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Detect Then Act: countering hate speech in 5 languages

Detect Then Act (DTCT) is a coalition of universities, tech companies, NGOs and citizens in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands that will work together to find answers to stop the online hate speech that is dividing our societies. One aspect of the project is that it combines human knowledge with artificial intelligence: using AI tools to monitor online hate speech which can be used to inform media campaigns. These campaigns will focus on encouraging bystanders to stand up, fostering citizens to be better equipped to challenge the misinformation, conflict, bullying, racism and sexism prevalent on social media networks. We provide the Detect Then Act upstanders with a cutting edge AI application to safely and securely counter online hate speech in 5 languages.

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Challenge

Our dashboard application needed to be intuitive and self-explanatory: over 1,000 upstanders would have to be able to use it easily, without in-depth technical training.

Solution

Our dashboard is extremely easy to use. It offers immediate snapshots of incidents and trends in a range of topics on social media.

During the worst of the pandemic, activists were reluctant to engage with toxicity on social media as a result of the prevailing global environment, so the dashboard provided a buffer between activists and the sources of hate. They were able to view, assess, report, and reply to hate speech in complete anonymity.

The confidential nature of responding and reporting hate allowed upstanders to build their confidence on social media in an unpressured environment. Available in Dutch, English, French, German and Hungarian.

Result

Check out the website.