and their teachers. Confidentiality, privacy and respect are key issues when reporting such
incidents or when receiving reports on them.
Helplines and services to turn to in case of online sexual harassment
Greece
General Secretariat for Gender Equality
It is aimed at women who receive physical, psychological, verbal, financial, sexual violence,
women who have suffered rape or attempted rape, who have been victims of prostitution,
trafficking or who have suffered sexual harassment.
Telephone number (24-hour support): 15900
Website: https://isotita.gr/
Greek Safer Internet Centre
The Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has the ultimate goal of promoting safer, responsible, and
better use of the internet and mobile technologies among children and young people, interacting
with all stakeholders to bridge the digital divide between home and school and between
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generations. The Helpline of the Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC), 210 6007686, offers support
via telephone, email and chat in cases of harmful content and conduct, such as excessive internet
use, bullying or exposure to inappropriate online content. It primarily addresses minors, parents
and educators, but can also be consulted by the public, industry, government and public services.
Telephone number: +30 210 6007686
Website: https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu/sic/greece
SOS Hotline 15900
This hotline is a national service that enables women, who are victims of any form of violence to
communicate directly with an agency that addresses gender-based violence issues. Hotline’s
advisers are psychologists and sociologists providing immediate assistance to violence victims 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. Women have the opportunity to speak to an adviser via email. This
service is aimed at physically abused women, women who were victims of psychological,
emotional or verbal violence or women who were victims of prostitution or trafficking.
Web: https://womensos.gr/
Romania
Organizatia Salvati copiii
The Save the Children organisation offers support for the protection of youths’ rights and active
participation in society. Through the "Education for Health" programme, the organisation support
the development of a school culture that promotes children's physical and emotional health and
protects them from violent behaviour.
Contact: +40 752 02 59 17
Web: https://www.salvaticopiii.ro/cine-suntem/unde-suntem-activi/constanta
Agenția Națională pentru Egalitatea de Șanse între Femei și Bărbați
The National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men has set up a toll-free hotline for
victims of domestic violence to report situations of violence, human trafficking, gender
discrimination or multiple discrimination. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Counsellors provide brief information on the steps they can take to prevent and combat domestic
violence, primary legal and psychological counselling, and referral of victims to the relevant
institutions in their vicinity, where they will receive support and guidance to available services in
the area.
Contact: 0800 500 333
Web: https://anes.gov.ro/
Cyprus
Helpline 1440 - ΣΠΑΒΟ
This service is powered by the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the
Family, an NGO that provides support to victims of domestic violence. The line is staffed by
psychologists and social workers, trained in using communication techniques over the phone. The
line is free of charge and it is available 24h a day, 365 days a year. It provides counselling support
for domestic violence issues, Information on other services related to domestic violence issues
and on victims’ legal rights and choices in order to find the best possible solution to their
problem.
Shelters - ΣΠΑΒΟ
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The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family created shelters to
serve as a secure temporary hosting facility for women and their children, who have been victims
of domestic violence. In addition, the agency aims to strengthen women, by providing them
counselling services and helping them break the cycle of violence by addressing their issues. The
shelter is run by regulations for a better cohabitation of the guests and aims to secure a calm,
secure and pleasant environment for all. The shelter is run by regulations for a better cohabitation
of the guests and aims to secure a calm, secure and pleasant environment for all. At the moment,
there are two shelters operating under the Association.
Website: https://domviolence.org.cy/en/
Contact: 22 339001
Germany
Jugend.support
It is an advice and help service for children aged 12 and over and young people. This service is
intended to support you if you have problems or stress on the net. Here one can find information
on various topics, tips on how to help yourself and how to protect yourself, counselling centres
that can help you confidentially and free of charge, information on how to report content that is
not okay and where you can complain if someone breaks the rules.
The idea for jugend.support came from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens,
Women and Youth. It was observed there that many problems are associated with the use of
social media and apps. In order to give quick advice and help, this website was created by the EU
initiative klicksafe in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. The advice and help
platform is currently maintained by the JUUUPORT Association.
Contact: redaktion@jugend.support
Web: https://www.jugend.support/
Hilfe-Telefon Sexueller Missbrauch
The Sexual Abuse Help Line and the associated online counselling are services offered by the
N.I.N.A. Association - funded by the Independent Commissioner on Child Sexual Abuse. For many
years, the association N.I.N.A. has been working on various levels to better protect children and
young people from sexualised violence. Counselling, but also awareness-raising and research are
the main areas of work and responsibility. More information about the association can be found
at www.nina-info.de.
The association counsels all people who have questions about the topic and are looking for
support. The staff take the time to understand what is at stake. Both on the phone and in online
counselling, people remain anonymous. They do not say who they are and do not need the name
or place of residence of the people who call or write.
Anyone who turns to this service does so voluntarily and can end the counselling at any time.
People in crisis are tried to be stabilised, relieved and informed about their options. No decisions
are made for others. No solutions are given either. However, clear advice is given on what is
important and what can be done for personal protection and for the protection of children and
young people.
The principles of our counselling are confidentiality, appreciation, respect and empathy.
Contact: +4 8002255530
Web: https://www.hilfe-telefon-missbrauch.online/
Trau Dich!
The aim of the "Nationwide Initiative for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse "Trau dich!" (Dare!)
is to strengthen and promote children in a positive overall concept of upbringing and education.
The initiative is based on the approach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and a
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comprehensive concept of sexuality education. Against the background of the prevention of sexual
abuse, it is particularly concerned with the rights of children to protection from violence, abuse and
exploitation, to physical integrity and dignity as well as their right to security, support and help.
Children are made capable of speaking and learn strategies for dealing with conflicts and boundary
violations. They are encouraged to confide in someone if necessary and to seek help. Children
receive information about contact points and are motivated to seek help on their own if necessary.
Another component of the initiative is to give impulses for the implementation of guidelines and
protection concepts at schools, to increase the knowledge and competence of parents and
pedagogical staff at schools on sexual abuse and in dealing with concrete cases of abuse.
The focus is on the following objectives: Educating and informing children with the involvement of
parents and educational and psychological professionals; publicizing counselling and contact points
and supporting the help system, among other things by networking the actors at the local level;
offering further training for educational professionals and stimulating the development of
prevention strategies at the institutional level; sensitizing society and objectifying the overall topic.
Contact: +4 8002255530
Web: https://www.multiplikatoren.trau-dich.de/
Wildwasser
Wildwasser was originally a self-help group of women who got together in Berlin in the early 1980s.
From there, the movement spread and more and more Wildwasser groups came into being.
Today, there are professional counselling centres with a focus on sexualized violence called
Wildwasser in many places. Psychological and pedagogical staff advise those affected by sexualised
violence. Other tasks include public relations, prevention, training and supervision.
The counselling centres are independent and not united under a common Wildwasser association.
They are diverse, independent organisations that have established their own services and focus
under the name Wildwasser.
Contact: info@wildwasser.de
Web: https://wildwasser.de/
Exercise 3: Talk to Sara
Objectives:
- Practice the knowledge developed during the module
- Realize the responsibilities of all people involved in an incident of online sexual harassment
- Understand the importance of dealing with such incidents the soonest possible
- Formulate feedback to your colleagues
Duration: 20 minutes
Tools: pen, piece of paper/forum, discussion
Methods: case study, classroom discussions, description, comparison
Description of the exercise: During this exercise, you will read the case of Sara and her experience of
online sexual harassment. Imagine that you are Sara’s friend and she trusts you with her story.
Describe your reaction and the steps to take to address the incident. Discuss it with your colleagues.
Tasks:
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- Read Sara’s story:
Sara, aged 13, lives in Birmingham, a large city in England in the UK. She has recently been
chatting online to a boy in the year above who she really likes. She feels very flattered by his
attention, particularly as she has been finding things at home difficult recently as her mum was
unwell. When he asked her for a nude, she decided to send one, hoping he might go out with her.
But now someone has told her that her nude photo has been posted on two different Instagram
accounts called ‘Slags_of_Birmingham_xx’ and ‘Brum_ beef_100’. She feels distraught and does
not know what to do. She is not sure if it is true and if the boy did it, as she does not have access
to the accounts, as they are ‘private’ and say you have to send gossip or images to be allowed to
follow them.
She is too scared to tell anyone, because she thinks she might get into trouble with the police and
that they would blame her for sending images of herself. She is worried the boy might get into
trouble too. She is too embarrassed to speak to her parents or a teacher. She feels like everyone
has seen the image, and does not want to go to school. She has even considered taking her own
life.
- You are an adult friend of Sara and she finally finds the courage to tell you what has
happened. What would you say to her? How would you support her? What would you
advise her to do? Write down your answer and discuss it with your colleagues. Decide on the
best way to proceed.
- Now, read the end of her true story:
A teacher notices that she looks very distracted and quiet in class, and overhears a few remarks
made by other pupils that makes him think something had been going on. At the end of the class,
he asks to have a word with her to check if everything was okay. Although she does not feel she
can tell him everything, he tells her whom she could speak to in school and reassures her they
would help.
This gives her confidence to speak to another school staff member the next day. The school is
really supportive and reassures her they would help her deal with this. They speak to the boy and
his friends and make them delete the images. The school speaks to any pupils who follow the
Instagram accounts. The school involved the police, but the police said they could not do anything
without evidence that the nude photo was on the Instagram account.
- How would you comment on what happened? Do you think this is a “happy end” for Sara or
not? What else could be done to help police intervention?
Lessons learned: Blaming Sara or any other victim is not an option. Everyone should be alert to help
and support the victims of online sexual harassment, pointing out that it is not their fault. It is our
responsibility to take action in similar cases and empower victims and bystanders to report.
Extension: Research the terms slut- shaming and victim-blaming. How are they relevant to online
sexual harassment?
Forum
Objectives:
- Identify the ways to respond to online sexual harassment incidents
- Understand the victim’s perspective and the barriers they face in reporting such incidents
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- Realize the violation of the victim’s rights and your responsibilities to support and empower
the victim
You are invited to describe/ write down what you already know about the topic “Online Sexual
Harassment” in the forum Know-Want-Learned.
Tasks:
- Discuss and answer the questions
- Share the steps to take to counteract an incident of online sexual harassment
- Reply twice to your colleagues
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4. Module 4 - Cyberbullying
Upon completing this module, you will be able to:
■ Understand and identify what types of behaviour constitute cyberbullying
■ Distinguish between polite and respectful online behaviour and rude behaviour
■ Consider the effects of cyberbullying on the victims and to the witnesses
■ Explain the connection between online and offline bullying
■ Determine the actions to be taken in response to cyberbullying
■ Recognize the importance of empathy
■ Organize a response to cyberbullying incidents
■ Evaluate online behaviours and judge them on the basis of the characteristics of
cyberbullying
■ Develop skills related to active listening and empathy
■ Recommend ways to respond and report cyberbullying phenomena
■ Select the effective ways to encourage and empower victims and bystanders to counteract
when cyberbullying occurs
Introduction
Ten years ago, we did not imagine bullying could happen in a cyber world. However, as the Internet
develops and mobile devices get popular, we, not only children but also grown-ups, are exposed to
cyberbullying. It can happen to anyone
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.
Bullying is any activity that uses force or threats to persecute people and make them feel bad.
Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that uses electronic media.
People who cyberbully can use email, instant message (IM), text messages, and images accessed from
a phone or computer. Web pages, blogs, chat rooms, and social networking sites like Facebook and
MySpace can also carry bullying messages and pictures. Cyberbullying is sometimes also called cyber
harassment, particularly if it involves adults.
Between traditional forms of bullying and cyberbullying, there are similarities and differences. Not
every traditional bullying and cyberbullying are like this, but generally, they show three common
characteristics: (1) the behaviour is aggressive; (2) there is a power imbalance between the victim and
the perpetrator; and (3) the behaviour is repeated. However, cyberbullying shows several differences
due to its environmental uniqueness.
a. The uncertainty of perpetrator: children know who bullies them in traditional bullying.
However, the victims of cyberbullying may not know who intimidates them. This is because
of the anonymity of cyberspace. Perpetrators can hide or fabricate their identities. They can
be friends of victims like those of traditional bullying, but they can be total strangers or even
parents of their friends.
b. 24-hour accessibility: unlike traditional bullying, victims can relax when they are at home,
cyberbullying can continue 24 hours whenever an electronic device of a victim is turned on.
c. Fear of being revoked technology privileges: probably the first reaction of parents when they
learned that their child is cyberbullied, they may dispossess electronic devices from their
child. This can help not exposing their child to cyberbullying, but this can also disconnect
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https://eps415cyberbullying.weebly.com/cyberbullying-introduction.html
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their child from their friends since most of the young generation communicates through
mobile phones and laptops.
Reflection corner
How would you comment on this picture?
More attention has been given, naturally, to incidents of cyberbullying among children and teenagers.
Does it stop when someone turns 18 years old? Discuss it with your colleagues.
[an answer for trainers: Involvement in traditional bullying has proven to be strongly linked to age. As
children grow older, they are less likely to be bullied or to bully others. However, whether such a
similar trend exists for cyberbullying remains unclear. Most studies tend to suggest that the likelihood
of being cyberbullied is not related to a child’s age. In this regard, there is evidence that bullying and
cyberbullying often continue in adulthood (e.g. workplace harassment). Cyberbullying among adults
happens in varied places from social settings online to electronic, workplace communications; it may
also be the extension of offline relationships. Bullying behaviours can affect the morale of employees
and the financial performance of an organization. In particular, the victim’s ability to perform his/her
job may be affected. Moreover, according to research, adult cyberbullying often takes the form of
trolling (persistent abusive comments on a website) and is not explicitly connected to demographic
markers such as sex and ethnicity.]
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying using technology. For instance, it involves using the internet, mobile phone
or other technology like a camera to bully and so hurt or embarrass someone.
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It can happen
anonymously, at any hour, anywhere and reach a vast audience.
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Netsafe,Cyberbullying advice for young people. At www.netsafe.org.nz
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D Cross, T Shaw, I Hearn, M Epstein, H Monks, L Lester, L Thomas, Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence
Study (ACBPS), Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University (2009)
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Cyberbullying has a number of unique features:
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- It allows for a potentially infinite audience to view or participate
- It is often anonymous as perpetrators can hide behind false identities
- It has a permanency of expression as information put online can be difficult to remove, and
may be recorded and archived
- It may be difficult to escape from the bullying as people often use technology every day and
in the case of mobile phones can be constantly contactable
- Content can be duplicated easily
- Content is often searchable
Cyberbullying and human rights
32
Everyone has the right to be respected, safe and free from violence, harassment and bullying. A life
free from violence and from cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment is a fundamental human right.
Bullying and harassment can also lead to violations of a range of other human rights. These rights
include:
● The highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Bullying and cyberbullying
can impact negatively on your physical and mental health causing harm in the form of physical
injuries, stress-related illnesses, depression and other health issues.
● Work and fair working conditions. Bullying and cyberbullying can lead to higher absenteeism
from the workplace, poor or reduced performance and an unsafe working environment.
● Freedom of expression and to hold opinions without interference. Bullying and cyberbullying
can impact on your freedom to express feelings or opinions as you no longer feel safe to do
so.
● A child or young person’s right to leisure and play. Bullying and cyberbullying often occur
where children and young people play and socialize such as in school playgrounds and on
social networking sites. All children have the right to participate in leisure activities in a safe
environment. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child often raises concerns
about bullying and the importance of protecting children and young people from exposure to
violence, racism and pornography through mobile phones and other technologies, including
the internet.
● The right to education because it can make you feel unsafe and unwelcome at school and
impact on how well you do.
● The right to be free from violence whether mental, emotional or physical.
While the rights above are not a comprehensive list, they indicate the range of rights that can be
violated by bullying and cyberbullying.
Just as all people are entitled to enjoy all human rights, they also have responsibilities to respect the
rights of others. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls on every individual in society to
31
S Shariff, Confronting Cyber-bullying (2009), p 44; danah boyd*, "Social Network Sites as Networked Publics:
Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications." in Zizi Papacharissi (ed) Networked Self: Identity, Community, and
Culture on Social Network Sites (2010), pp 39-58; boyd, danah, Why Youth (Heart)
32
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/commission-general/cyberbullying-human-rights-and-bystanders-0
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promote respect for human rights and freedoms. This is because online and offline bullying is
everyone’s problem. Key human rights treaties also note that individuals have duties to one another
and to their community, and have a responsibility to strive for the promotion and observance of
human rights.
Taking a human rights approach to tackling bullying allows us to identify and address the harm to a
victim’s rights and encourage all of us to respect the rights of others.
Types of cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can take place through one or more of the following activities
33
:
■ Flaming
Flaming is a heated exchange between two or more individuals that occurs via any communication
technology. It typically occurs in “public” settings, such as chat rooms or discussion groups, rather
than private e-mail exchanges. At first blush, flaming would seem to occur between two individuals
who are on an equal playing field with one another. However, an unsuspected aggressive act by one
individual may create an imbalance in the playing field that is made all the greater by the fact that the
target, at least in the short term, is unsure who else the perpetrator might bring into the flame war.
So, what may appear to observers to be a level playing field may not be perceived that way by the
individuals directly involved in the insulting exchange.
■ Harassment
Harassment is a unique form of cyberbullying that involves repetitive offensive messages sent to a
target. It occurs via personal communication channels, such as e-mail, but may also be communicated
in public forums, such as chat rooms and discussion groups. One or more perpetrators target a single
victim. The perpetrator(s) sends hundreds or thousands of text messages to the target’s cellular
phone, leaving the target not only with a slew of harassing messages but with a sizable phone bill as
well. There is a special group of online bullies known as “griefers”. They are individuals who
deliberately harass other players in multiplayer online games.
Difference between 'harassment' and 'flaming'
- Cyber harassment is longer-term than flaming.
- Cyber harassment is more one-sided to a single target.
- Cyber harassment can have more than one offender.
- Flaming is a mutual exchange of insults between the individuals involved.
■ Denigration
Denigration is information about another that is derogatory and untrue. The derogatory information
may be posted on a Web page or it may be disseminated to others via e-mail or instant messaging.
Included within this category of cyberbullying is posting or sending digitally altered photos of
someone, particularly in a way that portrays them in a sexualized or harmful manner.
■ Impersonation
33
Kowalski, R. M., Limber, S. P., & Agatston, P. W. (2008). Cyber Bullying : Bullying in the Digital Age. Hoboken:
Wiley.
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The perpetrator poses as the victim, most often by using the victim’s password to gain access to his
or her accounts, then communicating negative, cruel, or inappropriate information with others as if
the target himself or herself were voicing those thoughts.
■ Outing
Outing refers to sharing personal, often embarrassing information with others with whom the
information was never intended to be shared.
■ Trickery
Trickery refers to tricking someone into revealing personal information about themselves and then
sharing that information with others.
■ Excluding/Ostracism
Excluding someone from cyber groups or communication friend lists in instant messaging applications
or email groups.
■ Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking refers to the use of electronic communications to stalk another person through
repetitive harassing and threatening communications.
What is ‘Stalking’: (1) The act or an instance of following another by stealth. (2) The offence of
following or loitering near another, often surreptitiously, with the purpose of annoying or harassing
that person or committing a further crime such as assault or battery.
■ Happy Slapping
Happy slapping is a relatively new method of cyberbullying that began on subway trains and that has
taken hold in many countries. People, usually, teenagers, walk up and slap (or worse action) someone,
while another individual, also usually a teenager, captures the violence using a camera phone. The
perpetrator(s) spreads the video through a web page or e-mails.
Reflection corner
There are many different ways to bully (or cyberbully) someone, but usually, victims’ reaction has one
pattern. How would a victim of cyberbullying feel? Pick one of the aforementioned types of
cyberbullying and describe the feelings and the impact on the victim. Share it with colleagues who
have picked different types of cyberbullying. Do you find similarities?
Why should we care
Despite the potential damage of cyberbullying, it is alarmingly common among adolescents and teens.
According to cyberbullying statistics from the i-SAFE foundation:
- Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have
engaged in cyberbullying.
- More than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyberthreats online.
- Over 25 per cent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell
phones or the Internet.
- Well over half of the young people do not tell their parents when cyberbullying occurs.
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The Cyberbullying Research Center also did a series of surveys that found these cyberbullying
statistics:
- Over 80 per cent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of
technology and a common medium for cyberbullying
- About half of young people have experienced some form of cyberbullying, and 10 to 20 per
cent experience it regularly
- Mean, hurtful comments, and spreading rumours are the most common type of cyberbullying
- Girls are at least as likely as boys to be cyberbullies or their victims
- Boys are more likely to be threatened by cyberbullies than girls
- Cyberbullying affects all races
- Cyberbullying victims are more likely to have low self-esteem and to consider suicide
The dimensions of the phenomenon are very worrying in Europe. The 2014 EU Net Children Go Mobile
Report showed that 12% of the 3,500 children aged 9-16 years old were cyberbullied. The 2011 EU
Kids Online report found that 6% of the 25,142 children between 9 and 16 years of age had been
bullied online across Europe, and 3 % had carried out cyberbullying. The extent of the phenomenon
has caused concerns among parents. According to a 2008 EU Eurobarometer, 54% of European
parents were worried that their child could be bullied online. However, differences emerged among
countries. While more than 80% of parents in France, Greece and Portugal were concerned about
their children being bullied using the internet or mobile phones; 69% of parents in Denmark, Finland,
Slovakia, and Sweden seemed confident about their children's safety online.
34
According to the EU Kids Online report, the following countries registered the highest rate of risks of
being exposed to online risks
35
for children including cyberbullying: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. Lower risks were recorded in
Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United
Kingdom. Finally, the risk of online sexual exploitation and harmful material was identified in Denmark,
Finland, the Netherlands and Norway.
Reflection corner
The act of cyberbullying is very real and occurs on a daily basis. This YouTube video discusses the
suicide of a young girl, Becca, who was cyberbullied:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTndM0IXMoI&t=113s&ab_channel=CBSNews
At one point in the video, Becca’s mother is wondering about the teenagers who cyberbullied her
daughter: “Where do they get this hatred from?”. Discuss why young people choose to cyberbully
others. Is it a personality trait? A manifestation of psychosocial problems? Is it taught?
34
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2016/571367/IPOL_STU(2016)571367_EN.pdf
35
Online risks included: being in contact with people first met on the internet; sending a photo or video of
oneself to someone never met face-to-face; pretending to be a different kind of person on the internet etc.
See Livingstone, Ólafsson, ‘Risky communication online’, LSE Publishing, EU Kids Online, (2011).
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Cyberbullying prevention
Based on a recent study on cyberbullying, “49% of students state they have regretted something that
they posted online”. In the case of children and teenagers students, their teachers and their parents
can join forces to prevent the phenomenon
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:
■ Students
a. Privacy Matters
Technology has connected us more than ever. We have access to information in an instant and can
share it with millions of strangers with the push of a button (or swipe of a touchscreen). Social Media
sites provide privacy settings, however, they frequently make changes to the settings so something
that may have been private before, is now public. There also is no such thing as being totally
anonymous. If needed, posts can be traced back to reveal the person who originally posted.
b. Protect Passwords
Others can alter your online identity, posting as you if they have access to your passwords. To protect
your online identity, do not share your password, and update it regularly, especially if you think
someone has gained access. You should share passwords with parents should an emergency arise.
Create an agreement with parents on when and how they can use your passwords to access your
information. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
c. Stop and Think
When typing in a text box, emotion is removed and often the wrong emotion can be attached to a
statement by the receiver. Due to the inability to see the others’ reaction, the sender cannot course
correct if they see the reader is misinterpreting. This can lead to unintentional cyberbullying. In a study
where 12 participants were asked to write two statements on assigned topics with one being serious
and one being sarcastic, 97% stated they believed the reader would interpret correctly when only 84%
were labelled correctly (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
d. Say Something
Research suggests that 50-75% of students who have been bullied do not tell an adult (Kowalski,
Limber & Agatston, 2012) Social media gives students a front-row seat to witness cyberbullying, and
with the spread of social media, most students assume one of eight roles in cyberbullying. These roles
can change with each instance of cyberbullying. With the desire to secure their status, or avoid
becoming victims themselves, most assume a bystander role. These eight roles include (Kowalski,
Limber & Agatston, 2012)
- The one who initiates
- Followers who actively participate, but do not initiate
- Supporters who openly support, but do not take an active role
- Passive supporters who enjoy the bullying, but do not actively support
- Disengaged onlookers that do not get involved and feel no responsibility to stop
- Possible defenders who dislike the bullying, but do not take action to stop it
- Defenders who dislike the bullying, and take action to help those who are bullied
- The student who is bullied
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https://eps415cyberbullying.weebly.com/cyberbullying-prevention.html
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In order to prevent bullying, students must assume the Defender role. In a study of 3rd-5th graders,
91% stated they felt empathy for the student who was bullied, but only 45% stated they would try to
help (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012). The group phenomenon of bystanders currently
perpetuates the cycle of bullying, but when the social context is changed by students who assume a
defender role and no longer tolerate the behaviour, the victimization of vulnerable students can be
influenced by the shift in a social context.
■ Steps educators can take to prevent cyberbullying include:
a. Define Cyberbulliyng
Schools must provide a clear definition so that students, teachers, administrators, and parents can
discuss what it is and is not. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
b. Develop clear rules and policies on cyberbullying
Cyberbullying should be addressed in the school's anti-bullying policy and incorporated in any student
policies for the use of technology. It should clearly define what constitutes a violation and its
consequences. (Hirsch, Lowen & Santorelli, 2012)
c. Create a reporting system
In the McAfee study, 24% of students stated they would not know what to do if harassed or bullied
online. The creation of an online reporting system in schools could help eliminate the uncertainty and
create a safe space to report anonymously or otherwise. (Hirsch, Lowen & Santorelli, 2012)
d. Share Resources
As parents and educators continue to stay up to date on trends, strategies and issues, it is important
to share their findings with one another. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
e. Spend time in class on the topic of cyberbullying
Organizations like Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) provide curricula and
resources for educators to bring into the classroom.
f. Involve students in social campaigns
In a 2011 study, schools that utilized student leadership to promote anti-bullying campaigns found
that this drove the idea that cyberbullying was not a supported social norm leading to less bullying
behaviour among students (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
■ Respond to cyberbullying: advice for parents/ adults
Parents or other trusted adults can also take up specific actions to respond to cyberbullying. These
include:
a. Ask Questions
Digging deeper into your questions shows your child that you are present and interested in their well-
being. By asking questions you can monitor their reactions, and be sure you are tuning into their body
language for unspoken messages. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
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b. Bullying vs. Teasing
Help children determine the difference between teasing and bullying. Bullying is intentional, often
repeated and some sort of power imbalance between the bully and the victim. Do not ask questions
that appear to place responsibility on them for what is happening or brush off with a "it will blow over"
or "it will be better tomorrow." Instead ask questions about events leading up to the event, any actions
they may have taken, and the response of the other party.(Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
c. Ask a Friend
You can check with those who are close to them to better understand the circumstances (Kowalski,
Limber & Agatston, 2012)
If you know that a child/ young person has been bullied:
- Believe Them. 49% of students say they have been bullied once or twice during the school
year, but only 32% of their parents believed them (Hirsch, Lowen & Santorelli, 2012)
- Save Evidence. Encourage your child to take screenshots and save messages that can support
claims of inappropriate or illegal behaviour. (Hirsch, Lowen & Santorelli, 2012)
- Understand When to Ignore, Block, React or Report. One time instances can be ignored, if it
continues they can be blocked, if they continue to find new avenues to contact with new
screen names, etc you can respond assertively to send one message that authorities will be
contacted if it persists, but it is important not to respond aggressively adding to the cycle of
bullying. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
d. Tracing Email and Text Messages
If threatening messages come from phones, a search can be conducted to help identify the cell phone
provider. If needed, you can report the number to the provider. The Center for Safe and Responsible
Internet Use recommends that email threats can be reported back to the internet service provider
and can include a copy of an email message. Some providers also have a link to report abuse.
(Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
e. Tracing and Responding to Social Media Sites
If fake or offensive profiles are created to target your child, you can report them to the site. These are
often found on the help page. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
f. Share Evidence
If the perpetrator is another student, share the evidence with a school counsellor or school officials.
Work together to resolve. If the perpetrator is someone known to you, you can contact the parents
and share evidence. (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2012)
Helplines for cyberbullying
Greece
The Smile of the Child
It is the national operator of the European Helpline for Children and Adolescents providing
counselling support to children and adolescents. The Helpline 116111 plays a crucial role in
preventing phenomena of violence that children may encounter (Physical, Sexual and
Psychological Abuse, Neglect, Bullying, Smuggling & Trafficking), as well as cases of missing
children.
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Telephone number: +30 210 3306140
Website: https://www.hamogelo.gr/
Greek Safer Internet Centre
The Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has the ultimate goal of promoting safer, responsible, and
better use of the internet and mobile technologies among children and young people, interacting
with all stakeholders to bridge the digital divide between home and school and between
generations. The Helpline of the Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC), 210 6007686, offers support
via telephone, email and chat in cases of harmful content and conduct, such as excessive internet
use, bullying or exposure to inappropriate online content. It primarily addresses minors, parents
and educators, but can also be consulted by the public, industry, government and public services.
Telephone number: +30 210 6007686
Website: https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu/sic/greece
Romania
Telefonul Copilului
The Child's Phone Association is a non-governmental, non-profit organization whose purpose is to
protect children against any attempt to violate their rights, against any form of abuse. The
association offers advice on respecting children's rights and guidance to institutions able to
provide the necessary assistance. The association also monitors how the cases are addressed and
resolved.
Contact: 116111
Web: http://www.telefonulcopilului.ro/
Asociaţiei ”Zâmbeşte pentru Viitor”
The "Smile for the Future" Association support young people when they need it, to facilitate social
integration so that they do not know the experience of living on the streets, in deprivation and
problems. The association provides a helpline dedicated to young people, adults or people at
social risk who want and need free legal advice and psychological counselling through the
helpline.
Contact: +40 368 73 32 83
Web: https://asociatia-zambeste-pentru-viitor.business.site/
HELPLINES FOR CYBERBULLYING
Cyprus
Helpline 1480
The toll-free helpline 1480 aims to provide to children, young people, parents and teachers, but
also to the society in general, counselling and support services, regarding the safe, responsible
and ethical use of the Internet and digital technologies.
It is an initiative developed by the CyberSafety centre, run by the Pedagogical Institute of the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth. It aims at ensuring that users receive real-time
support and advice on matters related to online sexual harassment, cyberbullying, racism and
xenophobia, pornography/gambling addiction issues. The helpline providers ensure that their
services comply with the national law and respect the confidentiality of users.
Electronic platform website: https://www.cybersafety.cy/helpline-report
Hotline main website: https://www.cybersafety.cy
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Germany
Bündnis gegen Cybermobbing
The "Alliance against Cyberbullying" was founded in July 2011 as a non-profit association (e. V.). It
unites people who are personally affected by the issue, be it professionally or privately. The aim is
to tackle cyberbullying and violence on the net and to educate society about it. Cyberbullying is a
problem that has far-reaching consequences but still receives far too little attention.
The Alliance is a network of committed parents, educators, lawyers, doctors, researchers and
others. It is supported by celebrities from politics, sports and the media from Germany and
abroad. But social groups and companies have also become supporters and sponsors in recent
years.
Experience shows that often the dramatic and traumatising effects of cyberbullying are still
underestimated. Tears cried on the net are not seen! One of the goals is to educate and sensitise
society on the topic of cyberbullying. Through various studies on the use of the internet and
violence on the net, the scope of the problem is to be made transparent on a German and
European level. Based on this, new approaches to prevention are to be developed and advice
given to politicians. Currently, in addition to educational institutions and media organisations in
Germany, institutions and organisations in Austria and Switzerland are also being advised. Within
the framework of an ERASMUS project, the alliance is working with five European countries to
develop further prevention measures to support teachers.
The goals are: To obtain answers to pressing questions about cyberbullying; to sensitise and
educate the public about the Internet as a crime scene; to develop and implement
recommendations for action, solution strategies, prevention and support measures; to bring
about a sustainable containment of the problem of cyberbullying.
Contact: 116111 or +49 800110550
Web: https://www.buendnis-gegen-cybermobbing.de/
Cybermobbing Hilfe
This Association supports those affected and carries out consistent prevention work. It works to
ensure that cyberbullying is further considered in society. In the long run, all need to develop
empathy on the internet.
Contact: +49 23043389915
Web: https://www.cybermobbing-hilfe.de/
Exercise 4: Gone too far
Objectives:
- Define cyberbullying and recognize examples of it
- Identify which actions cross the line between ‘banter’ and cyberbullying
- Understand where someone can find help and know who to speak to if they’re worried about
- Something online
- Advice about how to prevent or stop cyberbullying
- Understand how using the term ‘gay’ can be offensive to others
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Tools: film, projector, pen worksheets
Methods: identify cyberbullying, search, discuss with peers
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Description of the exercise
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:
- Define cyberbullying and explain relevant policies
- Watch the film “Gone too far”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55U6wCB6xec&ab_channel=AnaSilva
- Discussion to explore the themes of the film in detail
Tasks:
- Watch the film
- Discuss the following questions:
1. Is this film realistic? Could a similar situation happen in this school?
2. The title of this toolkit is ‘Crossing the Line.’ In this film, where do you think the line was crossed?
Suggested answers: When Charlie called Jason a gaymer, when they took pictures of him when they
spread pictures around
3. Why do you think Jason was bullied? Why do you think anyone is bullied? Suggested answers: Jason
was new, Charlie was threatened by him, Jason seemed different
4. How did Jason respond to the cyberbullying? What could he have done differently? What did he do
well? Suggested answers: He should have screenshotted the mean message online, he should have told
someone sooner, he should have remained calm and not retaliated; he ignored the messages after, he
eventually told his sister
5. Could Jason have done something to stop the bullying? If yes, what could he have done? Suggested
answers: He could have told a trusted adult sooner, blocked the users, reported the comments and not
retaliated
6. What advice would you give to someone if they are being cyberbullied?
7. In this film we see Jason being cyberbullied. How many people bullied Jason? Are those who laughed
along at the memes/ “funny” pictures also involved in cyberbullying Jason?
8. Leah stands up to Charlie and tells him to stop. However, there are many others in the film who see
what is happening to Jason but say nothing to help him. They are called bystanders. Who were the
bystanders in this film? Why do you think they remained quiet? Suggested answers: Bystanders:
Jason’s other friends – Jenna, Ben, others in school that have seen the images. Why remain quiet? For
fear that Charlie might target them, not to seem like a snitch, not to be seen like you can’t take a joke?
Debriefing:
- What were your feelings watching and discussing the film?
- What news did go learn about cyberbullying?
- Why bystanders are crucial?
Lessons learned: All people involved in cyberbullying incidents can address them accordingly in order
to diminish the negative effects. Everyone should explore the safety centres of the different social
media service providers so that they know where to go to block or report any offensive material they
come across online.
Recommendation: Look critically to understand the causes, the effects and the counteractions to
cyberbullying incidents.
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full exercise description: https://www.childnet.com/ufiles/Cyberbullying-lesson-plan.pdf
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Forum
Objectives:
- Identify the ways to respond to cyberbullying incidents
- Understand the victim’s perspective and the barriers they face in reporting such incidents
- Realize the violation of the victim’s rights and your responsibilities to support and empower
the victim
You are invited to describe/ write down what you already know about the topic “Cyberbullying” in the
forum Know-Want-Learned.
Tasks:
- Discuss and answer the questions
- Share the steps to take to counteract an incident of cyberbullying
- Reply twice to your colleagues
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5. Module 5 - Online hate speech
Upon completing this module, you will be able to:
■ Understand and describe the relationship between hate speech and xenophobia (and other
forms of discrimination)
■ Analyze how the internet has contributed to an increase in hate speech and extremist views
■ Describe ways to use the internet to combat the different types of hate speech
■ Identify specific actions to positively affect a situation involving hate speech
■ Recognize incidents of hate speech on social media and new media
■ Recommend ways to empower victims and minimize online hate speech
The meaning and the different forms of online hate speech
Online hate speech on the internet is a multifaceted socio-political phenomenon that stems from a
wide range of social causes.
There is no international legal definition of hate speech and the characterization of what is “hateful”
is controversial and disputed. In the present context we will adopt the UN definition of the term
according to which hate speech is any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that
attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the
basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour,
descent, gender or other identity factor
38
.
In hate speech, the dimension of the social group is emphasized in comparison to the dimension of
the individual.
Hate speech is a menace to democratic values, social stability and peace. Hate speech also harms real
people and real people lives. But what is more alarming is the fact that hate is moving into the
mainstream and hate crime incidents grow at an exponential rate. The rapid increase of new media
technologies, the instantaneousness of the new media and the vast availability of the means of
communication has had a significant effect on the way hate speech is spread and processed. Until
some years ago, access to the media was negotiated and several filters applied to each message
broadcast. These filters and these barriers no longer apply. Anyone with a smartphone or a computer
can now spread a message good or bad, hateful or not to anyone. Although the availability of new
media technologies to everyone contributes in many occasions to the strengthening of our
democracies, it also brings a dark side, and this side primarily relates to the potential of every message
to go viral. One doze of haphazardness and another doze of strategy can travel a simple message to
vast international audiences and affect the thoughts, the consciousness and the safety of millions of
other people.
The nature of online hate speech – although not intrinsically different from hate speech – does have
a series of characteristics that render it different. These characteristics relate primarily to its
permanence, its anonymity, its velocity, and its cross-jurisdictional character. The impact of online
hate crime, due to the nature of the online media, can last longer, can be more far-reaching and can
repeatedly resurge in future occasions. The longer the content remains available the more the damage
it inflicts to people.
Connection between hate speech with racism, xenophobia, sexism and other forms of
discrimination
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United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech
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Hate speech covers many forms of expressions which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred,
violence and discrimination against a person or group of persons for a variety of reasons.
There are deep connections between hate speech and all types of discrimination such as racism,
xenophobia and sexism and intolerance – including rising anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred and
persecution of Christians. The new digital media are currently providing the platform for bigotry and
discourses that dehumanize minorities, migrants, refugees, women and any so-called “other”
39
. The
loud voices of few people on the fringes of our societies undermine the pillars of democracy and social
stability. Our societies cannot afford to silence against hate speech.
Online hate speech is now a "daily routine" on social media, and the perpetrators of online hate
speech can be either organized (usually political) groups or individuals who use hate speech for specific
purposes, mainly to degrade certain individuals and/or social groups. The phenomenon of online hate
speech has now been recognized as a growing problem that transcends the close boundaries of Europe
member states. The internet has become a major tool in promoting racism and intolerance. Hate
speech through social media is growing rapidly and has the potential to reach a much larger audience
than it could in the past reach extremist media.
In an effort to regulate the digital sphere, which is characterized by inherent difficulties in any legal
regulation, the EU has implemented "soft law" measures. To prevent and counter the spread of illegal
hate speech online, in May 2016, the Commission agreed with Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and
YouTube a “Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online”. In the course of 2018,
Instagram, Snapchat and Dailymotion joined the Code of Conduct. Jeuxvideo.com joined in January
2019, and TikTok announced their participation to the Code in September 2020. The aim is that these
companies can take action to combat hate speech on their platforms. As a result, IT companies now
evaluate within 24 hours 89% of the content reported as hate speech, while 72% of the content
deemed as such is deleted. The corresponding percentages in 2016, when the Code of Ethics was first
presented, amounted to 40% and 28%, respectively.
The reasons and the effects of online hate speech
Numerous are the reasons that contribute to the epidemic dimensions that online hate speech is
taking and of course, most of them relate to the spread of the internet and the pervasiveness of the
new digital technologies.
The anonymous nature of the internet makes it easier for people to say things behind the anonymous
shield provided by a computer screen that they would never say in person; the limits of how we can
express ourselves online are far less than those in our face-to-face conversations.
The shield of anonymity provided by the internet also provides the ideal context for the followers of
extremist ideologies to anonymously spread their messages to vast audiences of users.
People engage in hate speech for a variety of reasons. Most often online hate speech reflects the
political beliefs and the ideological narrative of its producers. It also is a reflection of the lack of
knowledge, understanding and experience of the people around them and the importance of plurality
of existence in our world. Very often, these producers of online hate speech have a lack understanding
that their speech is hateful and harmful and do not realize that their language is insulting others. It
might also be the case that these people live in households and environments that engage in
degrading, insulting and hateful behaviours, and their online behaviour is only an extension of their
39
United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech
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off-line existence. Hate speech can also occur in order to entertain the haters; this is a practice known
as trolling, whereas the hater engages in hateful slurs only to provoke the reaction of the victims and
others.
Whatever the reason people engage in online hate speech, hate speech causes direct impact on real
people’s lives. Victims of hate speech are not criticized for behaviour but for their simple existence.
The perpetrator does not attack the victim for something he does but for something he is. Threats,
abuse and intimidation on social media can spread like wildfire and have devastating consequences
for victims' lives.
Victims of online hate speech cannot remove posts as easily as they are spread.
The impact on victims of online hate speech can be both long term and short term. Hate speech:
● Causes depression, despair, stress and anger.
● Leads to social isolation.
● Threatens the physical integrity of the victim.
● Promotes frequent violence frequently,
Victims of hate speech demonstrate low self-esteem; feel lonely and isolated, suffer from sleeping
disorders, increased anxiety and feelings of fear and insecurity.
Hate speech as a violation of digital rights
According to a 2016 Eurobarometer survey, 75 % of people who follow or participate in online debates
had witnessed or experienced abuse, threat or hate speech. Almost half of them said that this
discouraged them from engaging in online discussions
40
.
The extensiveness of online hate speech requires a focus on the human rights dimension of the issue.
Human rights in the digital key are key. Digital technology delivers enormous benefits and its value for
human rights and human development is indisputable. However, we cannot ignore the dark side of
the digital revolution. In the words of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights contended that
“the digital revolution is a major global human rights issue”. Online harassment, trolling campaigns
and intimidation pose very real off-line threats, with a disproportionate impact on women, minorities
and LGBTIQ* people. Online hate speech is a grave violation of human rights and allowing its further
existence and proliferation is like opening Pandora’s Box. Threats, intimidation and hate in the digital
sphere lead to real-world targeting, harassment, violence and murder
41
. However, it may also lead to
the decreased participation in the digital sphere of those most likely to experience online hate speech
– in particular, women, minorities and migrants or anyone is seen as “other” - and this is a major digital
rights issue.
Our democratic societies cannot afford the exclusion of large parts of our population from the digital
sphere. The digital sphere should constitute a safe environment where everybody can exist. The digital
sphere should be available for anyone – irrespective of sex, religion, belief, disability, age or sexual
orientation – to use for work, learning, entertainment, socializing and information purposes.
40
European Commission (2016). Media Pluralism and Democracy. Special Eurobarometer 452.
41
Human rights in the digital age “Human rights in the digital age - Can they make a difference?” Keynote
speech by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Japan Society, New York, 17 October
2019
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How to respond to online hate speech and the responsibilities of the users
When entering the online sphere we ought to have the knowledge and skills in order to engage in a
behaviour that will be respectful towards other users. Before posting anything to the internet:
● be mindful
● be respectful
● be kind
Internet users do not only have a responsibility to engage in proper behaviour in the internet world,
they also have the responsibility to react when we encounter incidents of hate speech online and
there are a number of to counter online hate speech, below you may find some examples:
● Recognize the trolls – trolls constitute the biggest single source of online hate on the internet.
Never feed the trolls! Recognize them and ignore them.
● Report hate content – almost all platforms provide reporting services and they are committed
to removing hate content once they are made aware of it.
● React to it – express your displeasure and disbelief.
But beware, there are a number of strategies that are unlikely to work well and can make things even
worse, such as:
● insulting: since this may lead the hater to hold even more strongly in their original position
● harassment and threats, which are not only bad but also may lead to feelings of sympathy
towards the perpetrator.
All the above apply not only to witnesses of online hate speech but also to its victims. The victims of
online hate speech can take further action and consider the potential reporting incidents of hateful
speech to the police. By reporting to the police, the victim can help stop this behaviour and prevent
further crimes that often follow online hateful behaviour.
Exercise 5: Anti-hate campaign
Objectives:
- Define online and offline hate speech and recognize examples of it
- Identify which actions cross the line between freedom of speech and hate speech
- Understand where someone can find help and know who to speak to if they’re worried
about something online involving hatred
- Advice about how to prevent or stop online hate speech
- Understand what constitutes an effective social media campaign against (online) hate
speech
Duration: 40-45 minutes
Tools: pen, worksheets, computers
Methods: identify hate speech, search, create a response to hate speech, discuss with peers
Description of the exercise:
- Define hate speech online and offline and explain relevant policies
- Find the social groups which are mostly targeted by hate speech
- Research for ways to address hate speech in social media
- Create a short anti-hate campaign for social media
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- Discuss to explore the content and other characteristics of the campaign
Tasks:
- Research on campaigns that combat hate speech and promote human rights online. Get
some ideas from this successful campaign:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/no-hate-campaign
- Create a short campaign for a social media of your choice by developing three (3) posts on
the need to combat hate speech and the ways to do it. You are free to choose any content
for the posts, you can include links, pictures, videos and any other means you believe that
support your cause. The campaign should have an outline of the specific issue of hate
speech you intend to address, the goals of the campaign and the actual posts you intend to
upload. Remember that the criteria for an effective campaign include creativity, appeal,
provision of information and good use of digital elements.
- Share your campaign with your colleagues and discuss each other’s campaign
Debriefing:
- What were your feelings while developing the campaign?
- What new did learn on online hate speech, freedom of speech and the ways to combat it?
- Why is it necessary to develop such anti-hate campaigns?
Lessons learned: Hate organizations disseminate their messages using digital media. On the other
hand, digital media offer the potential to work against hatred and intolerance. Apart from national
or international activities and initiatives, hate speech can be addressed on a personal level as well. It
is up to each one of us to stop tolerating hate speech and act accordingly.
Recommendation: Look critically to understand the causes, the effects and the counteractions to
incidents of online and offline hate speech.
Forum
Objectives:
- Identify the ways to respond to hate speech incidents
- Understand the victim’s perspective and the consequences of such incidents
- Realize the violation of the victim’s rights and your responsibilities to support and empower
the victim(s) of online hate speech
You are invited to describe/ write down what you already know about the topic “Online hate
speech” in the forum Know-Want-Learned.
Tasks:
- Discuss and answer the questions
- Share the steps to take to counteract to an incident of online hate speech
- Reply twice to your colleagues
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6. Assessment quizzes
Module 1
1) The “right to vote” is a:
a) Social right
b) Civil right
c) Cultural right
2) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed and adopted by:
a) The United Nations
b) The EU
c) NATO
3) The UN Human Rights Council recognizes in a report that the right of access is essential to:
a) Freedom of opinion
b) Freedom of speech
c) Freedom of participation
4) The digital “right to literacy” means that:
a) All people should be able to access the Internet
b) All people should be able to access any digital content
c) All people should have online access to education and knowledge
Module 2
1) The default length of copyright is the life of the author plus either …… years.
a) 20 or 40
b) 50 or 70
c) 70 or 80
2) Nowadays, each country has its own copyright laws. However, there are some international
standards, most based on the ……:
a) UN Convention
b) Barcelona Convention
c) Berne Convention
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3) There are times when you can use a small part of another person’s copyrighted material without
permission or paying a fee. This is called …….:
a) Fair use
b) Open license
c) Public copyright license
4) APA is:
a) A type of open license
b) A citation style
c) A type of Creative Commons license
Module 3
1) Doxing is:
a) Sharing personal information non-consensually online
b) Body shaming in digital environments
c) Impersonating someone online
2) Online sexual harassment is most often targeted at:
a) Girls/women
b) Female politicians
c) Transgender people
3) Rating peers on their sexual activity is an example of:
a) Unwanted sexualization
b) Sextortion
c) Body shaming
4) When an individual’s sexuality or gender identity is publicly announced online without their
consent, it is a case of:
a) Bullying
b) Sexual discrimination
c) Outing
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Module 4
1) Which of the following rights is NOT violated by cyberbullying?
a) Right to leisure
b) Right to information
c) Right to education
2) A heated and insulting exchange between individuals that occurs via any communication
technology is called:
a) Cyberbullying
b) Flaming
c) Cyberstalking
3) Who is more likely to be threatened by cyberbullies?
a) Girls
b) Boys
c) All genders
4) If you receive a threatening message on the phone or by email, it is better to:
a) Delete it
b) Share it
c) Save it
Module 5
1) The “Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online” is an agreement between the EU
and:
a) IT providers
b) News sites
c) Social media
2) Online harassment, trolling campaigns and hate speech pose very real offline threats, with a
disproportionate impact on women, minorities and ……:
a) Transgender people
b) Roma community
c) LGBTIQ* people
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3) Hate speech is any kind of communication in speaking, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses
pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group, based on:
a) Who they are
b) What they do
c) How they behave
4) Nowadays, IT companies evaluate within …… 89% of the content reported as hate speech.
a) 12 hours
b) 24 hours
c) 48 hours
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7. References
An Introduction to Human Rights, (n.d.) Australian Human Rights Commission, available at:
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/introduction-human-rights
Anatomy of a Creative Commons licence, (n.d.), available at:
https://jorg.pareigis.se/2/2019/02/10/anatomy-of-a-creative-commons-license/
Barak A. (2005), Sexual Harassment on the Internet, Social Science Computer Review , vol. 23 no. 1
Behrens J. (n.d.) Are you a digital citizen? available at:
http://areyouadigitalcitizen.weebly.com/digital-rights-and-responsibilities.html
Case Studies (n.d.), available at: https://www.stoponlineabuse.org.uk/case-studies
Chawki M. (2013) Online Sexual Harassment: Issues & Solutions 4 (2013) JIPITEC 2, para 71. available
at: https://www.jipitec.eu/issues/jipitec-4-2-2013/3742/harassment.pdf
Copyright and Fair Use (n.d.) Saint Paul Public Schools, available at:
https://www.spps.org/Page/24462
Copyright: What is Copyright? (n.d.) World Intellectual Property Organisation, available at:
https://www.wipo.int/copyright/en/
Cross D., T Shaw, I Hearn, M Epstein, H Monks, L Lester, L Thomas, (2009) Australian Covert Bullying
Prevalence Study (ACBPS), Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University
Cyberbullying among Young People, Study for the LIBE Committee (2016) European Parliament,
available at:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2016/571367/IPOL_STU(2016)571
367_EN.pdf
Cyberbullying, Human rights and bystanders, (n.d.) Australian Human Rights Commission, available
at: https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/commission-general/cyberbullying-human-rights-
and-bystanders-0
Cyberbullying, Lesson Plan (n.d.), available at: https://www.childnet.com/ufiles/Cyberbullying-
lesson-plan.pdf
Cyberbullying Prevention (n.d.), available at:
https://eps415cyberbullying.weebly.com/cyberbullying-prevention.html
Defining online sexual harassment(n.d.) Deshame Project, Childnet, available at:
https://www.childnet.com/our-projects/project-deshame/defining-online-sexual-
harassment
Digital Rights and Responsibilities (n.d.), available at:
https://sites.google.com/site/digitalcitizenshipdferris/digital-rights-and-responsibilities
Digital Rights, Essential in the Internet Age (n.d.), available at:
https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/what-are-digital-rights
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Dovi A. (2021) Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying, available at:
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/harassment.html
European Commission (2016). Media Pluralism and Democracy. Special Eurobarometer 452.
Five Responsibilities that Come with Digital Citizenship (n.d.), available at:
https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/responsibilities-that-come-with-digital-
citizenship/
Hirsch, L., Lowen, C., & Santorelli, D. (2012). Bully: An action plan for teachers and parents to combat
the bullying crisis. New York: Weinstein Books.
Introduction to Copyright and Open Licensing, Lesson, (n.d.), available at:
https://course.openmedproject.eu/lesson-2-1-introduction-to-copyright-and-open-
licensing/
Introduction to Fair Use & the Public Domain (n.d.) Prairie View A&M University Library, available at:
https://pvamu.libguides.com/intro-fair-use
Kowalski, R. M., Limber, S. P., & Agatston, P. W. (2008). Cyberbullying : Bullying in the Digital Age.
Hoboken: Wiley.
Mullan E. (2019) Nine most notorious copyright cases in music history, BBC, available at:
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190605-nine-most-notorious-copyright-cases-in-
music-history
Netsafe, Cyberbullying advice for young people. At www.netsafe.org.nz
Neville C. (2012). Referencing Exercises, available at: https://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/referencing-
exercises/
Penders B. (2018) Ten simple rules for responsible referencing,
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006036
Protecting children from harmful sexual behaviour (n.d.), available at:
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/harmful-sexual-behaviour
Richardson J. and Milovidov E. (2019) Digital citizenship education handbook. Council of Europe,
ISBN 978-92-871-8936-3
Shariff S. (2009), Confronting Cyber-bullying, p 44; danah boyd*, "Social Network Sites as Networked
Publics: Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications." in Zizi Papacharissi (ed) Networked Self:
Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites (2010), pp 39-58; boyd, danah,
Why Youth (Heart)
Stim R. (2010). Welcome to the public domain. Copyright & Fair Use. Retrieved from
https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/
UKEssays. (November 2018). Plagiarism: Types, Causes and Effects. Retrieved from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/issues-plagiarism-1510.php?vref=1
United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (n.d.), available at:
https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/hate-speech-strategy.shtml
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What Is Cyberbullying? (n.d.) available at: https://eps415cyberbullying.weebly.com/cyberbullying-
introduction.html
Young People’s Experiences of Online Sexual Harassment, (2017), Deshame Project, available at:
https://www.childnet.com/ufiles/Project_deSHAME_Dec_2017_Report.pdf
Your Digital Rights in Brief (n.d.) Council of Europe, available at: https://rm.coe.int/1680301b6en
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Appendix
Assessment quiz check sheets
Evaluation quiz Module 1 check sheet – correct answers
1b
2a
3a
4c
Evaluation quiz Module 2 check sheet – correct answers
1b
2c
3a
4b
Evaluation quiz Module 3 check sheet – correct answers
1a
2a
3a
4c
Evaluation quiz Module 4 check sheet – correct answers
1b
2b
3b
4c
Evaluation quiz Module 5 check sheet – correct answers
1c
2c
3a
4b
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Instructional design review checklist for youth workers
No
Criteria
Yes
No
1. Objectives
1.1
Are objectives stated clearly for the learner?
1.2
Are the course requirements consistent with the objectives?
1.3
Do chapters/topics thoroughly cover the course’s objectives?
1.4
Do the learning objectives match the learning outcomes?
1.5
Does the overall content and structure of the course meet its instructional
objectives?
2. Structure
2.1
Does the course have a concise and comprehensive overview or syllabus?
2.2
Does the course include examples, analogies, case studies, simulations,
graphical representations, and interactive questions?
2.3
Does the course structure use appropriate methods and procedures to
measure student mastery?
3. Content
3.1
Does the content flow seamlessly, without grammatical, syntactical and typing
errors?
3.2
Is the content up-to-date?
3.3
Is the content aligned with the curriculum?
3.4
Are the desirable outcomes incorporated into the content?
3.5
Is the content in compliance with copyright laws and all its quoted material
cited correctly?
3.6
Does the course engage students in critical and abstract thinking?
3.7
Does the course have prerequisites or require a technical background?
4. Assessment
4.1
Are the assignments relevant, efficient and engage students in a variety of
performance types and activities?
4.2
Are practice and assessment questions interactive?
4.3
Do the practice and assessment tasks focus on the course’s objectives?
5. Technology - Design
5.1
Is the design clear and consistent, with appropriate directions?
5.2
Are the images and graphics of high quality and suitable for the course?
5.3
Is the course easy to navigate and offers assistance with technical and course
management?
5.4
Is the course navigation structure consistent and reliable?
5.5
Are the course hardware and software defined?
5.6
Are the audio and on-screen text in sync?
5.7
Does the architecture of the course allow instructors to add content, activities
and extra assessments?
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Feedback on topic for students
Assessment of Module
Course title:
Module Title:
Part A:
On a scale of 1-5 where 1 is the lowest and 5 the highest level of
agreement indicate how you feel on the following
Observations
1
2
3
4
5
1
The subject was interesting
2
I believe the topics covered were important
3
I would like to know more about the area
4
I have learned new things which I am likely to apply in
the future
5
I would like to improve my skills in the area
6
I am likely to recommend this course
Part B:
In the space provided please feel free to include any comments and
recommendations you wish to make
Part C:
In the space provided please feel free to include your email address if you
would like to be kept informed about this project
