Since the day after George Floyd’s death on May 26, the rate of hate speech online in the U.S., as tracked by one digital measurement firm, has been nearly three times higher than typical.
By the numbers: On June 3, at the height of nationwide protests, DoubleVerify, which uses its own technology to scan pages online so advertisers can avoid objectionable content, says instances of hate speech were more than 4.5 times higher than usual — the highest-ever rate it has measured to date.
Details: States with heavy protests experienced the highest levels of hate speech online.
- Minnesota, Washington D.C., Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Virginia saw the highest spikes, per DoubleVerify. Each state has experienced at least a 2.2 times increase in its own average rate for hate speech online.
he big picture: The spikes in hateful content, especially as it related to race and violence, have put pressure on tech companies to take action.
- Last week, Axios reported that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), an industry body consisting of the world’s biggest advertising companies — including a few Big Tech companies — has agreed to try to define hate speech across the entire industry.”
- The move signified a new step by tech and advertising giants towards a collective approach toward hate speech, even though it’s mostly a formality for now.
Yes, but: Tech platforms still maintain their right to more narrowly define and police hate speech individually.
Our thought bubble: The entire internet, from Facebook and Google on down, is groaning under the weight of hateful posts. Pressed by concerned advertisers on one side and outraged users and employees on the other, tech’s giants have tried to take countermeasures, but they haven’t been able to keep up.