One of the most frequent questions that we get at HONR from volunteers and people reporting some of the offensive and hateful content that they find is, “Why haven’t you removed THAT!?”
What exactly does HONR do to remove content?
The HONR Network is a non-profit organization focused on the reporting and removal of illegal and harassing content from the internet. While we assist all types of victims of online harassment, HONR focuses on content that defames, harasses, and revictimizes survivors, and the families of victims of mass casualty incidents and high-profile crimes.
We are not a part of any social media organization (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.), but we work with them in order to report illegal and violating content. This requires us to work within their timelines and in their terms of service and requires that we show cause. We can’t simply say that we don’t like a piece of content, we have to show that it is either illegal or violates their terms of service and explain how it does so. With content and photos, this is typically straightforward. With videos or audio, we are required to provide a timestamp of where the illegal or violating content begins.
Who does HONR help?
Most of the people assisted by the HONR Network are facing tremendous unwanted attention due to hoaxers and other harassers focusing on a crime or newsworthy event. We work with victims, under a contract, that allows us to remove content on their behalf. This way, we don’t have to discuss each piece of content with the victim. We can not request removals on behalf of people who have not authorized us to do so.
What can HONR report and remove?
We can request removals of content that falls into certain categories:
- Defamation
- Harassment
- Abuse of children
- Unauthorized sexual content
- Mocking of victims of mass casualty incidents
- Incitement
- Revealing personal information (doxing)
We can’t remove content that is annoying, offensive, ridiculous, or false. People have the legal right to be wrong, people have the legal right to be stupid, and often people have the legal right to be offensive. People also have the right to express opinions or discuss current events, including crimes. This can be especially upsetting to the family members of crime victims.
Please help us report and remove illegal and violating content by visiting the HONR Facebook Forum where you can find out about current removal campaigns.
