The Spanish government has unveiled a new tool designed to track and measure hate speech across social media platforms, as part of a wider strategy by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to strengthen oversight of digital companies and tackle online polarisation.
The system, called HODIO – short for Huella del Odio y la Polarización (‘Footprint of Hatred and Polarisation’) – will analyse how hateful content spreads online and examine the role algorithms play in amplifying polarising messages.
Sánchez announced the initiative this week during the inauguration in Madrid of the first International Summit against Hate and Digital Harassment. The project forms part of a broader push by the Spanish government to regulate social media platforms and improve online safety. ALSO READ: Spain asks prosecutors to investigate X, Meta & TikTok over AI-created child pornography.
The new tool will analyse large volumes of public activity across social networks, monitoring posts and tracking how harmful content spreads. It will measure the scale, intensity and reach of hate speech online while also identifying patterns in how such messages propagate and evolve over time.
Officials say the system will help authorities better understand the impact of algorithms in boosting polarising content and provide data that can be used to design more effective policies against digital harassment.
Sánchez warned that hate speech online was contributing to growing divisions in society.
‘If hate is already dangerous, social networks have turned it into a weapon of mass polarisation that ends up seeping into everyday life,’ said the Spanish leader. ‘The digital environment cannot be a space without rules, today social networks are a failed state.’
The government says HODIO will generate indicators that track the evolution of hate speech online and make the phenomenon more visible. Sánchez compared the concept to measuring a carbon footprint, arguing that quantifying the problem will make it easier to address.
‘We want to start talking about the impact of hate. When something is measured, it ceases to be invisible,’ he said.
Importantly, the results produced by the system will be made public, potentially revealing which platforms respond quickly to harmful content and which fail to act.
According to Sánchez, this transparency will allow citizens to see ‘who is blocking this content, who is looking the other way, and who is profiting from it’.
For most users, the system will operate largely in the background. Authorities say it will analyse publicly available data on social networks and will not monitor private messages or directly target individual users.
However, the findings could lead to stronger pressure on technology companies to improve moderation systems, remove harmful content faster or change how certain posts are promoted by algorithms.
The launch of HODIO is part of a broader regulatory strategy focused particularly on protecting young people online. Earlier this year Sánchez presented legislation aimed at improving internet safety for minors. ALSO READ: Spain will seek to prohibit children aged under 16 from accessing social media.
In early February, the prime minister announced plans to ban access to social networks for children under 16, a proposal that would require platforms to implement stricter age-verification systems. The government says the measure is intended to combat cyberbullying and reduce teenagers’ exposure to harmful online content. ALSO READ: Musk calls Sánchez a ‘fascist totalitarian’ and ‘tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain’ in new clash.
Spain has also proposed holding social media executives accountable for illegal or hateful material hosted on their platforms. ALSO READ: Telegram founder slams Sánchez over ‘dangerous’ plans that ‘threaten internet freedom’ for under-16s.
The country’s regulatory push, however, has prompted caution from European institutions. The European Commission has warned member states that national rules governing digital platforms must remain consistent with the EU’s common framework, particularly the Digital Services Act.
Spain is not alone in seeking tighter oversight of social media. Governments across Europe and elsewhere are increasingly concerned about the spread of hate speech, misinformation and harmful content online.
Several countries, including France and Australia, have already introduced or proposed stricter controls on digital platforms and limits on social media use by younger users.
Spain’s approach places a strong emphasis on data and transparency, with the government hoping that publicly measuring how hate speech spreads online will push platforms to take greater responsibility for the content circulating on their services.
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El Gobierno presenta la herramienta ‘HODIO’:
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) March 11, 2026
💻 Analiza la presencia de discurso de odio y polarización
🤬 Genera un ranking público y transparente que compara el nivel de exposición al odio
Objetivo: promover entornos digitales más seguros.
Más ℹ️: https://t.co/HVHtMnImEG pic.twitter.com/lqBhXdQUT9
Ponemos en marcha la herramienta HODIO, Huella del Odio y la Polarización, que permitirá medir la presencia, evolución y alcance del discurso de odio en plataformas digitales.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) March 11, 2026
Para sacar el odio de la sombra, visibilizarlo y exigir responsabilidades a quienes no actúan. pic.twitter.com/kdXSGWN6Yp
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