DSA Policy Brief

The Facing Facts Network (the Network) aims to improve the understanding of and responses to hate crime and hate speech in Europe. The Digital Services Act (DSA) is expected to increase access to justice and support for victims of hate speech.

The DSA Policy Brief has been carried out with the following aims:

• to deepen the understanding of the DSA and showcase the implications it has on the national level
• to outline the existing and new actors working on the DSA and explain their relationships in the ‘hate speech response system’
• bring forward the civil society perspective to EU institutions and ‘DSA actors’

Key findings include:

• The DSA’s potential to increase justice, safety, and support for hate speech victims can be enhanced through effective cooperation among key actors in a ‘hate speech response system’.
• Particular attention needs to be paid to the unique contribution of expert CSOs that understand the nature and impact of hate speech on the most vulnerable communities in Europe.
• There is a need for a unified methodology for hate speech monitoring and responses across the EU to ensure consistency.

This briefing aims to reflect the perspective of Facing Facts Network members and organisations working on hate speech monitoring, based on survey results that were collected during January and February 2024. 15 organisations across 11 countries, including 12 civil society organisations (CSOs) and three public authorities participated in the survey. This policy brief aims to better understand their experiences and to offer contextualised analysis and recommendations.

You can find the Facing Facts Policy Brief ‘What is the Digital Services Act and what does it mean for hate speech monitoring and responses?’ here.