By Max Stephens
Wimbledon is protecting players from online death threats and abuse with artificial intelligence.
Abusive messages directed at players across social media will be flagged by the tournament’s AI tool, creating data that can be used by police to catch online trolls.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka, pictured at Wimbledon in 2019, has been trolled on social media.Credit: AP
Naomi Osaka, Japan’s four-time winner in grand slam tournaments, was subjected to 32,000 abusive tweets over the space of 12 months, according to a 2021 study that found she was the most abused player online at the time.
Osaka, the former world No.1, and Emma Raducanu, the British former US Open champion, have both previously said they have deleted social media apps from their phones following tournament defeats.
On Thursday, Harriet Dart, Britain’s No.2 women’s player, said she rarely used social media because of the level of hate directed at her online.
Speaking after her victory over rival British player Katie Boulter, she said: “I’m sure today, if I open one of my apps, regardless [of] if I won, I’d have a lot of hate as well.”
Harriet Dart, pictured in Sydney last year, says there is a lot of hate directed at her on social media.Credit: Getty Images
The Threat Matrix software used by the All England Lawn Tennis Club this year combs players’ social media profiles and reports any offensive content to the website’s moderators.
Players can also have the tool monitor direct messages sent to them over Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok.
In the most serious of cases, the software is used to help police investigate potentially criminal behaviour.
In April, a rugby fan was prosecuted and fined $1000 after the software helped flag abusive messages sent to a referee and his wife.
In January, the technology was unveiled by the All England Club alongside the International Tennis Federation, Women’s Tennis Association and United States Tennis Association.
Jamie Baker, Wimbledon’s tournament director and a former British No.2 men’s player, said the software would have human oversight but be driven by artificial intelligence.
“This year is the first year we have got a social media monitoring service, specifically for the event,” Baker said.
“We are scrolling social media for any of this type of content, and it means that we get information that we haven’t had in the past.
“We are not just relying on what the player might be saying has happened to them, but also if there is something that is of concern. That is when our security team is going to basically kick in and actually help do something about it.”
He added: “If we’ve got anything that we think is a concern or worth flagging, ultimately it’s engaging the player and then you deal with the next steps on that.”
Telegraph, London
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