Maltese cyberbullying case illustrates EU collaboration

A Maltese case of cyberbullying risk is being featured in a campaign by the European Commission across EU member states.

A woman was alarmed to come across an indecent picture of her 11-year-old daughter making the rounds on Facebook Messenger. She immediately contacted Aġenzija Appoġġ for help which, in turn, triggered a series of cross-border actions through its Safer Internet Centre.

The network of Safer Internet Centres is a pan-European initiative set up in 2004 by the EU to raise awareness among children, parents, teachers and carers about potential dangers online.

Collaboration between professionals in different countries allowed the Malta Centre to track the compromising picture flagged by the mother using Facebook’s Non-Consensual Intimate Image Tool. The Safer Internet Centre, then, successfully demanded that the tech giant takes the photo down permanently so it cannot be uploaded to any of its platforms again.

Deborah Vassallo, an administrator within the Safer Internet Centre, and Josianne Azzopardi, Coordinator of the Aġenzija Sedqa S.A.F.E. programme, were instrumental in resolving the situation before it could develop into a ruinous case of cyberbullying. The two women are part of a European ‘Chain of Heroes’ that worked in tandem to put the minds of the mother and her young daughter at rest.

Ms Vassallo explained how EU-wide collaboration gives the Safer Internet Centre leverage to be able to protect victims: “Being part of a European network gives us more influence with social media platforms.”

The threat of cyber abuse and harassment is a constant concern for Aġenzija Sedqa and Ms Azzopardi runs dedicated courses teaching children and adults alike about the safe use of the internet and technology in order to prevent cyberbullying and other online risks.

The case from Malta is part of a wider awareness campaign ‘EU Protects’ showing how the efforts of professionals across member states link together to protect EU citizens. The campaign draws attention to projects and initiatives supported by the EU in the fields of security, health, social wellbeing and the environment.

The EU Protects campaign highlights on-the-ground operations by ordinary citizens who write success stories every day. The campaign is online at europa.eu/euprotects.