OTM Test

WNYC’s On the Media featured DSP Executive Director Susan Benesch in its October 11, 2019 show on speech in the United…

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When Shootings Become Dangerous Speech

Individuals who carry out attacks such as the one in El Paso are not only audience members who have heard Dangerous Speech and have been convinced to commit violence. They are also speakers themselves. Their words (through manifestos and social media posts) and their actions (the shootings) are performances designed, at least in part, to move others to commit similar atrocities in the future.

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Dangerous Speech and White Supremacist Violence

As with several other massacres in the past year, the attacker in the El Paso shooting appears to have online ties with white supremacist ideology and published a racist screed prior to his attack. We’ve written on the ideas espoused by this killer many times in the past.

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How Internet Shutdowns Amplify Dangerous Speech

When people cannot verify or refute rumors, and cannot access alternative narratives or trustworthy counterspeech, there is an increased likelihood that these rumors will become Dangerous Speech. Therefore, if governments are serious about addressing rumors that could inspire violence, they must resist the urge to shut down the internet.

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Twitter Bans Religious Dehumanization

Earlier this week, Twitter announced a new rule against language that dehumanizes others on the basis of religion. This change is a step in the right direction, but in order to truly mitigate offline harms, the company must define dehumanizing speech by its likely effect on others in addition to the literal content of the speech.

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Exploring Efforts to Reduce Online Hate at RightsCon 2019

Should you respond directly to hatred online? And if so, how should you do it? These are just a few of the questions that staff at the Dangerous Speech Project (DSP) discussed with an audience at RightsCon last week. DSP staff were joined by Logan Smith, creator of @YesYoureRacist.

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