European Union: European Commission and European Board of Digital Services announced support for voluntary industry code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online intergrated into Digital Services Act

Description

European Commission and European Board of Digital Services announced support for voluntary industry code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online intergrated into Digital Services Act

On 20 January 2025, the European Commission (EC) and the European Board for Digital Services announced their support for the revised industry Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online ("Code of Conduct+"), aligning it with the framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Building on the original 2016 Code of Conduct, the updated version aims to enhance online platforms' handling of content defined as illegal hate speech under EU and national laws, supporting compliance with and enforcement of the DSA. Signatories commit to several measures, including external monitoring by "monitoring reporters", which include qualified non-profit or public entities, and ensuring at least two-thirds of hate speech reports submitted by these entities are reviewed within 24 hours. Additional commitments focus on transparency, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and raising user awareness about hate speech and reporting mechanisms. The EC and the European Board for Digital Services also recommend that the Code provide data on measures taken to address hate speech, along with country-level information on internal classifications of flagged content.

Original source

Scope

Policy Area
Content moderation
Policy Instrument
Content moderation regulation
Regulated Economic Activity
platform intermediary: user-generated content
Implementation Level
supranational
Government Branch
executive
Government Body
central government

Complete timeline of this policy change

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2025-01-20
adopted

On 20 January 2025, the European Commission (EC) and the European Board for Digital Services announ…