Hate Speech: Can We All Agree On A Definition?

Following mounting pressure, including an advertising boycott of Facebook earlier this year, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have agreed to create a unified definition of harmful content across all their social media platforms.This will likely provide welcome clarity and consistency for all acceptable use and content policies across the tech industry.     

Online content sharing platforms have fostered the age old battle between the right to freedom of expression and the restriction of illegal 'hate speech'.  Social media has enhanced our ability to communicate across borders and interact immediately over politics, fashion and anything in between.  However, it has also facilitated the dissemination of hateful and often harmful speech  to a mass audience at the touch of a button.  Large tech companies have often taken the view that they are not responsible for the content their users create, they provide the infrastructure and it is up to individuals to provide the