How to Report Online Hate
How to Report Online Hate
If you have experienced or witnessed something you believe is an Online Hate Crime or Online Hate Speech, there are some simple steps you can take and people you can talk to.
We understand that you may have concerns about being a ‘grass’ and have genuine fears about reprisals, but we also know that you care about your friends, family and communities, and the impact that Online Hate Crime and Hate Speech has on individuals and society. This section looks at your options, the possibility of reporting ‘anonymously’ and seeking advice and support before YOU decide what you would like to do next…
Where possible try to gather evidence. This will help with any investigation if you decide to report to the police or one of the other possible support organisations listed below. The best way to gather evidence for online Hate is by taking screenshots of the posts or messages and/or saving the webpage link if relevant (for example on a webpage or YouTube). Once you have secured the evidence you have a few options.
1. Use the ‘Report’ functions available to users of the platform where you’ve seen Hate Speech.
They may remove the post, suspend the account or close the account down if it is in breach of the platforms ‘community standards. Each social media platform may have different ways to report hateful content. This should be signposted through the policies, forms, complaints, or ‘Report a problem’ sections.
For information on how to report Online Hate on a number of social media platforms, please click the button below to launch our interactive PDF:
CLICK HERE2. Discuss your options.
If you are not sure whether the online incident has broken the law, and you want to talk about it with someone else first, Stop Hate UK can offer information, advice and support to people affected by Hate Crime in areas across the UK. They will take reports anonymously if you don’t want to share your name or personal information. To see if we work in your area and ways to contact us please click here:
STOP HATE UK3. Report to the Police.
If you think the post is criminal (see our section on the law surrounding Online Hate Crime – link) you may wish to report the incident to the police for criminal investigation. This can be done online via the following link:
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