ME 2025: Monitoring Report
This report presents the findings of the 2025 Monitoring Exercise (ME), coordinated by the International Network Against Cyber Hate (INACH) in collaboration with the European Commission. Based on the analysis of over 2,000 reported cases across major social media platforms, the report evaluates how effectively platforms respond to online hate speech, focusing on content removal, user feedback, and response times.
The findings reveal uneven platform performance. While platforms such as TikTok and Facebook show relatively higher removal rates for user-reported content, others such as YouTube and Instagram demonstrate significantly lower levels of content removal. Differences also emerge between reports submitted by ordinary users and those submitted by Trusted Partners, highlighting inconsistencies in platform moderation practices.
User feedback mechanisms and response times have generally improved compared to previous monitoring exercises, with most platforms providing faster assessments and higher feedback rates. However, important challenges remain. Reporting systems are frequently described by participating NGOs as complex, opaque, and inconsistent, limiting accessibility and transparency for users.
The report further identifies key trends in online hate speech across Europe. Dominant narratives focus on migration and Islamophobia, culture-war discourse targeting LGBTQ+ communities, and historically rooted discrimination against groups such as Roma and Jewish communities. These forms of hate often intersect, reflecting broader socio-political dynamics and geopolitical tensions.
The report also raises concerns about platform moderation strategies, particularly the increasing use of measures such as geo-blocking and visibility limitation instead of full content removal. While these approaches may reduce immediate exposure, they pose challenges for transparency, accountability, and effective enforcement under frameworks such as the Digital Services Act.
Overall, the report highlights both progress and persistent gaps in platform responses to online hate, emphasizing the need for more transparent, consistent, and rights-based approaches to content moderation.
You can read the full report: Here
You can also read more on our hate speech trend report: Here