The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has appointed Signify Group and its artificial intelligence (AI) service Threat Matrix to provide protection against online abuse and threats in top-tier women’s and men’s road cycling.
Riders, teams, support staff, Commissaires and other UCI Officials at UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour events will benefit from this service in 2026. This will enable the UCI to establish the prevalence of online abuse in the cycling community and decide on measures for future years.
Using a hybrid of AI technology and human analysis, Threat Matrix detects targeted abusive and threatening content across all major social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Analysts will assess and investigate such abuse and, when necessary, report to the relevant social media platform for account or content takedowns, alert the UCI of high-risk threats, and identify perpetrators so action can be taken by the UCI or law enforcement authorities.
In addition, Threat Matrix will carry our risk assessments and investigations of concerning content sent via direct messages (DMs), on WhatsApp and in e-mails. Victims of abuse via private messaging are asked to continue using the UCI’s confidential reporting platform SpeakUp.
The Signify Group has a proven track record in the protection against online abuse and provides its Threat Matrix service for governing bodies – at national or international level – for other sports, including ski, tennis, rugby and football.
UCI Director General Amina Lanaya said: “Social media, an inherent part of society, is widely used in the sporting world. As well as providing timely information and important updates, the different platforms bring athletes closer to their fan base.
“However, online communication also comes with certain risks that the UCI will not tolerate when it comes to the wellbeing of riders, their entourage, and cycling’s stakeholders. That is why we are taking a proactive approach to ensure their protection from online abusive or threatening behaviour. With this new appointment, we are sending out a clear message that nobody will get away with this sort of harassment in our sport.”