Spain to launch new tool to measure hate on social media

Pedro Sánchez announced the launch of a new tool called HODIO at the Madrid inauguration of the first International Summit against Hate and Digital Harassment.

HODIO (Huella del Odio y la Polarización) is designed to analyse how hate messages spread on social networks and the role of algorithms in amplifying polarising content.

The system will process large volumes of public social-media activity to measure the intensity, reach and evolution of online hate speech and to generate tracking indicators.

The government says the data will support more effective public policies against digital harassment; Sánchez earlier, in early February, proposed banning access to social networks for children under 16 and imposing stricter age‑verification requirements on platforms.

The European Commission (Brussels) has warned that national measures to control social networks must remain within the common EU framework, notably the Digital Services Act.