Government Monitors Citizens' Online Activity, Impact Explained

Spain has launched a tool to monitor citizens’ activity on social media. The instrument, named HODIO, is being utilised as an effort to increase oversight of companies on social media platforms.

HODIO is derived from the Spanish acronym for ‘hate and polarisation footprint’. The tool is expected to automatically track the presence, amplification, and impact of hate speech on digital platforms.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez explained that hatred in the digital space causes divisions within society. He even compared the hate footprint to carbon footprint discussions.

“We want to start talking about the impact of hate. When something is measured, it is no longer invisible,” Sanchez said, as reported by Reuters on 12 March 2026.

HODIO will operate and subsequently report its findings to the public. This allows citizens to see which parties are blocking this content, failing to comply, or profiting from it.

The use of HODIO represents a new step in Spain’s “cleaning up” of digital space. Last month, the country announced broader plans to regulate social media. One such measure bans use for those under a certain age. This regulation is also set to be implemented in Indonesia from 28 March 2026.

Additionally, Spain is implementing measures to hold platform executives accountable for illegal or hateful content within their services.