Q&A: Areto's Head of Product Discusses the Revolutionary Troll ID Feature
Head of Product, Lauren Briske
“Troll ID gives users the flexibility to choose how troll activity is handled through either outright account bans/blocks or soft blocks/mutes. This lets you address those repeated abusers immediately, protecting what you've worked hard to build.”
Earlier this year, we launched both Basic and Advanced Troll ID within the Areto product, to help our customers take action on persistent trolls in the ways that make sense for the organizations. We sat down with our head of product, Lauren, to learn more about the feature and how it works.
So, what sparked the idea for Troll ID?
We noticed something interesting in our data. Sure, sometimes people have a bad day and lash out online, but there were these groups of accounts...they just seemed dedicated to being disruptive. They'd pop up all over the place, harassing people, trying to derail conversations. We realized we needed a way to not just spot these trolls, but help folks take action against them.
Can you break down Troll ID's main features? How exactly does it tackle online trolls?
We've got two levels of Troll ID – Basic and Advanced. Basic is all about tracking those repeat offenders. We'll flag them in your reports so you can decide what to do – block them, report to the platform, whatever. Plus, we're adding features like automatic muting/timeouts so you can handle disruptions quickly before trolls derail conversations and discourage your audience from engaging further.
Advanced...that's where things get serious. This helps unmask the people behind those troll accounts. If someone's relentlessly targeting you or spreading hate, you can take stronger steps, like restricting them from your spaces or even pursuing legal action.
How does Troll ID help make the internet a bit nicer for everyone?
Think of it like setting ground rules for your neighbourhood. With Troll ID, you get to say "This kind of behaviour won't be tolerated here." That makes things better for everyone who wants to connect without being harassed.
For brands and communities, Troll ID sounds like a lifesaver. Can you explain that in a bit more detail?
Absolutely. No one wants their reputation – or the safety of their team and partners – damaged by trolls. Troll ID gives users the flexibility to choose how troll activity is handled through either outright account bans/blocks or soft blocks/mutes. This lets you address those repeated abusers immediately, protecting what you've worked hard to build.
You mentioned "Basic" and "Advanced." When would someone typically use each feature?
It really depends on your goals, to be honest. Basic is great to get a handle on your everyday trolls, and get a good picture of what’s happening across your accounts, and manage those interactions within the platforms themselves. We flag those accounts, you decide what to do.
Advanced is for those who are prepared to take things to the next level, and have the resources and support to take action against the people behind the accounts that we’re able to identify. Advanced is not for everyone, and we can’t guarantee we’ll unmask everyone. We highly recommend you have a plan with your security and safeguarding teams to address the results of the investigations, as each positive ID comes with its own unique story.
Now, here's a big one – what makes Troll ID so special? No one else seems to offer this.
You're right! This is the first time anyone's put content moderation AND troll identification under one roof. We're giving our customers a truly complete toolkit to tackle abuse and persistent trolling, with less time spent manually combing through comments and reports.
This is obviously a complex process. How do you actually unmask trolls who want to stay hidden?
It's definitely tricky! Troll ID analyzes all sorts of data – how they behave, where they show up across the internet – to find their real identities. Some account holders will always slip through - there are a number of people who work very hard to stay hidden.
Where can I learn more about troll ID:
You can go here to learn more or feel free to email me at lauren@aretolabs.com