ABSTRACT
This chapter establishes the backdrop that explains the need for alternative methods to dealing with online hate speech such as counternarratives. It discusses the serious shortcomings of the current approach adopted by the United States and IT companies, which focuses on tackling “hate speech” through its removal. The chapter looks at the global decline of free speech and the positive correlation between that reality and the rising power of IT companies when it comes to content removal, with reference to the particular impact this has on minority groups and communities. It analyzes the relationship between state pressure on IT companies to quickly and efficiently take down hate speech (at risk of steep fines). Further, it proposes that for communities and individuals to properly exercise their right to freedom of expression, the current regulatory approach needs to be substantially reconsidered and methods including counternarratives must be structurally and systematically advanced.
