What is the social benefit of hate speech detection research? A Systematic Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews hate speech detection research to understand its social impact and argues that adopting ethical frameworks can bridge the gap between research and policy application.

Contribution

It provides a systematic review of existing hate speech detection systems and emphasizes the need for ethical frameworks to enhance social impact.

Findings

Limited engagement of policymakers with hate speech detection research

Absence of ethical frameworks hinders social impact

Adopting ethical frameworks can improve research applicability

Abstract

While NLP research into hate speech detection has grown exponentially in the last three decades, there has been minimal uptake or engagement from policy makers and non-profit organisations. We argue the absence of ethical frameworks have contributed to this rift between current practice and best practice. By adopting appropriate ethical frameworks, NLP researchers may enable the social impact potential of hate speech research. This position paper is informed by reviewing forty-eight hate speech detection systems associated with thirty-seven publications from different venues.