Wimbledon is monitoring social media to protect players from cyberbullying

LONDON — All England clubs are monitoring social media to protect players At Wimbledon from Cyberbullying For the first time this year.

„It’s not something you’ll see in the public domain. You won’t see us shouting about it. But effectively, we’re scrolling social media for any content like this, which means we can get information that we didn’t have in the past. We’re not just relying on the player saying what happened to them,” he said. Tournament director Jamie Baker said Friday. „And if there’s something of concern, that’s when our security (team) can help do something about it.”

Baker said that’s what the new initiative is synonymous with The French Tennis Federation did last year during the French OpenWhen it started paying a company to provide players with software that uses artificial intelligence to block negative comments.

„Tennis is doing this a lot now, so for the players, it’s very positive that we’re taking this step,” former player Baker said.

AI plays a role in the All England Club’s efforts in this area, he said, but people are involved in monitoring what is directed at competitors online during the two-week Grand Slam tournament, which ends on July 14.

Players can opt-in to the service and choose to fully scan what is posted on social media. Players say the news has included anger expressed by gamblers who lost money on a particular tournament, racist comments and sometimes even death threats.

„The bottom line is, if they’ve got anything that we think is a concern or worth flagging, ultimately, it’s about engaging with the player,” Baker said. „The advantage of having it is that you have the ability … to officially record what’s going on.”

After discussions with the player, Baker declined to say whether that has yet to happen, but could approach the match police if necessary.

„I guess if it’s at a point where there’s any kind of criminal activity,” law enforcement officers will be brought in, Baker said: „But it’s out of our hands. We’ll obviously pass it by. … But we’re obviously not going in and being the police.”

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