How Meta Amplifies Extreme Anti-Trans Hate
On Wednesday, the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD released a report outlining Meta’s failure to address anti-trans hate on its platforms, even as hate crimes against the community skyrocket. According to GLAAD’s research, Meta has neglected to enforce policies concerning everything from anti-trans slurs to dehumanizing tropes and conspiracy theories. One of the more serious harms described in the report is “networked mass harassment,” a similar concept to Dr. Joan Donovan’s model of “networked incitement.” Using careful innuendo, anti-LGBTQ accounts post identifying information about transgender individuals or their allies, knowing that their posts will trigger online abuse and threats. The strategy is most famously used by “LibsOfTikTok,” which emerged in 2021 as a multi-platform vector for anti-LGBTQ hate speech. At least 42 instances of threats and harassment have been linked to the account, including multiple bomb threats that led to closures at schools, hospitals, and libraries. Meta has allowed LibsOfTikTok to accumulate almost half a million followers on Instagram, despite the account’s clear attempts to coordinate harassment against LGBTQ individuals.