LinkedIn signs up to EU code against online hate speech

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - LinkedIn on Friday signed up to the European Union's voluntary code of conduct to combat illegal hate speech online, joining its parent Microsoft, Facebook and Google's YouTube.

The move comes as social media and online platforms face a raft of legislative proposals on both sides of the Atlantic that would require them to do more to counter online hate speech and disinformation, blamed for helping to fuel a wave of racist attacks in some countries.

Set up by the European Commission five years ago, the EU code also has the support of Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Dailymotion, Jeuxvideo.com and Tiktok.

Companies signed up to the code must have rules and community standards prohibiting hate speech on their platforms as well as systems and teams to review such content flagged to them. They are also required to take quick action to remove the content.

"I invite more businesses to join, so that the online world is free from hate," European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in a statement.

LinkedIn is one of the more popular platforms for professionals.

"As more people come to LinkedIn, we will continue to invest in our content review teams and our platform to help stop and prevent abuse, taking action on those who misuse the platform to help keep members safe," Kate O'Sullivan, the company's EU director for public policy, said in a blog post.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Mark Potter)