The Government announces new measures to combat hate in the digital environment: 'Social media has become a weapon of mass polarisation'

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has announced the launch of the tool 'HODIO: Footprint of Hate and Polarisation,' which will measure the presence, evolution, and reach of hate speech on digital platforms.

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The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the first edition of the Forum Against Hate

"Hate doesn't arise spontaneously. It is cultivated and promoted," warned the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during the 1st Forum Against Hate, held in Madrid. "If hate is already dangerous, social media has turned it into a weapon of mass polarisation. A weapon that is easy to find and easy to use. And extremely lucrative for some," he noted.

The meeting brought together national and international groups and specialists, as well as representatives from the main social media platforms, to reflect on the rise of disinformation, cyberbullying, and the risks of AI. Also participating on behalf of the Government will be the Ministers for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz; Equality, Ana Redondo; Youth and Children, Sira Rego; and the Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Óscar López.

In this context, Sánchez presented the Footprint of Hate and Polarisation (HODIO), a tool to measure and evaluate the presence of violent and degrading discourse on social media. The president explained that, just as we use the carbon footprint to measure the environmental impact of an activity, this instrument seeks to measure the impact of digital violence, "because when something is measured, it ceases to be invisible."

This is the second measure in the package to regulate social media that the Government announced in February, because "the digital environment cannot be a space without rules" where "impunity is rewarded," and "right now, bad politics is being practiced there, the kind that seeks the 'law of the strongest' and not 'the rule of law,'" the President insisted.

This tool will combine quantitative analysis and expert review, and will publish the results every six months so that citizens can be aware of the level of hate on each social network and make informed decisions about how to use them. This will give platforms an incentive to move towards safer and healthier digital environments.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the forum| Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Three out of four young Spaniards encounter hate speech online, according to data from Fad Juventud. In 2025, the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE) identified more than 845,000 pieces of hateful content on digital platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and X). Attacks are especially directed against people who represent a diverse and free society (women, migrants, and transgender people). "But what starts on the screen doesn't always stay there. Because when hatred is normalised online, it ends up seeping into everyday life," Sánchez warned. In the last decade, hate crimes have increased by 41% in our country.

The President concluded his remarks with a message of hope: "We are going to stop hate on our social media, in our streets, and also in our schoolyards," because we have the tools to do so.

For more information about the HODIO tool, please see the following link.

Non official translation

More Info

• Aid from the Immediate Response, Reconstruction and Relaunching Plan
• 'Humbly Hate and Polarization Footprint' (HODIO) Tool

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• Government of Spain
• Social
• Digital Transformation