What We Can Learn from the Anthony Seibold Cyber Attack

This article reflects on the Anthony Seibold cyber attack and what organisations can learn from it. Online abuse can affect people's mental health and reputation, legislation and education need to improve, and leaders must create safe environments where people can speak up early and be supported when issues arise.

Summary

This article argues that the Anthony Seibold cyber attack shows how online abuse can become a serious personal and organisational issue. It calls for stronger legislation, better education, and safer speak-up environments so people can report abuse and get support early.

Key takeaways

The case and the broader lesson

As technology progresses, so do the creative uses for platforms and tools accessible to the public. Although these tools are often designed for social enjoyment and connection, more often we are seeing them used as a weapon for harassment, especially for those in the public eye, who are already subject to negative commentary.

At Core Integrity, we help organisations be proactive in managing their integrity-related issues such as fraud, corruption, bribery and workplace harassment.

According to data from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), 42 per cent of fraud committed is due to the individual living beyond their means and 26 per cent is due to financial difficulties. This trend is only expected to rise as COVID-19 increases pressure on Australian families and causes those under some form of financial pressure to rationalise their behaviour - the perfect storm for fraud and misconduct.

We're seeing a trend where organisations that rightfully need to cut costs are reducing funding in non-revenue-generating departments and activities like risk, compliance and internal audit. Whilst cutting costs is integral to the survival of the organisation, these changes can have long-term effects on culture and leave your organisation vulnerable and exposed to internal fraud and misconduct.

In this instance, Seibold took the correct precautions in alerting the club and authorities, a decision that can be daunting because of the emotional and financial toll. Often this deters many Australians from taking this route. In addition to appropriate legal action, which in this case was supported by the club, there are proactive considerations to ensure instances of harassment are responded to in the correct way.

What organisations should do

  1. First and foremost, we need to push for legislation governing online behaviour to fall in line with what we all understand and accept in relation to our offline behaviour. We grow up knowing that we can't walk down the street and assault someone or that it's not acceptable to bully other kids in the playground, yet for some reason a percentage of the population think it's acceptable to act in this manner online.

  2. Second, we need to increase our investment in education initiatives around acceptable online behaviour. And not just for kids either. Plenty of adults need to be educated on what constitutes acceptable online behaviour. For some reason, often adults think it's perfectly acceptable to bully other people online, yet they would never think of doing this face to face.

  3. So, whilst enhancing legislation and education are very important steps, perhaps the most important step is creating an environment where people feel safe and supported to speak up, whether that is in the playground at school, at work or online.

All organisations need to recognise the importance of creating safe speak-up environments so they can get early visibility before they become larger issues, just like the Seibold case has become. This applies to our education system and our workplaces. A lot of Core Integrity's current work with our corporate and sporting clients is focused on creating opportunities for their people to speak up safely whilst building capability within the organisation to respond to those issues in the right way.

Why speaking up matters

Credit must go to Anthony Seibold for standing up for himself, and to a lesser extent to the Brisbane Broncos for supporting him through what can only be described as a hellish period. It's rare that we see people stand up and take action against cyber-bullying and defamation that occurs online.

Inflammatory online commentary and defamatory comments can have huge impacts on one's mental health and reputation. We see the damage that cyber-bullying can do to children and now we are seeing it take a toll on our high-profile business, sports and media personalities.

Whilst it can be difficult, we need to encourage and support those who do take a stand so we can make it easier for others to follow suit. It's only by coming together as a society and supporting one another that we can hope to drive positive and lasting change. Importantly, it's time we all rallied to push for harsher criminal penalties for those found guilty of cyber-bullying.

The bravery to stand up and identify instances of poor behaviour is tremendously difficult, and something Seibold had the courage to do. I know firsthand, from the work we do across Australia's most recognised sporting organisations, the high standard and pressure that comes with those playing and working in those codes.

When we work with any organisation, we take a holistic approach to identify ways to help them proactively and reactively, and to build capability within the organisation so they are equipped to deal with the wide range of issues that arise.

FAQ

What is the main lesson from the Anthony Seibold cyber attack?

It shows that online abuse can have serious personal and reputational consequences, and that people need safe ways to report problems and get support early.

What should organisations focus on?

They should create safe speak-up environments, reinforce policy and procedure, and build capability so they can respond properly before issues become larger problems.

Why does leadership matter?

Internal risk management comes from the top down, so leaders need to set the example and protect the culture they want.