美国国家公共电台 NPR--French Open organizers offer players a way to block social media abuse

French Open organizers offer players a way to block social media abuse

Transcript¹

As tennis players take on their opponents at the French Open, they're also dealing² with a flood of toxic³ comments online. Players are being offered an AI tool to block some of the social media abuse.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Players at the French Open in Paris are battling opponents on the courts and toxic comments on social media. American tennis star Sloane Stephens, who's Black, recently called out the racist⁴ abuse she gets.

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SLOANE STEPHENS: My entire career, it's never stopped. If anything, it's only gotten worse. I have a lot of key words banned on Instagram and all of these things, but that doesn't stop someone from just typing in an asterisk⁵ or typing it in a different way, which obviously software most of the time doesn't catch.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

French Open organizers are offering players a new tool, an app for their phones or other devices designed to block social media abuse. It uses artificial intelligence to screen comments.

MARTIN: The app is called Bodyguard⁶.

MATTHIEU BOUTARD: What's important is not the keywords that are used. It is very much who the message targets and what's actually toxic inside it. And if we think that it's toxic based on different criteria⁷, we would actually remove the content from social media.

INSKEEP: Co-founder Matthieu Boutard says the app goes beyond finding keywords.

BOUTARD: AI is a lot more complex in a sense that it understands context, which is pretty much the essence of moderation. So it's a very different ballgame.

MARTIN: And he says if there is a ballgame that needs social media moderation, it's tennis.

BOUTARD: Being a tennis player is very difficult. It's an individual sport. So if you lose a game, that's your fault. You're very exposed because a lot of people are actually betting on sport and tennis specifically, which means a lot of haters going after you if you lose a point, if you lose a set or if you lose a game.

INSKEEP: World No. 1 Iga Swiatek told reporters she is using the Bodyguard app.

IGA SWIATEK: After tournaments, I had this ritual of going just to see what people thought about my matches, but right now I stopped doing that because even when I had, I don't know, two tournaments - one I won, the other one I was in the final - I went on social media, and people were unhappy. So it frustrated⁸ me a little bit, and I realized that there's no sense to read all that stuff. So the app, I think it's a great idea.

MARTIN: There are those who wonder if the tech could be used to block legitimate⁹ critiques of public figures for whom perhaps a certain level of scrutiny¹⁰ is warranted. Kate Klonick is an assistant professor of law at St. John's University, and she studies online speech.

KATE KLONICK: You can imagine how something like bodyguard.ai could block a lot of politicians or public figures or people who maybe it's important that they see some of the criticism leveled against them from ever kind of seeing that type of public reaction.

INSKEEP: Boutard says his company isn't doing that.

BOUTARD: We don't remove criticism, but we remove its toxicity¹¹. The line is actually pretty clear. If you start throwing insults, being racist, attacking a player, using body-shaming, that's not a criticism, and that's actually toxic to the player.

INSKEEP: And he insists the technology is working.

BOUTARD: Out of all the messages that were sent to the players, 10% of them were toxic. And we blocked more than 95% of them.

INSKEEP: With a goal of letting the players focus on the game.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

4 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

5 asterisk   

n.星号，星标

参考例句：

• The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote.星号是让读者参看脚注。
• He added an asterisk to the first page.他在第一页上加了个星号。

6 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

7 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

8 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

11 toxicity   

n.毒性，毒力

参考例句：

• The hoarse grunt or squeal is characteristic of toxicity.嘶哑的哼声和叫声是中毒的特征。
• Dieldrin is related to aldrin,and its toxicity to earthworms is similar.狄氏剂与艾氏剂有关，对蚯蚓的毒性是相似的。