Incidents of hate speech in Ireland almost doubled in 2020
The findings of a report from the Irish Network Against Racism have been described as “disappointing”. There was a spike in incidents of racism reported in Ireland 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic limiting the amount of human interaction, according to the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR). Based on data from their iReport.ie system, the organisation’s […]
5 years ago
Leo Varadkar says it “isn’t right” for people in Direct Provision to be living in isolated areas
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there is a “better system” for accommodating refugees that the government must move towards. Varadkar also said that the government must update hate speech law, but it will be difficult to balance a new law against freedom of speech. Earlier this month, a report by the Oireachtas Justice Committee said that […]
6 years ago
People running abusive Twitter accounts should be “educated” instead of banned, Twitter tells Oireachtas committee
Twitter has also claimed that its users can tackle hate speech on the social network by publicly stating that they disagree with it. The social network told Irish politicians that “counterspeech” created solidarity for people suffering online abuse, while also claiming that not banning abusive trolls gave Twitter a chance to “educate” them. The internet […]
6 years ago
YouTube has found a stance on hate speech and supremacist content
Changes are coming. Just one day after initially balking at the prospect of taking action against YouTuber Steven Crowder, over what video host and writer Carlos Maza said were repeated homophobic and racial slurs against him, YouTube has done a 180 of its decision. YouTube had initially said Crowder did not violate any of its policies and […]
7 years ago
Mark Zuckerberg issues clarification after appearing to defend Holocaust deniers
“I find Holocaust denial deeply offensive, and I absolutely didn’t intend to defend the intent of people who deny that.” Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg moved quickly to clarify comments made in a podcast interview on Wednesday where he appeared to defend the rights of Holocaust deniers to use his platform to spread their beliefs. During […]
8 years ago
Facebook apologises after Channel 4 investigation reveals staff told to ignore racist meme in Dublin training session
“You’ve identified some areas where we’ve failed, and I’m here today to apologise for those failings.” Facebook has officially apologised following revelations that staff were told to ignore specific racism-based hate speech on their site. Inside Facebook: Secrets of the Social Network aired on Channel 4 on Tuesday night. The documentary followed an undercover reporter […]
8 years ago