Al-Jazirah

THE discourse of hatred, extremism, exclusion and treachery has become an international phenomenon with social media taking the lead. The situation varies relatively depending on different political systems and countries, but everywhere it harms individual and society.

As a result of this increasing phenomenon, governments have enacted laws governing publication. Recently, the Ministry of Information emphasized its determination to punish producers and promoters of rumors that affect public life through social media by imprisonment and fines.

The move comes following the spread of rumors of new royal decrees, which were announced by individuals and irresponsible electronic newspapers.

The rhetoric of hatred, extremism and violence is no longer confined to what has been published on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but transcends to comments and responses on social media that are difficult to control and manage. We have read many comments and responses that had nothing to do with the published content.

The bullying and brutality in responses and comments on what is published on social media networks has become a global phenomenon, reflecting irresponsible misuse of social media networks. Users who regularly comment and respond are in a different world and use social networks to ridicule the content or its author.

There are times when a follower feels like reading a dictionary of insults and hatred. Some people use the opportunity to market junk from extremist or porn websites and make comments in celebrity accounts and news websites without following the policies and procedures for use.

Many countries have taken measures to curb speeches of hate and spreading of rumors. The German government is currently working on a new law, which will impose hefty fines on people who make offensive and malicious comments and responses, or spread rumors through the Internet.

In 2016, Instagram developed a special tool for celebrities and business people to filter and block abusive comments after identifying them. One of the most famous celebrities who used the tool was American singer Taylor Swift after she was attacked by fans and followers of Kim Kardashian. The magical tool helped Swift identify and block abusive comments.

Instagram continued its efforts to block and remove hate speech and abusive comments on social media using the latest smart technology. This year it developed a new tool that can deal with nine languages, including Arabic. Thanks to the new tool and future efforts of social media founders it will be possible to control and curb bullying and brutality on social networks by hate mongers.