Open Code for Hate-Free Communication

The Open Code for Hate-Free Communication (OpCode) project aims at countering online hate speech using a multidimensional approach consisting of monitoring, analysis, taking action, developing free and open software solutions for moderating user generated content, and by engaging in advocacy and network consolidation (International Network Against Cyber Hate). The project also aims to consolidate the efforts of civil society organizations to participate in European monitoring exercises and continuously monitor the Web, thus providing data as a basis for future policy. Furthermore, our goal is to provide national and European policy-makers as well as IT companies with recommendations on how to address the issue. The project will contribute to European Commission’s recommendation on measures to effectively tackle illegal content online that highlights the necessity of cooperation and mutual exchange between tech companies and civil society organizations for the benefit of the public.

In order for the moderation of the online content to be effective, one must involve effective technology. Thus we aim to develop new or improve existing free of charge open source software solutions that would help public communicators to identify and moderate hate speech content generated on their websites or other platforms of communication. The second objective is to lay the foundations of a community of programmers that are interested in coding for an Internet free of hate speech.

Project partners: ActiveWatch (Romania, leading partner), DigiQ (Slovakia), Estonian Human Rights Centre (Estonia), NEVER AGAIN Association (Poland) and Movimiento Contra la Intolerancia (Spain).

See the reports:

• Monitoring and reporting illegal hate speech. Shadow monitoring report / first edition,
• COVID-19 crisis and hate speech. Transnational report. Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain,
• The synopsis of research carried out by the “NEVER AGAIN” Association within the OpCode project in September 2019 – September 2020,
• Monitoring and reporting illegal hate speech. Shadow monitoring report / second edition,
• COVID-19 – A plague of racism and conspiracy theories. A compilation of findings on cyber hate related to the coronavirus pandemic by the members of INACH,
• Gender based hate speech. Transnational report. Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain,
• Monitoring and reporting illegal hate speech. Shadow monitoring report / third edition.