Today, we are thrilled to announce our involvement with the Fair Play Alliance (FPA), a cross-industry initiative spanning over 30 gaming companies whose mission is to foster fair play in online games, raise awareness of player-behaviour-related issues, and share research and best practices that drive lasting change. As founding members of the Initiative, we are eager to collaborate with a wide range of industry experts to foster and empower healthy online communities.
Check out the official press release below for more information about the coalition.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Representatives of over 30 different gaming companies will meet during the 2018 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco to discuss best practices in cultivating online gaming experiences free of harassment or abuse.
The Fair Play Alliance (FPA) is a coalition for developers that supports open collaboration, research, and best practices for encouraging healthy gaming communities and fair play. Key objectives include collaboration on initiatives aimed at improving online behavior in games and creating an atmosphere free of abuse and discrimination.
The Fair Play Summit, which takes place on Wednesday, March 21, will feature experts who have been working to understand and address disruptive behaviour in games, speaking on the state of the industry, what developers need to know, and practical methods to create constructive avenues for fair play and collaboration online.
Want to attend? Media and expo pass holders can see the keynote in Room 3020, West Hall from 9:30 to 10:30 am, and all following sessions in Room 306, South Hall from 11 to 6 pm.
Press attendees
Attendance is free to published members of the press – please contact info@fairplayalliance.org for further information.
For more information on the event, the Fair Play Alliance, or for interview requests:
This month, we are thrilled to announce that we’ve released our first official teaching resources!
Online Risk and Digital Citizenship: Learning About Risk With High School League of Legends Clubs is an overview and endorsement of the clubs, focusing on the great strides Riot Games has made teaching students about online etiquette and sportsmanship.Teaching A Team-Oriented Mindset & Resilience is a lesson plan for teachers leading clubs. It includes teaching objectives, a series of student activities, and discussion questions to bring up before, during, and after a match.You can also download both resources on the High School League of Legends site.
We had a great time collaborating with the League of Legends team in Oceania on these resources. Teachers, we hope you find them invaluable in your classes, as you lead students along this journey. Students, we hope you learn about sportsmanship and digital citizenship — and have a lot of fun along the way.
Last year, we had the great privilege to meet and interview Ivan Davies, a Rioter who spearheaded the High School League of Legends Club, a major initiative in Oceania.
At Two Hat, we believe that everyone has the right to share online without fear of harassment or abuse. Every day, we help gaming and social platforms foster healthy and inclusive online spaces. And just like Riot Games, we believe that encouraging the ideals of online etiquette and the Summoner’s Code are just as crucial in those online spaces as they are on the playing field.
Ivan and his team are doing critical work in Oceania. The High School League of Legends Clubsinitiative teaches students, teachers, and parents the core values of digital citizenship, fair play, and the six essential tenets of sportsmanship. All of these topics are dear to our hearts (and core to our mission) at Two Hat. Deciding to partner with the High School LoL Clubs initiative was a no-brainer for us.
And on that note… we are thrilled to announce that, in 2018, we will be collaborating with the High School League of Legends Clubs team to create brand-new resources for teachers, parents, and students, all centered around the concept of online risk. Not only that, we are also partnering with the team to produce several blogs about the initiative, with a special focus on the very human stories that have made the project a success from the very beginning.
The industry is poised for a major change over the next year. We believe that in 2018 the values of digital citizenship, fair play, and sportsmanship will become the standard across all platforms.
We’re proud to work alongside a visionary company like Riot Games to help usher in a new age of sportsmanship and mutual respect in gaming. And what better place to start than with high school students — the digital citizens of the future.
“We are delighted to have partnered with Two Hat who, like us, believe in a world free of online bullying and harassment. By working together, we hope to cultivate friendly gaming communities that foster positive and productive interactions.”
Ivan Davies, Social Play and Community at Riot Games
“Riot Games is leading the way with High School League of Legends Clubs, offering students and teachers an invaluable opportunity to explore and practice online citizenship in a unique way. Dedicated to producing long-lasting results, Riot Games is shaping new online citizens who are learning how to use digital platforms with purpose and awareness.”
Carlos Figueiredo, Director of Community Trust & Safety at Two Hat Security
“Digital citizenship, and promoting a respectful yet vibrant environment is a multi-pronged effort.” — David Ryan Polgar
If one social network doesn’t prevent us from harassing strangers, then can we be expected to behave any differently when we switch platforms? If an online game is designed to create tension, then can we really be held responsible when we lash out at our teammates?
In other words — do social products have an ethical responsibility to encourage good citizenship?
To unpack this tricky topic, we turn to renowned writer, speaker, commentator and real-life Tech Ethicist David Ryan Polgar. He sat down with Two Hat Security’s Director of Community Trust & Safety Carlos Figueiredo to discuss the complex and sometimes divisive subject of social products and social responsibility.
Press play to listen:
Highlights & key quotes
On responsibility:
If [companies] want to have a sustainable business, they need to consider that this is business-critical. — Carlos Figueiredo
I think what we’re realizing is that the environment and the structures that we create are dramatically influential on human behavior… From a company standpoint, they now have that responsibility to try to prompt us towards the better use of their product. — David Ryan Polgar
On the “attention economy”:
We are giving a lot of time to [social media] companies. Does that create a responsibility because we are giving our time to them? — CF
It’s not a typical business-consumer relationship. Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat operate in this quasi-public space. And that’s very similar in law, what they’ve done with freedom of speech in a mall… Now, we, the general public, are expecting a voice in the way these companies operate. — DRP
On forging industry-wide alliances:
It’s so easy for us to think that each of these companies should take care of their own. Of course I believe that, but I also think that it’s time for the industry to have a wide discussion, and to have coalitions and alliances. If there is a consistency and a coherence amongst different companies, suddenly we can’t just have users and players jump from one platform to the other and bring bad behavior. — CF
Unless you have those coalitions, everybody is reinventing the wheel. You’re spending a lot of time, energy, and research in private endeavors instead of sharing, and having this open environment where we’re saying: as a community, as this collective, and as an industry, this is something we need to combat. — DRP
On the future:
I think the tide is turning in terms of digital citizenship, fair play, and sportsmanship when it comes to eSports and games. It’s financially smart and it’s ethically smart for the industry to talk about this. — CF
Social media is like a knife. It can be used to inflict pain or stab the truth. But it can also be used to carve a future that’s more socially just, more connected, and more intellectually curious. It’s like any tool.
The way to push social media forward, to build a better web, and to capitalize on what we know the internet should be, is to take that collective action, where people, businesses, and organizations come together and say “Here’s what we want — now how can we get there? How can we share the knowledge, how can we use the tools that we have and create new tools to build this better web?” — DRP
About the speakers
David Ryan Polgar
David Ryan Polgar has carved out a unique and pioneering career as a “Tech Ethicist.” With a background as an attorney and college professor, he transitioned in recent years to focus entirely on improving how children, teens, and adults utilize social media & tech. David is a tech writer (Big Think, Quartz, and IBM thinkLeaders), speaker (3-time TEDx, The School of The New York Times), and frequent tech commentator (SiriusXM, AP, Boston Globe, CNN.com, HuffPost). He has experience working with startups and social media companies (ASKfm), and co-founded the global Digital Citizenship Summit (held at Twitter HQ in 2016). Outside of writing and speaking, David currently serves as Trust & Safety for the teen virtual world Friendbase. He is also a board member for the non-profit #ICANHELP, which led the first #Digital4Good event at Twitter HQ on September 18th.
His forward-thinking approach to online safety and digital citizenship has been recognized by various organizations and outlets across the globe and was recently singled out online by the Obama Foundation.
Carlos Figueiredo leads Two Hat Security’s Trust & Safety efforts, collaborating with clients and partners to challenge our views of healthy online communities.
Born and raised in Brazil, Carlos has been living in Canada for almost 11 years where he has worked directly with online safety for the last 9 years, helping large digital communities with their mission to stay healthy and engaged. From being a moderator himself to leading a multi-cultural department that was pivotal to the safety of global communities across different languages and cultures, Carlos has experienced the pains and joys of on-screen interactions.
He’s interested in tackling the biggest challenges of our connected times and thrives on collaborating and creating bridges in the industry. Most recently, he moderated the Tech Power Panel at #Digital4Good. On Wednesday, October 18th he’s presenting a free online workshop called Your Must-Have Moderation Strategy: Preparing for Breaking News & Trending Topics.
“I can help, I will help, I did help!” — student leaders at #Digital4Good
Most of the conversations I have about online behavior have negative overtones. Sadly, it’s not just my professional discussions, which naturally tend to focus on the negative. It happens in my non-professional life too.
In fact, most conversations about the internet tend to begin and end with the far-from nuanced sentiment “the internet is the worst and people are awful.” Often, when we get together with colleagues, friends, or family, we immediately start talking about the unfortunate things we’ve experienced or heard about online.
But on September 18th, 2017, the conversation was different.
Last week, students, educators, and the tech industry came together for the very first #Digital4Good Day at Twitter Headquarters to celebrate student leadership, and discuss the challenges facing digital citizens today. Organized by the non-profit #ICANHELP, the event was the first of its kind, but hopefully not the last.
We heard from students who created social media mentoring programs at their schools, founded volunteering organizations that have gone national, created a website for people with dietary restrictions, and much, much more.
For my part, I learned a few surprising and ultimately powerful lessons from those students. I’d like to share them with you.
Lesson 1: Relax: The internet isn’t all bad.
Like I said, it’s easy (and often tempting) to dwell on the negative, but it gets you nowhere. The students at #Digital4Good believe in a better internet, and they know it’s possible. After all, it’s their future that they’re shaping.
Instead of dwelling on the negative uses of social media and other platforms, these students are meeting such behavior with kindness and respect at every turn, often taking the higher road and respecting everyone involved when facing hate.
That’s a lesson we can all use. These students are shining examples of individuals facing the nuanced complexities of our digital age without giving up or giving into despair. Inevitably, we all make mistakes on and offline.
We could all use more patience and understanding when relating to others, and we can certainly pay more attention to the positive things going on around us.
Lesson 2: The kids are alright.
My colleagues and I left #Digital4Good impressed and inspired by teenagers going above and beyond to improve their local communities, both online and off.
Students discussed the challenges of online civics at an impressively composed and wise level. They dove into the most challenging dilemmas social media moderators face today, including:
Freedom of expression in the digital age
Defining hate speech — where is the line crossed?
Political posts and political propaganda on social media
They tackled these complex questions thoughtfully and with surprising wisdom for their ages. They demonstrated the compelling power of minds set to positive motivation.
Like I said, they have already improved their online and offline communities. And they are committed to doing more and bigger things.
Lesson 3: Forget IRL. The internet is officially real life.
“Our lives are blurred across online and offline. Everything is real life. They’re just different formats.”
A panelist said this during the Tech Power Panel, and it rings true for students in 2017.
When I discuss user and player behavior with my colleagues, we make a point of avoiding generalization. Very few people are always “good” or always “bad.” We are all subject to change and many things can affect our behavior online, from day to day.
Sometimes, we even see people not only taking responsibility for their actions — but also taking on the challenge of making online spaces better for everyone. Those users and players know the importance of not being a passive bystander. They know that their actions matter and they understand the importance of voicing their opinions.
I ask you: does that sound similar to what it means to be a citizen? You have your rights and you have your obligations. Being an online citizen is still being a citizen. We are all accountable and responsible for our actions online just as we are off the screen.
Student leaders get this. And they remain committed to positive action despite all the challenges in front of them.
Lesson 4: It’s time to raise the bar.
We will and we must continue to discuss online behavior and how we can all play a part in improving things.
The example of those young leaders will remind me to talk more about the positive examples happening every day online. Nothing is as simple as “good” or “bad” online and offline, so let’s not dwell and get lost on the negatives.
I saw the faces of those Internet users I had previously seen behind an avatar speaking up against cyberbullying or encouraging new users on a platform. Their commitment was contagious.
As an industry, there’s a lot we can do, from the way we design safety into our products to how we facilitate systems where users can learn and change. It’s up to us to place our pieces of the puzzle with the same courage those teenagers demonstrate daily.
For my part, I’m committed to collaborating with industry partners, schools, and society at large to discuss our digital challenges and find actionable ways to increase the health of our online communities. Just recently I presented the Six Essential Pillars of a Healthy Online Community. In October I will be sharing how online communities can prepare for and react to worldwide events and trending topics.
Now, the real question is — what will you do to encourage good digital citizenship?
Feel like you missed out? Don’t worry — #Digital4Good was live-streamed on Periscope, and you can watch the recording.
Check out the Tech Power Panel discussion, featuring industry experts from friends at Supercell, Unity Technologies, and more.
We’re excited to announce that Two Hat Security will be attending the very first #Digital4Good event on Monday, September 18th!
Held at Twitter HQ in San Francisco, the event brings together highly-engaged students, educators, and industry leaders to empower positive tech and media use.
A panel of tech superstars
Two Hat Security Director of Community Trust & Safety Carlos Figueiredo will be moderating the Tech Power Panel.
Featuring industry experts AJ Glasser (Sr. Business Developer for Mobile Games at Unity Technologies), Jess Hollmeier (leader of the Anti-Fraud & User-Safety initiatives at Supercell), and more, the panel will discuss digital citizenship in games.
The panelists look forward to:
sharing their thoughts about digital citizenship
providing examples of in-game challenges they’ve faced and how they overcame them
presenting tangible actions students can take in games and throughout the digital world to make a difference
The entire event will be live-streamed on Periscope! You can sign up to receive the link Monday morning. The panel discussion takes place from 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm PST.
#Digital4Good — an origin story
#Digital4Good was spearheaded by the non-profit organization #ICANHELP. Founded by Matt Soeth and Kim Karr, their mission is to help students, educators, and parents navigate social media and create a positive school culture.
Their first national event #Digital4Good is a celebration of student voices and digital leadership, with a focus on digital citizenship. It will feature fast-paced presentations, panels, and videos, as well as the first ever #Digital4Good awards — nominated by students for students.
Whether you’re a student, teacher, or a member of the digital industry, you don’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind event!
Don’t forget to sign up to receive the Periscope link delivered straight to your inbox Monday morning.
We are all citizens of the digital world — let’s make it better, together.
Want to learn more?
Digital citizenship, fair play, and sportsmanship are some of the most-discussed digital topics in 2017. Check out these resources to stay up-to-date:
“If we’re looking at the current zeitgeist, you have a consumer base that’s looking toward tech companies to showcase moral guidance.” — David Ryan Polgar
Users are fed up.
Tired of rampant harassment and abuse in social media, consumers have finally begun to demand safer online spaces that encourage and reward good digital citizenship. And they’re starting to hold social networks accountable for dangerous behavior on their platforms.
But what exactly are online safety and digital citizenship? And what can social networks do to make safety an industry standard?
We spoke with Trust & Safety experts David Ryan Polgar of Friendbase and Carlos Figueiredo of Two Hat Security to get their thoughts on changing attitudes in the industry — and the one thing that social networks can do today to inspire civility and respect on their platform.
Click play to listen:
Highlights & key quotes
On safety:
“Online safety… is very similar to driving. There are lots of dangers to getting on the road, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get on the road.” — David Ryan Polgar
“It’s important for us to consider not just safety, but what is a healthy online experience? It’s okay to have a certain amount of risk that will vary from community to community… We don’t want to focus just on the dangers and risks.” — Carlos Figueiredo
On “safety by design”:
“There are lots of examples where a company scaled up quickly and aggressively got millions of users, but they didn’t necessarily have the features in place to have a safe experience. We want safety, but we also want vibrancy, that happy mix — what I call a ‘Goldilocks zone.’ And the danger is, once you get labeled as a place that allows for toxic behavior, it’s very difficult to alter that perception, even when you change some of the tools.” — DRP
“Whenever possible, safety needs to be a product and design consideration from the very beginning… by having this proactive approach, you can prevent a lot of issues.” — CF
On setting a positive tone in your product:
“I think the big thing isintuitive tools. That’s always been a big complaint for a lot of individuals. Once you have a problem online, is it intuitive to report it? And then, potentially more importantly, what’s the protocol after that’s been reported?” — DRP
“One thing that I would definitely recommend that people start doing is, if they don’t have an individual or a team in charge of community well-being or community safety, have somebody where at least a big chunk of time is dedicated to this – and a team, even better. Put that as a key priority of your product. Employ really solid people who understand your community.” — CF
Online safety & digital citizenship resources
David is a board member for the non-profit #ICANHELP, which holds the first annual #Digital4Good event next month at Twitter HQ. This highly-anticipated event brings together students, representatives from the tech industry, and teachers to discuss and celebrate positive tech and media use.
Learn more on the #ICANHELP website, and follow @icanhelp and #Digital4Good on Twitter.
Don’t miss the live-streamed event on Monday, September 18th. Carlos will be moderating a panel with three very special guests (more info to come!). They’ll be talking about player behavior in online games.
Two Hat Security is hosting an exclusive webinar about community building on Wednesday, September 13th. In The Six Essential Pillars of Healthy Online Communities, Carlos shares the six secrets to creating a thriving, engaged, and loyal community in your social product. Whether you’re struggling to build a new community or need advice shaping an existing product, you don’t want to miss this. Save your seat today!
David Ryan Polgar has carved out a unique and pioneering career as a “Tech Ethicist.” With a background as an attorney and college professor, he transitioned in recent years to focus entirely on improving how children, teens, and adults utilize social media & tech. David is a tech writer (Big Think, Quartz, and IBM thinkLeaders), speaker (3-time TEDx, The School of The New York Times), and frequent tech commentator (SiriusXM, AP, Boston Globe, CNN.com, HuffPost). He has experience working with startups and social media companies (ASKfm), and co-founded the global Digital Citizenship Summit (held at Twitter HQ in 2016). Outside of writing and speaking, David currently serves as Trust & Safety for the teen virtual world Friendbase. He is also a board member for the non-profit #ICANHELP, which is planning the first #Digital4Good event at Twitter HQ on September 18th.
His forward-thinking approach to online safety and digital citizenship has been recognized by various organizations and outlets across the globe and was recently singled out online by the Obama Foundation.
Carlos Figueiredo
Carlos Figueiredo leads Two Hat Security‘s Trust & Safety efforts, collaborating with clients and partners to challenge our views of healthy online communities.
Born and raised in Brazil, Carlos has been living in Canada for almost 11 years where he has worked directly with online safety for the last 9 years, helping large digital communities with their mission to stay healthy and engaged. From being a moderator himself to leading a multi-cultural department that was pivotal to the safety of global communities across different languages and cultures, Carlos has experienced the pains and joys of on-screen interactions.
He’s interested in tackling the biggest challenges of our connected times and thrives on collaborating and creating bridges in the industry.
If [companies] want to have a sustainable business, they need to consider that this is business-critical. — Carlos Figueiredo
Carlos Figueiredo leads 
