Eradicating online hate
@Régis Suhner/CoE
In today's digital age, tackling online abuse has emerged as a critical issue, that requires implementation of effective legislation. Testimonies from all sport actors, in particular players and referees, provide valuable insights into the nature of this phenomenon and its profound impact on both their personal and professional lives, as well as those of their families. It is therefore crucial to raise awareness of the detrimental effects of online abuse on the mental well-being and performance of victims. In response to this growing concern, many companies have developed software to monitor, moderate, and combat online abuse, and to protect social channels from hate speech, harassment, and other unlawful content.
Their cutting-edge solutions play a vital role in safeguarding the online experience of sportspeople, fostering a safer and more inclusive digital environment for all users.
In this page you will find examples of the experiences of some relevant companies, alongside a compilation of best practices to combat online abuse
Companies combating online abuse
Country: Germany
Organisation responsible: Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ)
Main topic addressed: Combatting hate crime, fake news, and other criminal content on social networks
Type of resource/practice: Legislation
Approach: Penalisation and rehabilitation of the offender
Target group(s): Society as a whole
Timing: October 2017
Language: German
Brief description of the practice: The Network Enforcement Act introduced statutory compliance rules for social networks.
Context and objectives: Providers are obliged to set up user-friendly reporting channels for complaints about illegal content. These complaints must be investigated immediately, and clearly illegal content must be removed or access to it blocked within 24 hours (for other illegal content, this usually must be done within seven days). In addition, the providers have to report twice a year on how they deal with hate crime and other illegal content and have to appoint a domestic agent to receive official documents. Violations of these obligations can be sanctioned with fines against the company and the responsible persons.
