Under the new EU code of conduct, companies have been asked to review – and remove, if necessary – the majority of reported hate speech content and comments on their platforms within 24 hours of the content being reported. The new set of rules, unveiled by the European Commission on Tuesday, are part of an effort to temper what the EC believes are simmering racial tensions across Europe, inflamed by recent terror attacks in Brussels and Paris. Companies who have agreed to the code – which include Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft and YouTube, among others – will also be obliged to run ‘independent counter-narratives’ to hateful content on their platforms.
Defining ‘hate speech’
The definition of hate speech to be used in enforcing the new code is relatively narrow. The code stipulates that the review and remove policy should apply to ‘all conduct publicly inciting to violence or hatred directed against a group of persons or a member of such group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent, or national or ethnic origin.’ Notably, the code does not cover incitation to violence or hatred on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Criticism
The push for self-policing by corporates has ruffled the feathers of some commentators, who argue that the new rules place accountability for online hate speech on the wrong shoulders. Brussels-based advocacy group European Digital Rights (EDRi) has publicly criticised the new code for blurring the lines between company liability and the law, with potential knock-on effects for freedom of expression. ‘In short, the law ‘code of conduct’ downgrades the law to second-class status, behind the ‘leading role’ of private companies that are being asked to arbitrarily implement their terms of service,’ said a statement from EDRi, which accuses the EU of ‘exploiting’ unclear liability for companies. Relying on self-policing and voluntary takedowns may also result in the widespread removal of ‘legal but controversial’ content, it adds.
Source: The Guardian; The Verge
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