EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said she is very concerned about online hate speech against migrants in Italy and in other EU member states.
Hate speech against migrants is an issue in Italy as well as in other EU member states, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said. "We are following this with much concern and we are actively working to fight it," she said.
Jourova's statements came in response to a request for comment about the increase in anti-migrant rhetoric in Italy, and regarding whether Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini has played a role in it. "If people see all these messages of hate, they think that it's normal," she said. "This happens even when they hear similar messages from politicians, and for us it is a sign of great concern," she said.
Positive results from Code of Conduct against hate
The EU Code of Conduct against online hate speech in Europe shows that the EU Commission initiative is having positive results, Jourova said. The fourth evaluation of 39 NGOs and public entities in 26 member states showed that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Google+ are evaluating 89 percent of flagged content within 24 hours, and 72 percent of content considered hate speech was removed. This, compared to 40 percent and 28 percent, respectively, when the Code of Conduct was launched in 2016. However, companies need to improve their feedback with users, she said.
Fight against hate isn't over
Online platforms have taken the task of fighting online hate speech seriously, and current results are impressive, despite the fact that "it would be better to see a 100 percent rate," Jourova said. "The fight against hate speech isn't over. We don't have signs that this content has gone down in social media. But we have signs that the Code of Conduct is one tool that can contribute to a solid response to this challenge," she said.