On the sidelines of a workshop bringing together civil society organisations and national authorities to improve the reporting systems, the understanding of national contexts and legal specificities related to hate speech, as well as at promoting positive narratives through awareness raising and education campaigns, Dailymotion has announced that it will join the EU Code of conduct on countering hate speech online. This announcement follows the decision made by Instagram, Google+ and Snapchat earlier this year to join Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft in their work to fight illegal hate speech. Welcoming this decision, Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality policy, déclared she was «very pleased to welcome Dailymotion on board. Together, we will make a difference for a free, safe and more tolerant online space».
The code of conduct includes the following public commitments:
The IT Companies to have in place clear and effective processes to review notifications regarding illegal hate speech on their services so they can remove or disable access to such content. The IT companies to have in place Rules or Community Guidelines clarifying that they prohibit the promotion of incitement to violence and hateful conduct.
Upon receipt of a valid removal notification, the IT Companies to review such requests against their rules and community guidelines and where necessary national laws transposing the Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA, with dedicated teams reviewing requests.
The IT Companies to review the majority of valid notifications for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to such content, if necessary.
In addition to the above, the IT Companies to educate and raise awareness with their users about the types of content not permitted under their rules and community guidelines. The use of the notification system could be used as a tool to do this.
The IT companies to provide information on the procedures for submitting notices, with a view to improving the speed and effectiveness of communication between the Member State authorities and the IT Companies, in particular on notifications and on disabling access to or removal of illegal hate speech online. The information is to be channelled through the national contact points designated by the IT companies and the Member States respectively. This would also enable Member States, and in particular their law enforcement agencies, to further familiarise themselves with the methods to recognise and notify the companies of illegal hate speech online.
The IT Companies to encourage the provision of notices and flagging of content that promotes incitement to violence and hateful conduct at scale by experts, particularly via partnerships with CSOs, by providing clear information on individual company Rules and Community Guidelines and rules on the reporting and notification processes. The IT Companies to endeavour to strengthen partnerships with CSOs by widening the geographical spread of such partnerships and, where appropriate, to provide support and training to enable CSO partners to fulfil the role of a “trusted reporter” or equivalent, with due respect to the need of maintaining their independence and credibility.
The IT Companies rely on support from Member States and the European Commission to ensure access to a representative network of CSO partners and “trusted reporters” in all Member States helping to help provide high quality notices. IT Companies to make information about “trusted reporters” available on their websites.
The IT Companies to provide regular training to their staff on current societal developments and to exchange views on the potential for further improvement.
The IT Companies to intensify cooperation between themselves and other platforms and social media companies to enhance best practice sharing.
The IT Companies and the European Commission, recognising the value of independent counter speech against hateful rhetoric and prejudice, aim to continue their work in identifying and promoting independent counter-narratives, new ideas and initiatives and supporting educational programs that encourage critical thinking.
The IT Companies to intensify their work with CSOs to deliver best practice training on countering hateful rhetoric and prejudice and increase the scale of their proactive outreach to CSOs to help them deliver effective counter speech campaigns. The European Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to contribute to this endeavour by taking steps to map CSOs’ specific needs and demands in this respect.
Photo : Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality policy / Gaspare Dario Pignatelli / © European Union, 2018 / Source: EC – Audiovisual Service