Spain to launch system tracking hate speech and polarisation on social media

The Spanish government has unveiled a new tool designed to track and measure hate speech across social media platforms, as part of a wider strategy by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to strengthen oversight of digital companies and tackle online polarisation.

The system, called HODIO – short for Huella del Odio y la Polarización (‘Footprint of Hatred and Polarisation’) – will analyse how hateful content spreads online and examine the role algorithms play in amplifying polarising messages.

Sánchez announced the initiative this week during the inauguration in Madrid of the first International Summit against Hate and Digital Harassment. The project forms part of a broader push by the Spanish government to regulate social media platforms and improve online safety.