HeartMob creates an online support network for individuals facing harassment

Internet safety is becoming an increasingly important subject as the digital realm becomes a space where interactions are just as realistic and significant as they are in the physical world. HeartMob (@heartmobber) is a platform that aims to provides support to those facing incidents threatening their online safety, particularly through online harassment.

Created by Hollaback (@iHollaback), an international grassroots initiative, HeartMob is an online platform that provides real-time support to individuals experiencing online harassment as well as guidelines for bystanders who want to intervene.

Individuals experiencing online harassment can access the platform through a secure login, report the incident, and provide any relevant and supporting information such as direct examples, links to the site of harassment, images depicting the harassment and categorizations of tactics and/or discrimination. Users also have the option to keep their report private, catalogue it in the event that it escalates or take it public, and can request particular forms of support (chosen from a menu of options) from bystanders in the event that they make it public.

The HeartMob platform also contains a number of resources that could serve as vital for individuals wanting to learn more about safe internet spaces and play a pivotal role in creating and reinforcing them. Resources offered include a technical safety guide, a social media safety guide, a self care guide as well as legal resources and referrals to organizations that can provide counseling and legal services.

Creating and maintaining a safe digital environment is a priority for Twitter, and partners such as Hollaback are pivotal in helping us realize our goals. To learn more about the HeartMob platform, get support for harassment you’re facing, or support others being harassed, please click here.