Yahoo Japan to delete hateful posts with AI to tackle cyberbullying

Dec 24, 2020 | News On Japan

Dec 24, 2020 (Kyodo) - Yahoo Japan Corp. said Wednesday it will delete hateful and defamatory comments from all of its online posting sites with the use of artificial intelligence, beefing up efforts to tackle cyberbullying after the suspected suicide of a reality show star.

The operator of Yahoo online services is strengthening its monitoring of hateful posts following the death earlier this year of Hana Kimura, a cast member of the popular reality show "Terrace House," who had been the target of bullying on social media.

Yahoo Japan will release a list of expressions that could be taken as malicious and clarify the criteria for deleting. Posts that are judged harmful by AI will be automatically removed.

Even if a user known to have made inappropriate posts gets a different ID, Yahoo Japan will suspend them.

To ensure the freedom of expression, Yahoo Japan will accept inquiries and complaints by users whose posts were removed.

The company will make public details, including the number of deleted posts as well as internal systems and rules pertaining to the removal, by releasing reports on a regular basis.

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