Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Microsoft have agreed to a European Commission code of conduct that prohibits hate speech on their sites, Engaget reports.
While the code of conduct is not legally binding, it represents an effort on the part of the four major websites to curtail offensive and discriminatory speech. Each company will assign a team to scour their respective website to ensure that perceived hate speech does not go viral; the teams will be tasked with removing any hate speech within 24 hours of it being posted.
The European Commission plans to assist these companies in following the code of conduct, and hopes that all major websites will eventually adopt their rules.