Cyberbullying and trolling have been pretty commonplace since the internet has been around, although it does feel that things have been getting out of control recently which is why social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are taking steps to try and prevent such abuse, or giving users tools to protect themselves from it.
While social media platforms are one place you might find such toxic comments or behavior, comment sections on websites can be just as bad, although we guess this does depend on the community. Some websites tend to encourage more constructive feedback, while others let trolls and bullies run rampant, and this is something that Disqus wants to curb.
For those unfamiliar, Disqus is a commenting platform that a lot of websites (including ours) uses. In a recent blog post, Disqus revealed that they are taking steps to prevent hate speech and toxic behavior. The service still encourages that websites moderate their content, but at the same time for those who do not and let comments run wild and free, they are now encouraging users to report such websites via a Terms of Service Violation Submissions form.
According to Disqus, “This form is a way for users to explicitly share with us when they’ve found a community to be in violation of our terms. When we are made aware of potential violations, we review them internally and make a decision about whether or not to allow the site to remain on our platform.” Of course this won’t kill off trolls and toxic comments forever, but we guess at the very least Disqus won’t be letting them use their platform to spread the hate.
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