Numerous men in Australia belong to exclusive Facebook communities that are filled with bigotry, sexism, exposing personal information, shaming women for their sexuality, and body-shaming.
There are certain websites that seem to have been created as a reaction to women’s organizations focused on revealing those who cheat. These websites, of which there are hundreds globally and in various regions of Australia, also reveal men who have been involved in violent or abusive behavior.
While the women’s groups tend to operate to support and warn other women, the posts that Guardian Australia has seen in men’s groups are predominantly derogatory.
They refer to women as “it”, “that thing”, “hoe bag”, “blimps”, “bush pigs” and regularly suggest someone is a “ladyboy”.
The female-oriented websites inquire about any potential “tea” or rumors about a man they are interested in dating, while the male-oriented websites ask about the number of people who have been intimate with that person. Women are referred to as “push bikes”, “root and boots”, and “passed around”.
While the women’s sites usually post pictures from dating apps once they’ve matched with someone, the men’s posts use pictures from Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other platforms. Some are celebrities, or obviously meant to be gags.
There is typically sufficient data to determine the individual’s identity.
-
Subscribe to receive a weekly email highlighting our top articles and stories.
Several comments are too inappropriate to be published. Some men have also admitted to hacking into women’s websites, causing them to be shut down, and have disclosed information from those sites to other men.
According to cyber safety specialist Susan McLean, if a woman discovers that she is part of a group online, her only option is to be cautious about the images and details she shares on the internet and who can view them.
According to her, everyone must report any unacceptable actions – to the authorities if they are illegal, and to the eSafety commissioner if it involves mistreatment and harassment.
McLean stated that they experience a descent into a toxic environment filled with offensive and discriminatory remarks.
It is important to promote the reporting of any online content that is offensive, unlawful, or doxing. We should all make it a practice to report such content in order to improve the internet.
“Do not say anything online that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.”
According to Carla Wilshire, “dark forests” are pages that are described as such by the chief executive officer of the Social Policy Group and director of the Centre for Digital Wellbeing.
According to her, a dark forest is a part of the internet that is typically restricted to non-members.
Facebook is aware of these groups and has the ability to shut them down.
Ignore the advertisement for the newsletter.
after newsletter promotion
Guardian Australia reached out to Meta for clarification on their actions regarding these groups, which seem to violate their code of conduct. According to a representative, their community standards extend to Facebook groups and cover regulations on privacy breaches, bullying, and harassment.
The representative did not provide an answer to a particular inquiry regarding the ability to take proactive action against private groups. However, it was stated that individuals can report any content that goes against the company’s policies.
There are over 10,000 members on certain websites that expose men’s cheating behavior.
According to Wilshire, there is a current debate surrounding the size of a group that can be classified as a publication.
She mentioned a question about specific limits – what should be considered as publishing versus a group chat.
Many times, we consider platforms to be open and transparent areas for public use. However, a large portion of online discussions occur within closed groups and a considerable amount of content is only shared within members-only forums.
Similar to McLean, Wilshire emphasized the challenge of safeguarding oneself against the misuse of one’s image.
According to her, once you establish an online presence, you are inevitably sacrificing some level of privacy due to the current system’s functioning.
“By sacrificing your privacy, you are gaining access to a social life, which is an unfair demand.”
Source: theguardian.com
