On Monday, the European Commission announced that major tech firms including Meta’s Facebook, Elon Musk’s X, and Google’s YouTube have committed to enhancing their efforts to combat online hate speech by adopting a revised code of conduct, which will align with new EU technology regulations.
This updated voluntary code, originally established in May 2016, also includes participation from several other platforms such as Dailymotion, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft’s consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok, and Twitch.
Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s tech commissioner, expressed her approval of this step, stating, “In Europe, there is no space for illegal hate, either offline or online. I welcome the stakeholders’ commitment to a strengthened Code of conduct under the Digital Services Act (DSA).”
The Digital Services Act mandates that technology companies take additional measures to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms. Compliance with this revised code is expected to play a crucial role in how regulators enforce the DSA, according to EU officials.
As part of the new agreement, companies have pledged to permit non-profit or public organizations with expertise in illegal hate speech to oversee their processes for managing hate speech reports. They have also committed to evaluating at least two-thirds of these reports within 24 hours of receipt.
Moreover, these firms will implement measures including automated detection tools to mitigate hate speech on their services. They will also be required to disclose information regarding their recommendation systems and the visibility of illegal content before its removal.
Additionally, the companies will provide data organized by country, detailing their internal classifications of hate speech based on criteria such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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