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FIFA detects 7 million abusive comments aimed at players and staff during World Cup

July 18 – FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), which aims to protect players, teams and officials from online threats and abuse, has detected more than 7 million potentially harmful or abusive posts on social media during the World Cup, the global soccer body said on Saturday.

• FIFA said the detection rate was 14 times higher than the 2022 edition, during which 470,000 such posts were removed.

• The SMPS team have reviewed more than half a million AI-detected messages targeting players, coaches and officials during the ongoing World Cup. They have reported more than 1,000 threats to authorities including law enforcement.

• The SMPS have moderated more than 53 million posts and comments since the start of the World Cup, which culminates on Sunday with a clash between Argentina and Spain.

• Earlier this month, FIFA said racial abuse accounted for 11% of detected offensive messages during the World Cup so far. REUTERS