A recent incident on Mumsnet has sparked significant backlash after disturbing child abuse images were posted on the platform. The images appeared between 23:00 GMT on Sunday and 03:00 on Monday, causing distress among users. The company quickly removed most of the images within an hour, with all content taken down by 04:00. Despite this, the incident has raised concerns about the platform’s volunteer moderation system, with one user on Mumsnet suggesting it was time to rethink the approach.
Mumsnet founder, Justine Roberts, defended the use of volunteer moderators, who operate in different time zones, arguing that the system is designed for 24-hour coverage. She stated, “I don’t believe this horrible incident would have been prevented had it happened in office hours with our usual moderation team in London.” Roberts also emphasized that the company’s primary focus is on preventing such content from being posted in the first place.
Following the incident, Mumsnet has reported the issue to the police and is in discussions with the Metropolitan Police to investigate the matter. Roberts added that the platform is regularly targeted by malicious actors aiming to derail conversations, citing previous instances of fake police calls, bot attacks, and bomb threats.
The company is now exploring additional tools to strengthen its moderation system and prevent similar incidents in the future. Moderators who viewed the disturbing images have been offered support.
Mumsnet, founded in 2000, remains one of the largest online forums for parents, with approximately nine million unique users per month.
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