Dear Friend,

This year you’ve been a key part of our mission to protect human rights and civil liberties. How?

• We published groundbreaking research on X, TikTok, Meta, YouTube, Google, and 4chan.

• We revealed how platforms are harming young people.

• We reported on the spread of hate and lies amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.

• We helped pass important digital safety laws in the UK and Europe.

• All of this while being sued by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, for highlighting the spread of hate and lies on X, and defending our work in court.

Friend, we made a difference in 2023 – and it was only possible because of you.

Here's a recap:

The battle against Twitter’s toxicity

We exposed the rise of hate and misinformation on Twitter, now X, under Elon Musk’s reckless leadership. In February, we showed how the platform profited from ten toxic reinstated accounts after Musk’s “general amnesty.” A month later, we showed that the hateful anti-LGBTQ+ grooming narrative had jumped 119% since Musk’s takeover.

In June, we found Twitter kept hosting 99% of hate posted by Twitter Blue subscribers. These posts contained racist, homophobic, neo-Nazi, antisemitic, or conspiracy content. We tested X’s content moderation twice again, in September and November, with disastrous results.

The outcome? Elon Musk sued us. It can be scary when the world’s richest man decides to attack a nonprofit like us. But it’s also proof that our work is touching a nerve. We received a lot of support and raised more than $100k in single donations to help us kick off our legal defense.

Regulation of social media companies becomes a reality

We worked tirelessly this year to demonstrate to governments and legislators the need for our STAR Framework for social media regulation: Safety-by-design, Transparency, Accountability, and Responsibility.

We had two major wins: CCDH’s campaign helped pass the Online Safety Act in the UK, and the Digital Services Act in the European Union, where social media companies are already being held accountable.

We stood up for our kids

Protecting kids and teens online is a vital part of our work. In partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, we launched a public service announcement in the US, voiced by Laura Linney, to increase awareness of social media platforms' willing role in harming our children's mental health and wellbeing. You can watch it at protectingkidsonline.org/.

Following our report showing that minors are being routinely harassed and exposed to adult content on Meta’s VR Horizon World, the US Federal Trade Commission proposed a block on Meta monetizing user data from minors and pause its launch of new products and services.

Companies deflect blame and delay action, but we keep pushing

More than a year after our Hidden Hate research showed that Instagram failed to act on 9 in 10 reported vile abuse against women in direct messages, Meta finally took action.

The company launched a new feature to block explicit images in Instagram DM requests. But it’s far from enough, Meta must tackle misogynistic abuse on all of its platforms.

We combatted disinformation amid the Israel-Gaza conflict

Online hate and disinformation spread like wildfire with the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October. We exposed the amplification of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian hate on platforms such as X, TikTok, and 4chan.

The spread of extreme content amid conflicts is not just a problem online - it can fuel even more offline rage and violence. We published explainers to help people understand how online misinformation and disinformation work, how to report them to the platforms, and how to build information resilience.

We had a remarkable year, and we’re excited about the real impact we’ll continue to deliver next year.

We won’t stop until our digital spaces are safer for everyone. Together, we can fuel change in 2024.

Best wishes,

Imran Ahmed
CEO, Center for Countering Digital Hate