EU Code of Conduct Hopes to Tackle Hate Speech Online

Every time you go online you risk many things, from companies taking your details and advertising to you with ads from all over the internet or at the worst cases, the people online can leave rather hateful comments. With harmful comments appearing on pages and forums all over the internet a group of sites has agreed to support a new code of conduct purposed by the EU in hopes to help combat hate speech on their sites.

With Microsoft, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook all agreeing to act within 24 hours to reports of hate speech on their sites the sites have all agreed to the new code of conduct which would also look to the sites in the task of helping “educate” users about what is considered acceptable behaviour online.

The agreement would see the sites help develop and promote “counter-narratives” that would challenge people posting illegal or hateful comments, with a closer working relationship with the groups that monitor and flag violent and harmful content looking to create a nicer, less abusive platform all around on the internet.

With the new code of conduct, just one of many initiatives looking to help combat abuse online, the European Commission for Justice is looking to bring together sites in regular meetings to ensure that the new measures will help prevent a single person ruining the internet for many of its users.