Anton Ferdinand was one among many witnesses who spoke before the Home Affairs Committee
Anton Ferdinand questioned whether it would be a tragedy for social networking companies to respond to online racist abuse.
Ferdinand, a former West Ham defender, was one of many ex-players who gave evidence on Wednesday to the Home Affairs Committee inquiry into online abuse.
He stated that it was a "disgrace," that abuse he and others continue to report had been met with no response rules.
He said that social media was like a drug.
It is designed to get you hooked on it. Once you scroll down, it's impossible to put it down.
"It is a mental health problem that you cannot escape. What are social media companies doing?
Are they waiting for a well-known footballer to die, or a family member to commit suicide? Are they waiting for that? It's too late if they wait for it.
"It all boils down to whether they truly want to make a difference." Their words so far indicate that they are willing to make changes, but their actions show otherwise.
Marvin Sordell, an ex-footballer, and Lianne Sanderson, an ex-Watford forward, were witnesses to the inquiry. Sordell claimed that social media provided a "free hit to harm people at their core".
He said, "We're on a very dangerous track." "We cannot wait for something terrible to happen.
"Utter garbage"
Representatives from Instagram and Twitter also testified. Katy Minshall (head of UK public policy at Twitter) stated that the company is now focusing its efforts on how footballers can be reached on social media.
She stated that "the burden shouldn't fall on victims of abuse to send these tweets to me."
Tara Hopkins, director of public policy for Instagram, stated that 95% of hateful content had been proactively removed from the platform.
Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the committee, questioned her about why racist abuses directed at Bukayo Saka or Marcus Rashford could still be seen on Tuesday, just after the Euro 2020 final.
These posts were made five, six, and seven weeks ago. Cooper stated that any child who follows a footballer will scroll through the comments and see the abuse.
"Everything that you've said to me is utter garbage when compared to what I see on the screen right now."
Hopkins responded: "I am sorry these posts are still up. They are clearly violating our policy."
Cooper also pointed out a tweet about "keeping England team white", which was reported to Twitter but was not deemed to be in violation of its rules.
She added that "if those are the types of things Twitter is saying are OK it is no wonder that professional footballers that we heard from are so depressing."
They don't see racism being eradicated and are having to live it because Twitter clearly isn't removing racist tweets.
'ID requirement means people can't hide'
Sanderson, a former England forward, said that she was subject to homophobic, racist, and sexist abuses on social media. She believes asking users for identification such as a passport or driving license number is the only way to stop it because people cannot hide.
Sordell also shared this view, stating that online abuse was one of the reasons he retired from the game at 28.
He acknowledged that some users may not be able to use their real names on social networks due to personal safety concerns but he said that those accounts should still remain identifiable.
Sanderson stated, "You can remove profiles, but they can then recreate one without having to go through any process."
"I'm certain the same people who abuse me time and again, they just create the account, you can tell by their writing."
Minshall responded that 99% of the accounts that used racist language during Euros could be identified.
Hopkins stated that official identification is required for all applicants. Hopkins noted that the Electoral Commission estimates there are 3.5 million people in the UK who do not have photo ID, and many of these individuals are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"I am very aware that Instagram is a platform for younger people, teens and people in their 20s.
"Many teenagers don't have any form of identification." We want the platform to be open to everyone and as inclusive as possible.
