Spain Moves to Curb Hate Speech on Social Media

The Spanish government has announced strong measures to control the spread of hate speech on social media platforms. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez revealed that a new technology tool called Hodio will be introduced to track and measure the spread of hateful content online. Speaking at a special forum in Madrid, he expressed concern over the role of major technology companies and emphasised the need to hold them accountable. The tool will scientifically analyse how widely such content spreads, its impact, and the platforms involved.

The Hodio system will generate a detailed report every six months to assess the presence and growth of hateful content across digital platforms. The project will be monitored by the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia. According to the government, the initiative will publicly reveal which companies are effectively controlling hate speech and which platforms are failing to act. Authorities also aim to identify whether certain platforms benefit commercially from the circulation of such harmful content.

The announcement comes as Spain reports a 41 percent rise in hate crimes over the past decade, prompting the government to take stricter action. Sánchez stated that social media companies must now publicly explain the hateful content they allow on their platforms. Spain has already proposed banning social media access for children under 16 and has called for investigations into major platforms such as X, Meta, and TikTok for failing to curb illegal content involving minors. Although the Digital Services Act is already in force across the European Union, Spain’s new tool represents an additional effort to challenge the current practices of large technology companies.