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Lady Gaga’s Mom Urges Tech Execs To Sign Pledge To ‘Hack Harassment’ And Stop Online Bullying

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 23:30 PST, Jun 1, 2016

Before she became famous, Lady Gaga was known as Stefani Germanotta and according to her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, she was “undeniably unique” during her school days.

However, Cynthia said at the recent Recode Code Conference that, while being unique might now be Lady Gaga’s claim to fame, at school it was Stefani’s “cross to bear.”

Speaking of her daughter’s school days, Cynthia said, “At times she was taunted, humiliated and isolated.”

“It was devastating for her to experience, and heartbreaking for me to watch.”

Cynthia went on to say that by the time Lady Gaga, as Stefani, started college, much of that same bullying now occurred online, and there are reportedly few ways to prevent this kind of online harassment or make it stop.

It was for this reason Lady Gaga and mother Cynthia eventually started the Born This Way Foundation, and on June 1, they urged tech executives to sign a pledge to “Hack Harassment.”

As reported by TechCrunch, 40 percent of all people using the internet report experiencing some form of online harassment. In their report, they quote the Pew Research Center as saying back in 2014 that 73 percent of adult internet users have seen someone harassed online, while 40 percent have personally experienced it.

The harassment in their study included people being called offensive names, being purposefully embarrassed, physically threatened, sexually harassed, or stalked online.

Germanotta said in a press release, “A young person who was being bullied a few generations ago could escape the abuse by going home,” however, she added that today the harassment can “follow them anywhere.”

“Every computer, tablet, and smartphone can be used as a tool of cruelty and hate. That’s simply unacceptable and at Hack Harassment we believe we can and must do better.”

At the Recode conference, Cynthia said the Hack Harassment pledge has already been signed by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Vox Media CEO and Chairman Jim Bankoff, and Recode Executive Editor and co-founder Kara Swisher.

As reported on the Recode website, by taking the Hack Harassment pledge, this means you will speak up whenever you see harassment online and actively support those being harassed.

The pledge can be read (and signed) on the Hack Harassment website and reads as follows:

Online harassment has become a pervasive and often vicious problem with real-life repercussions. It has significant negative consequences for the well being and safety of individuals and for the success of digital communities. Everyone – regardless of their identity, background, or beliefs – is entitled to an online world where they are treated with respect and are free from harassment.”

In order to build a safer, smarter, and more inclusive experience online, I will recognize when harassment is occurring, responsibly speak up against it, and support those experiencing it by:

  • Abiding by and upholding the same standards and values online that are expected offline, and accepting that my online behavior has real-life consequences
  • Valuing and supporting diverse perspectives, backgrounds and opinions
  • Actively participating in the movement to decrease the prevalence and intensity of online harassment.

Besides signing the pledge, Germanotta also said the Born This Way Foundation is seeking innovators to create digital tools and resources to aid victims of harassment online.

Cynthia said that by “bringing together tech leaders, advocates, researchers and young people themselves,” they can work together in an effort to decrease the “frequency and severity of online harassment.”

Lady Gaga’s mom added, “We’re doing this by: Elevating the conversation — raising awareness of the problem, its impact and the opportunities we have to create real change, [and] fostering collaboration across sectors so that the people invested in solving this problem can work together, sharing their expertise and best practices.”

There is no doubt Scarlett Johansson knows exactly what Lady Gaga and her mom are talking about, although in her case she was referring to celebrities. As reported by The Inquisitr on Wednesday, in a recent interview the Ghost in the Shell actress said she finds the targeting of celebrities in social media to be very “disturbing.”

[Photo Lady Gaga and Cynthia Germanotta by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]

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