SafeNet: Monitoring and Reporting for Safer Online Environments

The 24-month project Monitoring and Reporting for Safer Online Environments seeks to apply a comprehensive and intersectional approach in prevention and fight against intolerance, racism and xenophobia online. It joins 21 partners, members of the International network against cyber hate (INACH) and the roof organisation itself. Many are trusted flaggers and have taken part in the monitoring exercises within the scope of the Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online.

The project will focus on two priorities being 1. continuous monitoring and reporting hate speech content to the IT companies and responsible authorities and 2. awareness raising by regular advocacy towards the social media companies, providing consolidated and interpreted data to national authorities as well as running national bi-monthly information campaigns involving different stakeholders, including IT Companies, public authorities, civil society organisations and media.

The project tasks will be organised in 3 work packages consisting of management and organisational framework; monitoring of content deemed illegal under national laws transposing the EU Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA using the methodology from the past monitoring exercises conducted by the European Commission; and dissemination of gathered data to the relevant stakeholders and the general public. Up to 20 000 of cases will be reported, 10 infosheets in English and 170 in other EU languages produced, online training run for the monitoring partners, standards for trusted flaggers reached for all partners, advocacy roundtables and closing conference will be organised.

The project fights for targets of online hate based on grounds of racial or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. The second primary target group involves IT companies, national and European authorities, CSOs and media. A wide public will benefit from a kinder internet due to a better and faster removal of hate speech.

The project is funded by the CERV programme of the European Union.

Published: 2023-02-01