News
FIFA Will Use AI To Protect Footballers From Hate Speech
The new tool will look for recognized hate speech terms on social media platforms and prevent comments that contain them from reaching their intended recipients.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is scheduled to take place in five months, and football fans around the world are already looking forward to the spectacle. Unfortunately, not all fans express their excitement or disappointment nicely.
According to FIFA’s recently published report, which examined over 406,987 social posts across Twitter and Instagram targeting players and coaches for the EURO 2020 Final (England versus Italy) and AFCON 2022 Final (Senegal versus Egypt), 55 percent of players in both tournament finals received some form of online abuse.
The two most common types of online abuse were homophobic slurs and racism, with a majority of abusers coming from the player’s home nation.
Determined to protect players from the abuse they receive online, FIFA has partnered with FIFPRO, a worldwide representative organization for professional footballers, to launch AI-powered in-tournament moderation tools.
“Our duty is to protect football, and that starts with the players who bring so much joy and happiness to all of us by their exploits on the field of play,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “We want our actions to speak louder than our words and that is why we are taking concrete measures to tackle the problem directly.”
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The new tool will look for recognized hate speech terms on social media websites and prevent comments that contain them from reaching their intended recipients and their following, minimizing their reach. FIFA could also report abuse to the relevant social networks and contact law enforcement authorities to further investigate.
“This detection is not only there to protect football and to avoid the damaging effects that these posts can cause, but also to educate current and future generations who engage with our sport on social media as well as on the field of play,” added the FIFA President.
The role of artificial intelligence in the detection of hate speech is growing rapidly. In the first quarter of 2020, Facebook, estimated that AI proactively detected 88.8 percent of the hate speech content the social network removed, an increase of 8.6 percent compared with the quarter before that.
News
PayPal & TerraPay Join Forces For Cross-Border MENA Payments
The collaboration will be especially helpful in regions where traditional banking infrastructure is limited or inconsistent.
PayPal has teamed up with TerraPay to improve cross-border payments across the Middle East and Africa. The move is designed to make it easier and faster for users to send and receive money internationally, especially in regions where traditional banking infrastructure can be limited or inconsistent.
The partnership connects PayPal’s digital payments ecosystem with TerraPay’s global money transfer network. The goal is to streamline real-time transfers between banks, mobile wallets, and financial institutions, significantly improving access for millions of users looking to move money securely and efficiently.
Through the partnership, users will be able to link their PayPal accounts to local banks and mobile wallets using TerraPay’s platform. This means faster transactions and fewer barriers for individuals and businesses across the region.
“The Middle East and Africa are at the forefront of the digital transformation, yet financial barriers still limit growth for many,” said Otto Williams, Senior Vice President, Regional Head and General Manager, Middle East and Africa at PayPal. “At PayPal, we’re committed to changing that […] Together, we’re helping unlock economic opportunity and build a more connected, inclusive financial future”.
For TerraPay, the deal is a chance to scale its reach while reinforcing its mission of frictionless digital transactions.
“Our mission at TerraPay is to create a world where digital transactions are effortless, secure, and accessible to all,” said Ani Sane, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at TerraPay. He added that the partnership is a major milestone for enhancing financial access in the Middle East and Africa, helping businesses grow and users move funds with fewer limitations.
Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East
The integration also aims to support financial inclusion in a region where access to global banking tools is still uneven. With interoperability at the core, TerraPay can bridge the gap between different financial systems — whether that’s a mobile wallet or a traditional bank — making it easier to send money, pay for services, or grow a business across borders.
As the demand for cross-border payment options continues to rise, both PayPal and TerraPay are doubling down on their commitment to provide reliable, secure, and forward-looking financial tools for the region.
PayPal & TerraPay Join Forces For Cross-Border MENA Payments
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