X and Facebook toughen EU pledge to combat hate speech

Social media giants including X and Facebook have agreed to step up efforts to tackle hate speech in the EU, the bloc said Monday as its digital rules face scrutiny with Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Instagram, TikTok and YouTube were also among the 12 platforms that signed a strengthened, though still voluntary, code of conduct to fight what the 27-nation bloc considers illegal hate speech, the European Commission said.

"In Europe there is no place for illegal hate, either offline or online," said Henna Virkkunen, the commission's vice president for tech sovereignty.

"Cooperation among all parties involved is the way forward to ensure a safe digital space for all."

EU rules requiring tech firms to police online content have come under pressure since Trump -- an avid social media user who has long railed at alleged left-wing bias in content moderation -- was re-elected as US president in November.

Read also

TikTok goes dark in US as Trump seeks reprieve from ban

Trump's allies, notably X owner Elon Musk, have denounced the landmark set of rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) as a tool of censorship.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Instagram and Facebook-owner Meta, accused the EU of curtailing free speech earlier this month, aligning with the stance of the incoming US administration.

The EU's announcement, coming on the day of Trump's inauguration, said the 12 platforms had agreed beef up a code first signed in 2016 detailing efforts to curb hate speech online.

The code has now been integrated into the DSA, which makes it easier for the commission, the EU's digital watchdog, to monitor commitments.

These have been upgraded to include a pledge to "undertake best efforts to review at least two thirds" of problematic content flagged to the platforms within 24 hours, the commission explained.

The signatories also vowed to "engage with well-defined and specific transparency commitments as regards measures to reduce the prevalence of hate speech on their services, including through automatic detection tools".

Read also

In US, teleworkers don't want to turn back

Abiding by the new commitments will not be sufficient to ensure compliance with the DSA, which forces digital companies big and small to ensure there is an effective system in place to report and remove content considered illegal under national or EU law.

But adherence will be taken into account by the commission, a spokesperson for the European executive told AFP.

The code was also signed by Dailymotion, Jeuxvideo.com, Microsoft-hosted consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, Twitch and LinkedIn.

Under EU rules, public incitement to violence or hatred against a person or a group on grounds such as race and religion is illegal.

Member states can expand the definition of hate speech to include additional grounds, such as sexual orientation, or disability.

The code on hate speech is distinct from the EU's code of conduct against disinformation, which is also voluntary, and is to be integrated into the DSA in coming months.

Source: AFP