Research Reveals Widespread Impact of Online Hate

More Australian adults from a range of backgrounds are experiencing online hate but most still choose to ignore it rather than take any action, new eSafety research shows. Australian adults report receiving online abuse based on characteristics such as race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or gender, according to the report, Fighting the tide: Encounters with online hate among targeted groups. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the research highlights troubling patterns of online behaviour that need urgent attention. "No Australian living in our community today should have to endure hateful abuse because of who they are. "If you witness or experience these kinds of attacks online, block the user and report it to the platform. Some online hate may meet the threshold for adult cyber abuse, which is material intended to cause serious harm to an individual. We have powers to get such material removed and you can report it to us at eSafety.gov.au "Our research shows most of those who have experienced online hate say it has caused them significant harm but simple steps like these can go a long way towards protecting them. eSafety's research shows adults who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, sexually diverse, with disability and/or as linguistically diverse were more likely to see (41%) and personally experience (24%) online hate. Separate findings indicate experiences of online hate have increased significantly across the community from 14 per cent in 2019 to 18 per cent in 2022. Ms Inman Grant said it should not only be up to individuals to protect themselves. "If recent events have shown us anything, it's that we need to do more to protect Australians from hateful attacks wherever they occur and for this reason I welcome the passage yesterday of the Government's Hate Crimes Bill. eSafety's research showed less than half of targeted adults who had seen or experienced online hate took action as a result. Most targeted adults who personally experienced online hate said the perpetrator was a stranger, and in most cases, it occurred on social media. "I urge Australians to visit eSafety.gov.au to report harmful content, particularly if the platform does not take action and to seek out information, resources and advice," Ms Inman Grant said. "I also ask technology companies to do more to protect users by enforcing their own terms of service and improving the availability, responsiveness and transparency of reporting tools.