Microsoft launches a dedicated website to report hate speech

The tech giants are coming together to fight and prevent online hate speech. Automated abuse filter by Yahoo, Quality filter by Twitter, and now a dedicated website has been launched by Microsoft to control online hate speech.

The Redmond company has launched a dedicated website where you can report hate speech not just on Live, but also on Docs.com, OneDrive, Outlook, Skype, and Sway. The website accepts reports from anyone across the globe.

This new website is similar to the portal the company built to report terrorist posts, except this one focuses on content "that advocates violence or promotes hatred" based on age, disability, gender, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation or gender identity.

Along with Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, Microsoft signed up for the European Commission's campaign against online harassment. The company is also working with governments and online safety advocates to ensure there is no place on its hosted consumer services for conduct that incites violence and hate.

Microsoft Chief Online Safety Office Jacqueline Beauchere explained, "We will continue our notice-and-takedown approach for removing prohibited content on hosted consumer services, and the new form aims to improve the quality and speed of our reviews.”

"When hate speech is reported to us, we will evaluate each complaint, consider context and other factors, and determine appropriate action with respect to the content and the user's account," she further added.

Microsoft has also added a new multi-service reconsideration form to request reinstatement of content that users feel was disabled in error. The company will reinstate the content if found appropriate.