Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, YouTube Must Do More to Combat Hate Speech, Says EU

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 7 December 2016 17:49 IST
Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, YouTube Must Do More to Combat Hate Speech, Says EU

Internet giants Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube are not doing enough to fight online hate speech despite "moving in the right direction", the European Commission said on Tuesday.

All four signed an EU code of conduct in May aimed at combatting Internet hate speech.

"It is our duty to protect people in Europe from incitement to hatred and violence online," European commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality Vera Jourova said.

(Also see: Web Giants to Cooperate on Removal of Extremist Content)

"This is the common goal of the code of conduct. The last weeks and months have shown that social media companies need to live up to their important role and take up their share of responsibility when it comes to phenomena like online radicalisation, illegal hate speech or fake news.

Advertisement

"While IT Companies are moving in the right direction, the first results show that the IT companies will need to do more to make it a success."

The four IT companies had committed to review notifications of potential hate speech within 24 hours.

Advertisement

But the Commission noted in a report published on Tuesday that among 600 notifications made, only 28 percent led to the removal of content while just 40 percent were treated within 24 hours.

(Also see: Curbs on Extremist Online Content Threatens Free Speech, Say Tech Firms)

Another 43 percent were reviewed in under 48 hours.

Advertisement

The notifications were sent to the IT companies by a group of 12 NGOs from nine different countries who analysed notification responses over a six week period.

YouTube reviewed notifications within 24 hours on more than 60 percent of cases while Twitter managed that on just 23 percent.

YouTube was also most active in removing content on 48 percent of cases compared to Twitter's 19 percent.

Facebook reviewed 50 percent of cases within a day and removed content on 28 percent of notifications. Microsoft did not receive any notifications.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo X200 FE Global Launch Confirmed; Design Teased
  2. Poco F7 Launch Date, Price in India, Design and Key Features Leaked Online
  3. Vivo Y400 Pro 5G India Launch Date Confirmed; Design Revealed
  4. OnePlus Nord 5 Series, OnePlus Buds 4 to Launch in India on This Date
  5. Oppo K13x 5G India Launch Date, Price Range and Key Features Revealed
  6. Vivo T4 Lite 5G to Launch in India Soon; Battery Capacity Revealed
  7. Hisense U7Q Mini-LED TV Launched in India With These Features
  8. Realme Narzo 80 Lite 5G Launched in India With 6,000mAh Battery: See Price
  9. WhatsApp Is Finally introducing Ads on Its Messaging App
  10. Google's Pixel 10 Series Tipped to Feature Improved Speakers
  1. Meta and Oakley Announce New Smart Glasses Collaboration, Launch Set for June 20
  2. WhatsApp Announces Ads in Status, Channel Subscriptions, and More Features for Businesses
  3. Bitget Partners UNICEF Unit to Expand Blockchain Training Across India, Other Countries 
  4. WhatsApp Reportedly Working on Ability to Scan Documents on Android Smartphones
  5. ElevenLabs Expands Eleven V3 Text-to-Speech Model With Support for 41 New Languages
  6. Vivo T4 Lite 5G India Launch Confirmed; Battery Capacity, Price Range Teased
  7. TikTok Pushes Deeper Into AI-Generated Video Ads With New Tools
  8. Apple Risks Fresh EU Charge Sheet Over App Store Curbs
  9. The Witcher 4 Will Target 60 FPS on Consoles, but Series S Will Be 'Extremely Challenging' Says CD Projekt Red
  10. Oppo Reno 14 5G Series Global Launch Teased Alongside Watch X2 Mini, Enco Buds 3 and Pad SE
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.