Daily Safeguarding Update

Twitch releases new rules on hate and harassment

Twitch has unveiled a new, detailed policy on hateful conduct and harassment, that will come into effect on the 22nd of January
Twitch is a streaming website, where users can play video games whilst their followers watch them
The updates fall into three categories — hateful conduct, harassment, and sexual harassment
Starting with hateful conduct, Twitch has added three protected identity characteristics to its list — caste, color, and immigration status — meaning users will face punishment for attacking someone based on these traits
In terms of harassment, Twitch added the following specific behaviors to its lineup of offenses: claiming the victim of a well-documented tragedy is a crisis actor; encouraging others to doxx, hack, swat, or DDoS someone; and inciting malicious raids of another person’s social media profiles
Under the new rules, Twitch has made sexual harassment a separate category and “adopted a much lower tolerance for objectifying or harassing behavior

Reddit has thrown its hat into the ring against TikTok with the acquisition of Berlin-founded short video-sharing app Dubsmash for an unknown sum
The privately-held social network said on Sunday that it would keep Dubsmash as a separate app while integrating its video creation tools into its own service
In a company blog post, Reddit pointed to Dubsmash’s popularity among female users and ethnic minority creators, with about 25pc of all black teenagers in the United States using the app
The sale makes Reddit a surprising winner in the bidding war that has unfolded over Dubsmash, which at one time was reportedly being courted by Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter
Founded in Germany in 2014 and now based in New York City, it has bounced back from a dire decline in users to become one of the most promising contenders for TikTok’s viral video crown

A teenager has been charged with the murder of a 12-year-old boy found dead in Lincolnshire
The child was found on a patch of common land behind Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, near Boston, on Saturday
Lincolnshire Police said a 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, had been charged with murder and was due to appear in court later
The force said a 19-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remained in police custody

The London borough of Greenwich has become the first in England to ask all schools to move learning online from Tuesday amid rising Covid cases
The council’s Labour leader Danny Thorpe has written to parents and headteachers saying it is justified by the “extreme risk” of the virus
The National Education Union said the decision was “very sensible”
But the Department for Education said it remained a national priority to keep schools open full time
In two letters, to parents and headteachers, Mr. Thorpe explained why he is asking schools to close
“I wouldn’t be asking for this unless the risk was extreme, but with numbers rising so rapidly it is clear action is needed,” he wrote to parents

A man has been jailed for 16 months after a court heard how he targeted the youngster when she was aged nine and ten
The victim was not a child he had responsibility for as a foster parent
Leeds Crown Court heard that the offender sexually assaulted the girl on three occasions over 12 months
The man was interviewed and initially denied the offences
He later pleaded guilty to three offences of sexual assault of a girl aged under 13
A probation service report assessed him as posing a high risk of harm.
Sentencing the offender, Judge Robin Maris said “you made denials and I have read with care how this has had a psychological effect on her, these offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified”