Cyber safety in remote Aboriginal communities and towns: Final report
Cyber safety in remote Aboriginal communities and towns: Final report Report
- Author(s): Rennie, E, Yunkaporta, T, Holcombe-James, I
- Published: 2018
- Publisher: Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT
Abstract: As outlined in our Interim Report (Rennie et al, 2016a), the particulars of how people in remote Aboriginal communities access the internet provide important context to the research findings. Internet access is predominantly mobile-only in these communities, and pre-paid credit is preferred to post-paid billing. Facebook and AirG/Divas Chat dominate social media use, although Snapchat is also popular with children. With this in mind, we found that:•In the communities and towns where our research took place, people were not necessarily using device and platform settings in ways that might help them avoid online harm. Social obligations can influence how people use devices, and this can lead to problems with privacy. For example, the sharing of devices (sometimes without permission) can lead to privacy issues.•Inappropriate or offensive use included “swearing” (see page 13), teasing, and bullying, which can incite further arguments and fighting offline, particularly when tied to prior hostility, or when communication breaches cultural protocols. When conflicts occur online, we heard, they can escalate quickly.•The filming of offline fights, which are then shared online, was a cause for concern amongst some community members, who saw them as perpetuating hostilities that might otherwise get resolved.•Fight videos are wrongly portrayed as riots or gang-style violence by the mainstream media. We show that these fights need to be understood within the historical context of remote Australia, including traditional forms of dispute resolution and Outback amateur boxing. Social media platforms amplify these fights and bring them to a wider audience, which may result in hate speech. Current platform moderation methods appear to be insufficient. Financial security needs, such as identifying scams and fraud, and managing credit and finances, are significant. Financial literacy programs should consider addressing cyber safety issues as part of the training they provide.•A participant’s level of digital capability and cyber safety awareness generally corresponded to the length of time they had been using the internet. We found differences in awareness between age and gender groups, suggesting the need for different approaches and resources for these groups. There is an ongoing need for straightforward, accessible information, including basic help with using mobile devices and social media accounts. Older people in particular were not confident with devices. Others were aware of how to manage prepaid credit, set passwords and passlocks, block and report people on AirG/Divas Chat and Facebook, and adjust device privacy settings. The fact that some people knew how to use device privacy settings, but were choosing not to, indicates the differences between online privacy and Aboriginal notions of privacy. However, practices are constantly changing in response to technology. This report identifies several approaches to addressing cyber safety in Aboriginal communities:•Mediation of various kinds is generally accepted as necessary to avoid further conflict. Mediation that includes community Elders was considered most effective. Older people in particular may need digital skills training in order to feel empowered to manage problems.•Identifying “trusted flaggers” within communities and organisations to work with social media companies may produce better moderation outcomes on certain types of content.•Other measures currently being enacted include temporary removal of internet access, either by controlling when and where services are available, or by removing trouble-makers from the community.
- Urls: https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2018-06/apo-nid172076_1.pdf
- Publisher Location: Melbourne