Hate crimes and social networks: the law facing the challenge of new technologies

Abstract

Over the last decade we have witnessed the increase and pre-eminence of the social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram o Snapchat have changed the way we relate, multiplying and viralizing the effects of our manifestations to unsuspected limits. Also from expressions that seek to incite hatred and violence against certain discriminated groups. In this sense, all official records point to a worrying proliferation of violent criminal contents on social networks, which is facilitated by the difficulties involved in the application of article 510.3 of the Penal Code in the face of the right to freedom of expression guaranteed in article 20.1 of the Spanish Constitution. Among the proposals that advocate specialization in the pursuit of cyberodio, filtering systems or the self-regulation of behaviors, the Law is certainly called upon to play a leading role in the face of one of the main challenges of the Era of New Technologies.