EXCLUSIVE: An abusive post about Jason Arday was posted every 10 minutes on X in the five days after he resigned from Cambridge University, new research shows
An abusive post about Jason Arday was posted every 10 minutes on X in the five days after he resigned from Cambridge University, new research shows.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) analysed posts mentioning the former Cambridge Professor, who was found dead at his home in London on August 14.
They found thousands of posts containing his name after he stepped down from his role, hundreds of which contained abusive slurs and calls for him to suffer harm. It raises questions about X’s content moderation systems.
An inquest into the death of Professor Arday, who faced intense scrutiny over plagiarism claims, was opened on Wednesday.
Researchers analysed 27,179 posts from X, formerly Twitter, mentioning Prof Arday’s name between August 5, the day he resigned, and August 9. Some 751 hateful or abusive posts were identified ranging from those containing explicit racist, ableist, and LGBTQ+ slurs to comments wishing harm against Prof Arday. These posts together amassed 875,440 views, the study found.
Abusive posts – the specifics of which The Mirror has decided not to detail – contain racist slurs, including the use of the N word and offensive comments about Black people.
X boss Elon Musk has faced scrutiny over the moderation of his platform amid criticism its algorithms amplify hateful content. CCDH said the posts it analysed contained hate or abuse that is likely to violate X’s platform on hateful conduct and violence, yet it was still able to view it online.
An official page on X’s policy on hateful content says users “may not directly attack other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease”.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, told The Mirror: “Nothing justifies the abuse directed online at Professor Jason Arday, no matter the wider debates. The fact that posts, both blatantly racist and calling for harm, appeared every 10 minutes reveals the scale of the problem and the extent to which cruelty has been permitted to flourish on X.
“Platforms must enforce the rules they claim to uphold. There is no excuse for allowing their services to remain hotbeds of vile racism and threats.”
In May, media regulator Ofcom said it had carried out “intensive engagement” with X and that the platform had “committed to implementing stronger protections for UK users, which we will now monitor closely”.
At the time, Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director, said: “We have evidence that terrorist content and illegal hate speech is persisting on some of the largest social media sites. We are challenging them to tackle the problem and expect them to take firm action.”
Prof Arday was found “unresponsive” by family members at his home in Battersea, south London, on the afternoon of August 14, London Inner South Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday. The 41-year-old resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge after he faced intense scrutiny over accusations of plagiarism.
On Wednesday, senior coroner Dr Julian Morris said an investigation had been launched into his death. He said: “The initial investigations, whilst I await the various reports, have given me reason to suspect that Professor Arday died an unnatural death 12 days ago. It therefore follows that I must open an investigation. I will be setting out further directions for the coroner officer.”
On Tuesday, his family said they were “deeply moved by the extraordinary support” they had received after a fundraiser launched in his memory topped £224,000.
Sir Patrick Vernon, who played a leading role in the successful campaign to establish a national Windrush Day, set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding page following Prof Arday’s death to help support the academic’s family.
Last week, organisers said more than 30,000 people had attended a vigil for Prof Arday in Trafalgar Square, central London.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “No-one should have to put up with this vile abuse. Tech firms have a legal responsibility to deal with criminal content, and we’ve shown we’ll take action if evidence suggests companies are falling short.
“Following intensive engagement carried out by Ofcom’s online safety team, X have committed to implementing stronger protections for UK users. This is a step forward, but there’s a lot more to do. We’re monitoring this closely and carrying out quarterly reviews of X’s performance.”
:: CCDH captured post data on August 18 and 19 and data analysis was carried out between August 20 and 25 ::