Tech giants ramp up the battle against online hate speech in Europe. At home, some are pulling back

Two of America’s Big Tech companies are opening the door to more “free expression,” even if it means more hateful content. But in Europe, Big Tech companies are voluntarily cracking down.

Two of America’s Big Tech companies are opening the door to more “free expression,” even if it means more hateful content. But in Europe, Big Tech companies are voluntarily cracking down. It’s a reminder of just how divergent Europeans’ and Americans’ online experiences are becoming, as EU lawmakers forge ahead with tech safety and accountability legislation against an industry widely seen as too big and too out of control, while such proposals have languished, if not faced active resistance, on Capitol Hill. Tech platforms including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, X, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, LinkedIn and YouTube this week signed onto an updated European Union code of conduct promising to do more to combat online hate speech, which is often illegal in European countries. Meanwhile, two of those same platforms — Meta and X — have made changes in the United States that they acknowledge could usher in more hateful speech, arguing that such changes promote freedom of speech and combat censorship. And across the industry, companies have shrunk teams whose entire job was to ensure the safety of their platforms, including from people who seek to foment hate and violence. The contrast is striking. As part of the EU agreement, the companies agree to allow “monitoring reporters” — non-profits or public organizations with expertise on hate speech — to review their platforms and to act quickly on most of the content they flag, the European Commission said Monday.