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Project, Hate Speech Lexicons, 2009-ongoing

This is a Project. It was designed by PeaceTech Lab and collaborator: Local media, civil society, and nongovernmental organizations. It is dated 2009-ongoing. It is a part of the department.


Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mombasa, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen

An investigation by Iraqi journalists, who noticed the dangers of inflammatory language used in media coverage, led to the development of the Hate Speech Lexicons. These carefully researched guides include words, phrases, and examples of how and why certain words can cause strong and even violent reactions. With the rise of social media, PeaceTech Lab pioneered a process for identifying and contextualizing hate speech using machine learning, workshops, and interviews with local communities. The resulting lexicons, freely available online, offer alternative words and phrases that can be used to stop the spread of inflammatory language. A future lexicon focused on the United States is planned, once funded.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Designing Peace.

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318806228/ |title=Project, Hate Speech Lexicons, 2009-ongoing |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=15 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>