Hate Speech Code of Conduct

On 31 May Facebook, the European Commission together with Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft unveiled an EU code of conduct to tackle online hate speech within 24 hours in Europe.

EU governments have been trying in recent months to get social media platforms to crack down on rising online hate speech, with some even threatening action against the companies. As part of the pledge agreed with the European Commission, the companies will review the majority of valid requests for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to the content if necessary. They will also strengthen their cooperation with civil society organizations who help flag hateful content when it goes online and promote "counter-narratives" to hate speech.

"There's no place for hate speech on Facebook," said Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy Management at Facebook.

"With a global community of 1.6 billion people we work hard to balance giving people the power to express themselves whilst ensuring we provide a respectful environment."

The code of conduct is largely a continuation of efforts that the companies already take to counter hate speech on their websites, such as developing tools for people to report hateful content and training staff to handle such requests.

EU ministers had called for cooperation with tech companies to be stepped up after the Brussels attacks in March.

For more information, see the press release of the European Commission.