Critics argue Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook fail to adequately combat hate speech. Photo/ Courtesy.
Meta’s Facebook, Elon Musk’s X, Google’s YouTube, and other major technology firms have committed to intensified efforts to combat online hate speech under an updated code of conduct that is now incorporated into European Union (EU) tech regulations, the European Commission announced Monday.
The voluntary code, originally established in May 2016, also includes signatories such as Dailymotion, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft’s hosted consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok, and Twitch.
“In Europe, there is no place for illegal hate—whether offline or online. I welcome the stakeholders’ commitment to a strengthened Code of Conduct under the Digital Services Act (DSA),” EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
The DSA, a sweeping set of regulations, mandates tech companies to take more stringent measures against illegal and harmful content on their platforms. EU officials indicated that compliance with the updated code could influence regulatory enforcement of the Act.
Under the revised code, tech companies have agreed to allow non-profit and public entities with expertise in illegal hate speech to monitor their content moderation practices. Additionally, they have committed to reviewing at least two-thirds of hate speech notifications received from these entities within 24 hours.
The companies will also implement measures such as automated detection tools to identify and reduce hate speech, while increasing transparency regarding the role of recommendation systems and the organic and algorithmic spread of illegal content before removal.
As part of their commitment, firms will provide country-level data detailing the internal classification of hate speech, categorized by factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
This move comes amid growing pressure on digital platforms to curb the spread of harmful content, with the EU pushing for greater accountability and compliance under its evolving digital regulatory framework.
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