HODIO, a system by Pedro Sánchez, was an attempt to analyse the spread of hate speech on social networks and the effects of algorithms on digital polarisation.
The country of Spain is trying to introduce a new tool that will be used to measure hate speech on the Internet, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Wednesday, which follows his introduction of a bill to protect minors on the Internet this year.
⚠️ Spain’s government has announced a tool called “HODIO” to measure and track “hate speech” across digital platforms.
State monitoring of citizens’ speech, thoughts and ideas. Dissent will not be tolerated ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/bfbnZpVX3g
— Bernie (@Artemisfornow) March 11, 2026
This project is also a part of a larger governmental policy aimed at increasing the regulation of social media corporations.
In the introduction of the first International Summit against Hate and Digital Harassment in Madrid, Sánchez declared the implementation of HODIO (Huella del Odio y la Polarización) (source in Spanish), which is a system to examine the dissemination of hate messages on social networks and to evaluate the impact of algorithms in the expansion of polarising content.
“Speaking of hate being already dangerous,” the Spanish leader stated that “social networks have already turned it into a mass polarisation weapon that leaks into real life. The digital space cannot be a rule-free zone, as he added, today social networks are a failed state.”
The instrument will produce pointers to monitor the development of online hate speech, detect trends in the spread and learn more about how some dynamics of the platform make people polarise.
The system will examine extensive amounts of social network activity by the masses to assess the magnitude and extent of hate speech and its temporal dynamics. The Spanish government believes that the data obtained will help to design more efficient public policies to combat digital harassment and place more pressure on the technology platforms to take more responsibility.
Brussels issues a caution about social network control.
The introduction of HODIO belongs to an even greater plan of the Spanish government to enhance the level of internet safety, particularly among minors.
At the beginning of February, Sánchez stated that there would be a ban on children under 16 years using social networks, which would require the company to use age verification systems. The government justifies the proposal by saying it is a reaction to the rise in cyberbullying and subjecting teenagers to bad material on the internet.
The national regulatory push, on the other hand, has also created a sense of caution among the institutions of Europe. Recently, the European Commission cautioned the member states not to exceed the common EU framework, particularly that set out under the Digital Services Act, in an attempt to regulate social networks.
