Since the launch of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, reports of hate speech targeting various minority groups have risen dramatically. Although this surge is well reported, it remains difficult to quantify the magnitude of the problem or even properly classify hate speech, let alone identify and measure its effects. Keyword searches and dictionary methods are often imprecise and overly blunt tools for detecting the nuance and complexity of hate speech. Without the tools to identify, quantify, and classify hate speech, we cannot even begin to consider how to address its causes and consequences. Zeynep Tufekci will enter into dialogue with hate speech research being conducted on campus through the Social Sciences D-Lab, focusing on corporate responsibility and the importance of preserving free speech.

This talk is the keynote lecture for the spring 2019 Digital Humanities Faire, which showcases recent scholarship in the digital humanities and occasions a campus-wide conversation on the state of the field. Additional events will take place throughout the week.

For more information, visit artsdesign.berkeley.edu.

Cosponsored by Berkeley Arts + Design, Berkeley Center for New Media, The Center for Technology and Society at the Anti-Defamation League, Digital Humanities Working Group, UC Berkeley Library, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and Visual Resources Center.