Biden administration to launch online harassment task force
The Biden administration will launch a task force Thursday aimed at addressing and preventing online harassment and abuse, a senior administration official said.
The Biden administration will launch a task force Thursday aimed at addressing and preventing online harassment and abuse, a senior administration official told reporters on a Wednesday call.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be joined by survivors and advocates when she kicks off the national task force, which will be charged with developing recommendations for state governments, online platforms, schools and other public and private entities within six months, the administrational official said.
The task force “aims to address the growing problem of online harassment and abuse which disproportionately targets women, girls and LGBTQI+ people,” the official said. The creation of the panel, which President Joe Biden will establish by executive action on Thursday, comes after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., among other places, horrified the nation and spurred bipartisan negotiations in Congress on gun restrictions.
Crime scene tape surrounds Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 25, 2022.Liz Moskowitz for NBC NewsThe White House said the shootings underscore the role the internet can play in fueling "hate, misogyny, and abuse with spillover effects that threaten our communities and safety offline."
The panel's recommendations will aim “to prevent and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including a focus on the nexus between online misogyny and radicalization to violence,” the White House said. The guidance will include recommendations on boosting interagency coordination on prevention efforts; data collection and research, with a special focus on social media and effects on adolescents; and access to support for victims and training for federal, state and local officials.
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