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Combating online hate speech: The impact of legislation on Twitter

Author

Listed:
  • Andres, Raphaela
  • Slivko, Olga

Abstract

We analyze the impact of the Network Enforcement Act, the first regulation which aims at restraining hate speech on large social media platforms. Using a difference-in- differences framework, we measure the causal impact of the German law on the prevalence of hateful content on German Twitter. We find evidence of a significant and robust decrease in the intensity and volume of hate speech in tweets tackling sensitive migration-related topics. Importantly, tweets tackling other topics as well as the tweeting style of users are not affected by the regulation, which is in line with its aim. Our results highlight that legislation for combating harmful online content can influence the prevalence of hate speech even in the presence of platform governance mechanisms.

Suggested Citation

  • Andres, Raphaela & Slivko, Olga, 2021. "Combating online hate speech: The impact of legislation on Twitter," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-103, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:21103
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. La Ferrara, Eliana & DellaVigna, Stefano, 2015. "Economic and Social Impacts of the Media," CEPR Discussion Papers 10667, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Yi Liu & Pinar Yildirim & Z. John Zhang, 2021. "Social Media, Content Moderation, and Technology," Papers 2101.04618, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2021.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ying Bao & Jessie Liu, 2025. "Spiral of Silence: How Neutral Moderation Polarizes Content Creation," CESifo Working Paper Series 12008, CESifo.
    2. Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George & Jiménez Durán, Rafael & McCrosky, Jesse & Stalinski, Mateusz, 2025. "Toxic content and user engagement on social media: Evidence from a field experiment," Working Papers 359, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    3. Jiménez Durán, Rafael & Muller, Karsten & Schwarz, Carlo, 2024. "The Effect of Content Moderation on Online and Offline Hate: Evidence from Germany’s NetzDG," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 701, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    4. Ying Bao & Jessie Liu, 2025. "Spiral of Silence: How Neutral Moderation Polarizes Content Creation," Papers 2511.19680, arXiv.org.
    5. repec:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_698 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George & Jiménez-Durán, Rafael & McCrosky, Jesse & Stalinski, Mateusz, 2025. "Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media: Evidence from a Field Experiment," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 741, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    7. Michael McRae, 2025. "Vertical Governance of Online Speech: Evidence from Google's Moderation Mandate," Trinity Economics Papers tep1425, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    8. Karsten Müller & Carlo Schwarz, 2025. "Online Hate Speech, Offline Harm, and the Case for Content Moderation," EconPol Forum, CESifo, vol. 26(04), pages 41-46, October.
    9. Robin Ng & Greg Taylor, 2025. "Moderating Content-Hosting Platforms," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2025_698v2, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany, revised Sep 2025.
    10. George Beknazar-Yuzbashev & Rafael Jiménez-Durán & Jesse McCrosky & Mateusz Stalinski, 2025. "Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media: Evidence from a Field Experiment," CESifo Working Paper Series 11644, CESifo.
    11. Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George & Jiménez-Durán, Rafael & McCrosky, Jesse & Stalinski, Mateusz, 2025. "Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media : Evidence from a Field Experiment," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1543, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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