Mapping hate speech to predict ethnic violence

FOREIGN POLICY--The Sentinel Project, a group based in Canada, is leading a movement to monitor ethnic conflict through social media and other technology. The group cites the infamous Milles Collines radio broadcasts during the Rwandan genocide that referred to Tutsi people as "cockroaches" as their motivation. Known as Hatebase, the initiative monitors hate speech by region and the group it refers to and then allows users to identify where they have heard the terms used.

By logging "sightings" of hate speech, users contribute to a log that maps the frequency, migration, and  severity of the terms being used. However, the database is not flaw free and its creators recognize that there is a significant amount of hate speech presented on websites such as YouTube on a daily basis. The developers are focusing on areas where ethnic conflict is already established or has significant potential to become something more serious. Although the database can't predict ethnic conflict, the creators are hoping that it could provide helpful information to NGOs, state departmental, and other government groups.

The article offers an interesting perspective on the importance of social media in our current environment  As seen with events such as the Arab Spring and the London riots, social platforms are taking on the world with the people behind them. By monitoring hate speech, events might be able to be mitigated before they become out of control. Ideally, projects like this would always work and stop ethnic violence before it's too late. However, an ideal world is not the one we currently live in.

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Emily Goodfellow (#1)