Yik Yak has a major problem.
The anonymous message board app is once again at the center of racist threats found on college campuses.
In the latest incident, Western Washington University (WWU) has initiated a criminal investigation into the origin of hate-speech comments on Yik Yak.
For the safety of the students, WWU president Bruce Shepard has also canceled classes across all campuses.
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In an email sent to the college early Tuesday morning, Shepard explained: "Yesterday, we observed social media being used for hate speech targeted at [WWU] students of color...We need time to press the criminal investigation and to plan how, as a campus, we will come together to demonstrate our outrage, to listen to each other, and to support each other."
In an interview with the Seattle Times, Shepard confirmed the messages were found on Yik Yak. They have since been deleted.
This isn't the first time Yik Yak has encountered reports of racism found on their messaging app. University of Delaware experienced a racially-charged controversy, and threats found about University of Missouri caused many students to avoid campus. Popular internet-centric podcast Reply All did a feature on the realities of racism faced by students at Colgate University.
Though Yik Yak co-founder Brooks Buffington is vocal about the app's intolerance for hate speech, the issue persists.
We've reached out to Yik Yak for comment, and will update this post if we hear back.