What is kNOwHATE?
Despite the Union’s effort to fight against online hate speech (OHS), several reports showed an increase in OHS during 2020-21. The current pandemic provided a context for increased scapegoating and stigmatization, and minority groups are disproportionally targets of hatred discourse (United Nations Human Rights Office, 2021). Considering the potential of OHS to trigger violence and discrimination, and to desensitize individuals’ capacity to counteract it, it is crucial to understand how and why people hate in social media to better tackle it. Indeed, OHS is a persistent threat to the Union’s values and there is a need for more knowledge on its content, detection, and countering. Portugal, as other member states, has seen an escalation of hate speech against immigrants, racial/ethnic groups, and LGBTIQ communities.
However, there is no systematized knowledge nor tools designed to detect, monitor, and prevent OHS against these communities.