The European Union is making strides towards finding a solution to online hate speech and propaganda. To support this effort, the EU has established the European Center for Algorithmic Transparency in Seville, Spain. This centre will focus on ameliorating the problem of online toxicity by scrutinising algorithmic systems developed by the big tech platforms.
Josephine Ballon of HateAid, an organization supporting victims of online hate speech, has commented on the matter. She asserts that these platforms are in no way just repositories for user-generated content; they also contain complex algorithmic systems dictating what content the user can see on the feed. It’s these algorithms that need to be examined in order to ascertain exactly how these platforms are distributing certain types of content.
To counter this, the Digital Service Act was introduced in November 2022. This act regulates online services providers, particularly those whose reach exceeds 45 million users. It further requires these providers to carry out periodic assessments of the risks in their services – including the examination of their algorithmic systems – and present the EU Commission with the findings.
Finally, the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency had its grand opening this week. The impressive team gathering here, including AI experts, data scientists and social scientists, will be responsible for providing the EU Commission with advice on the implementation of the Digital Service Act.
HateAid’s Josephine Ballon made sure to note the significance of the Digital Service Act in comparison to other EU regulations. Whilst it’s not revolutionary, this act does provide an opportunity for more transparency in regards to the technical functionality of these platforms.
Echoing that sentiment is Angela Müller of AlgorithmWatch. She regards the act as a stepping stone, which puts the power back in the hands of society, who can then decide how they want these platforms to be regulated. However, she raises two main issues: the first being that companies might find loopholes to try and bypass the regulations; and the second, the technicality of implementing the act with such a vast reliance on experts.
Only time will tell how effective this Centre will be in combating online hate speech, but it is certain that it will be a major milestone in the right direction towards finding a resolution.
