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| Samaritans Radar is a crude tool for flagging suicide risks - but it will save lives | Samaritans Radar is a crude tool for flagging suicide risks - but it will save lives |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Mental health among Britain’s youth is shockingly concerning. Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under the age of 35 in the UK, while it is estimated that 9.6% of young people aged 5-16 have a clinically recognised mental health condition. | Mental health among Britain’s youth is shockingly concerning. Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under the age of 35 in the UK, while it is estimated that 9.6% of young people aged 5-16 have a clinically recognised mental health condition. |
| Anything that helps to better this situation is great, and particularly as it is crucial to catch mental ill health early on. Struggling with a serious mental health condition as a young person can seriously impact a person’s future – I speak from experience. | Anything that helps to better this situation is great, and particularly as it is crucial to catch mental ill health early on. Struggling with a serious mental health condition as a young person can seriously impact a person’s future – I speak from experience. |
| Perhaps if Samaritans Radar had been around when I was 16, I wouldn’t have spent the next two years in a hellish fug of depression. | Perhaps if Samaritans Radar had been around when I was 16, I wouldn’t have spent the next two years in a hellish fug of depression. |
| Released this week, Samaritans Radar is a web app which monitors Twitter accounts for tweets indicative of possible depression or suicidal thoughts. Launched by the suicide prevention charity the Samaritans, the app scans tweets for specific keywords and phrases including: “tired of being alone”, “hate myself”, “depressed”, “help me” and “need someone to talk to.” | Released this week, Samaritans Radar is a web app which monitors Twitter accounts for tweets indicative of possible depression or suicidal thoughts. Launched by the suicide prevention charity the Samaritans, the app scans tweets for specific keywords and phrases including: “tired of being alone”, “hate myself”, “depressed”, “help me” and “need someone to talk to.” |
| A concerned friend or family member can sign up to Samaritans Radar, which will then monitor the tweets of a person they are worried about, and alert them by email if the content of tweets suggests that they are vulnerable. | A concerned friend or family member can sign up to Samaritans Radar, which will then monitor the tweets of a person they are worried about, and alert them by email if the content of tweets suggests that they are vulnerable. |
| Are you tracking me? | Are you tracking me? |
| But the app, which utilises Twitter’s API and was developed by digital agency Jam, has met with resistance over privacy concerns, with many pointing out that the Samaritans are surveilling people’s tweets without their permission. | But the app, which utilises Twitter’s API and was developed by digital agency Jam, has met with resistance over privacy concerns, with many pointing out that the Samaritans are surveilling people’s tweets without their permission. |
| Some have also raised concerns that the app breaches the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), as Jon Baines explains on his information rights blog. | |
| As @susanhalluk points out #SamaritansRadar takes automated decisions by processing personal data. So I've sent this https://t.co/x9ArIfZaGR | As @susanhalluk points out #SamaritansRadar takes automated decisions by processing personal data. So I've sent this https://t.co/x9ArIfZaGR |
| The Samaritans preempted this objection in its own FAQ which states that “All the data used in the app is public, so user privacy is not an issue”, but have since released a statement defending the app, addressing concerns and clarifying how it works. | The Samaritans preempted this objection in its own FAQ which states that “All the data used in the app is public, so user privacy is not an issue”, but have since released a statement defending the app, addressing concerns and clarifying how it works. |
| However, despite legitimate privacy arguments and other ways in which the app falls short (discussed below), Samaritans Radar is a good thing. | However, despite legitimate privacy arguments and other ways in which the app falls short (discussed below), Samaritans Radar is a good thing. |
| The app’s main target audience is 18 to 35-year-olds, or the so-called “millennial” generation. This demographic – annoyingly known as “digital natives” – live their lives on social media, and this often includes updates on mood and emotional state. | The app’s main target audience is 18 to 35-year-olds, or the so-called “millennial” generation. This demographic – annoyingly known as “digital natives” – live their lives on social media, and this often includes updates on mood and emotional state. |
| Facebook even prompts status updates with “What’s on your mind?” as the placeholder text in the input box, and asks users how they are feeling. | Facebook even prompts status updates with “What’s on your mind?” as the placeholder text in the input box, and asks users how they are feeling. |
| There’s no doubt that young people can struggle to communicate effectively, caught in a centrifuge of hormones, identity crises, peer pressure and angst. | There’s no doubt that young people can struggle to communicate effectively, caught in a centrifuge of hormones, identity crises, peer pressure and angst. |
| Judgement calls are the basis of friendships | Judgement calls are the basis of friendships |
| The truth is, most of the complaints about Radar do not stand up. People sign up to the service, and the charity will privately email whoever has signed up to the app with tweets of concern. | The truth is, most of the complaints about Radar do not stand up. People sign up to the service, and the charity will privately email whoever has signed up to the app with tweets of concern. |
| It is then up to that person to judge for themselves whether the tweet is worrying. Some people have said it puts pressure on that individual to act or reach out to a friend. But those are decisions that we all face IRL, judgement calls which are the base of friendships. | It is then up to that person to judge for themselves whether the tweet is worrying. Some people have said it puts pressure on that individual to act or reach out to a friend. But those are decisions that we all face IRL, judgement calls which are the base of friendships. |
| Plus Samaritans offer plenty of advice in their general literature on how to talk to friends and family one is concerned about. | Plus Samaritans offer plenty of advice in their general literature on how to talk to friends and family one is concerned about. |
| The main issue is that the Samaritans Radar app’s success relies on the accounts one follows as being mostly friends and family, or people interacted with offline as well as online. | The main issue is that the Samaritans Radar app’s success relies on the accounts one follows as being mostly friends and family, or people interacted with offline as well as online. |
| This might be true of Facebook, but is less true of Twitter. Samaritans has established a “white list” to filter out accounts which might use the keywords but wouldn’t be of concern: mental health charities for instance, company accounts. | This might be true of Facebook, but is less true of Twitter. Samaritans has established a “white list” to filter out accounts which might use the keywords but wouldn’t be of concern: mental health charities for instance, company accounts. |
| Sarcasm fails | Sarcasm fails |
| But there is also the issue of individuals often using terminology similar to the keywords and phrases Samaritans cite – indeed, the charity has acknowledged this as an issue, stating: | But there is also the issue of individuals often using terminology similar to the keywords and phrases Samaritans cite – indeed, the charity has acknowledged this as an issue, stating: |
| “Samaritans Radar is in its infancy and won’t get it right every time – it’s not good at sarcasm or jokes yet!” | “Samaritans Radar is in its infancy and won’t get it right every time – it’s not good at sarcasm or jokes yet!” |
| I know that after seeing something truly cringe-worthy, I will colloquially tweet, for instance, “Can I die?” Or “kill me now”. Which would not be a true indication of my mental health – but any friends who had signed up to Radar would be able to make that judgement for themselves. | I know that after seeing something truly cringe-worthy, I will colloquially tweet, for instance, “Can I die?” Or “kill me now”. Which would not be a true indication of my mental health – but any friends who had signed up to Radar would be able to make that judgement for themselves. |
| There is a concern that the app could be abused by cyber-bullies and trolls. Again, people Twitters users follow are not just friends and family. We also follow people we dislike, or whose views we disagree with (I follow David Cameron and the Conservative Party, for example). | There is a concern that the app could be abused by cyber-bullies and trolls. Again, people Twitters users follow are not just friends and family. We also follow people we dislike, or whose views we disagree with (I follow David Cameron and the Conservative Party, for example). |
| It’s feasible that a truly heinous person out there might sign up to Radar just to be alerted to when an enemy was feeling down, and act to exacerbate the situation. | It’s feasible that a truly heinous person out there might sign up to Radar just to be alerted to when an enemy was feeling down, and act to exacerbate the situation. |
| Unfortunately people who are twats are out there, and it will ever be thus. Especially on social media. | Unfortunately people who are twats are out there, and it will ever be thus. Especially on social media. |
| The real work takes place offline | The real work takes place offline |
| The privacy concerns are understandable. But tracking tweets is nothing new. I can easily set up a detailed search on Hootsuite or TweetDeck for keywords and mentions, surveilling accounts – without the permission or knowledge of those users. | The privacy concerns are understandable. But tracking tweets is nothing new. I can easily set up a detailed search on Hootsuite or TweetDeck for keywords and mentions, surveilling accounts – without the permission or knowledge of those users. |
| And Samaritans has pointed out in its new statement that individuals can now request to be added to the “white list”, therefore opting out of being tracked. | And Samaritans has pointed out in its new statement that individuals can now request to be added to the “white list”, therefore opting out of being tracked. |
| When we've received your DM we will add you to our whitelist and your Tweets will no longer trigger #SamaritansRadar alerts. | When we've received your DM we will add you to our whitelist and your Tweets will no longer trigger #SamaritansRadar alerts. |
| Mental ill health is a truly devastating concern. Conditions ruin, and end, lives. Anything which aims to prevent suicide should be applauded and not instantly willed to fail. | Mental ill health is a truly devastating concern. Conditions ruin, and end, lives. Anything which aims to prevent suicide should be applauded and not instantly willed to fail. |
| Of course the service will be tweaked, the algorithm improved and feedback collated to improve it. | Of course the service will be tweaked, the algorithm improved and feedback collated to improve it. |
| The true work, however, will take place offline. It’s one thing being armed with information to reach out or offer help to an individual; it’s quite another for that individual to acknowledge a problem or accept help – whether this be due to stigma, fear of medical practitioners or the stubbornness of mental illness. | The true work, however, will take place offline. It’s one thing being armed with information to reach out or offer help to an individual; it’s quite another for that individual to acknowledge a problem or accept help – whether this be due to stigma, fear of medical practitioners or the stubbornness of mental illness. |
| The point of Radar, however, is to catch people on the edge of the cliff face who would be truly grateful of a helping hand to pull them back up, but for whatever reason, didn’t feel they could say this outright. And that’s a very good thing indeed. | The point of Radar, however, is to catch people on the edge of the cliff face who would be truly grateful of a helping hand to pull them back up, but for whatever reason, didn’t feel they could say this outright. And that’s a very good thing indeed. |
| • Samaritans Radar analyses Twitter to identify users at risk for suicide | • Samaritans Radar analyses Twitter to identify users at risk for suicide |