Ontological models for representing image-based sexual abuses

Abstract

In recent years, there has been extensive discourse on the moderation of abusive content online. Image-based Sexual Abuses (IBSAs) represent a type of abusive content that involves sexual images or videos. Platforms must moderate user-generated online content to tackle this issue effectively. One way to achieve this is by allowing users to report content, which can be flagged as abusive. In such instances, platforms may enforce their terms of service and prohibit certain types of content or users. Alongside these efforts, numerous countries have been making progress in defining and regulating this subject by implementing dedicated regulations. However, national solutions alone are insufficient for addressing a constantly increasing global emergency. Consequently, digital platforms create their own definitions of abusive conduct to overcome obstacles arising from conflicting national laws. In this paper, we use an ontological approach to model two types of abusive behavior. To do this, we applied the UFO-L patterns to build ontological models and based them on a top-level ontology, the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO). The outcome is a set of ontological models that digital platforms can use to monitor and manage user compliance with the service provider’s code of conduct.