When journalists and human rights defenders face severe online abuse, they often try to escalate their cases directly to social media platforms—or to their employers or civil society organizations (CSOs). But escalation channels are challenging both for CSOs and T&S professionals. CSOs rely on personal connections, but staff turnover and reorganization make them unpredictable. Meanwhile, T&S professionals don’t always get the information they need, when they need it, and in the format they need it. During this workshop, we will: (1) define how escalation channels work based on case studies, (2) map out existing mechanisms, (3) share solutions backed by two years of research, and (4) discuss challenges and implementation. The goal of this workshop is to help T&S professionals strengthen crisis mechanisms between CSOs and social media platforms ahead of a landmark election year globally.

This workshop is open to anyone willing to engage on this topic. It will be especially relevant for trust & safety practitioners with previous experience in escalation channels.