"The digital environment cannot be a space without rules, today social networks are a failed state," said Sánchez.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Wednesday the launch of the "footprint of hate" to measure polarisation on social networks. This new instrument will be called 'Hodio' and, through the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia, will allow to systematically measure the presence, evolution and scope of hate speech on digital platforms used in Spain.
The head of the Executive made this announcement during the first International Forum against Hate, which brought together experts and those affected to reflect on the effects of hate and digital harassment on people's dignity. The event took place in the Galería de las Colecciones Reales, in the city of Madrid.
"If hate is already dangerous, social networks have turned it into a weapon of mass polarisation that ends up filtering into everyday life," Sánchez said, after pointing out that hate crimes have grown by 41% in our country in the last decade. "The digital environment cannot be a space without rules, today social networks are a failed state", he lamented.
'Hodio', a tool to track hate on networks
'Hodio', the new platform announced by Sánchez, will be based on recognised academic criteria, combining quantitative analysis and expert review to ensure accuracy and representativeness. The chief executive has also said that the results will be made public so that "everyone knows who stops hate, who looks the other way and who does business with it".
"The goal is clear: to bring hate out of the shadows, make it visible and hold accountable those who fail to act," the president said, referring to the CEOs of several social networks, such as Elon Musk.
"Just as today we are talking about the carbon footprint to measure the environmental impact of an activity, we also want to start talking about the footprint of hate to prevent the social and democratic impact that these discourses are having on coexistence," Sánchez summarised.
At Wednesday's summit, in addition to the President's announcement, the need to create safeguards to address the impact and risks generated by artificial intelligence in the defence of human rights, as well as the influence of disinformation in the propagation of hostile messages, was stressed.
Offensive against techno-caste
In February, Sánchez already announced an offensive with measures including "criminal responsibilities" to combat "illegal content" on social networks: "Our determination is stronger than their pockets". It all came after cross criticism between Sánchez and social network CEOs over the proposal to ban access to social networks for children under 16.
The measures announced by Sánchez include working together with the public prosecutor's office to investigate possible crimes committed on social networks, especially those affecting minors. Another is that the manipulation of algorithms that use data without consent will be prosecuted by law. "The third is that this techno-caste of companies will be held criminally liable if they refuse to remove illegal content from their networks," said the prime minister himself.
"We know that this techno-caste has more money and even more power than many countries, but our determination is stronger than their pockets," Sánchez said. "We will go ahead despite their threats," he summed up.
Source: A European Perspective, RTVE
Originally published by Àlex Cabrera on 11 March 2026 09:20 GMT+1