Spain is poised to introduce a new instrument designed to measure hate speech on digital platforms, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Wednesday. This initiative forms part of a broader governmental strategy aimed at enhancing oversight of social media companies.
Last month, the country outlined a comprehensive plan to regulate social media, encompassing a proposed ban on its use for younger teenagers and measures to ensure platform executives are held accountable for any illegal or hateful content hosted on their services.
The forthcoming tool, named HODIO – an acronym in Spanish for ‘Footprint of Hatred and Polarisation’ – will empower the government to systematically monitor the presence, amplification, and overall impact of hate speech across the internet, Mr Sanchez explained. He argued that online hatred was fostering profound divisions within Spanish society, making it crucial to discuss the ‘footprint of hate’ with the same gravity as the carbon footprint.
“We want to start talking about the impact of hate. When something is measured, it ceases to be invisible,” he said.
The tool’s results will be made public, so that citizens can see “who is blocking this content, who is looking the other way, and who is profiting from it,” Sanchez said.
Last month Instagram revealed it would now notify parents if their teenager repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period, as pressure grows for governments to follow Australia’s ban on the use of social media for under 16s.
Britain said in January it was considering restrictions to protect children online, after Australia’s move in December. Spain, Greece, and Slovenia have in recent weeks said they are also looking at limiting access.
Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms Inc, said on Thursday it would start alerting parents who are signed up to its optional supervision setting if their children try to access suicide or self-harm content.
“These alerts build on our existing work to help protect teens from potentially harmful content on Instagram,” the platform said in a statement. “We have strict policies against content that promotes or glorifies suicide or self-harm.”
Its existing policy is to block such searches and redirect people to support resources, Instagram said, adding that it would begin the alerts from next week for those signed up in the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.