Online racial neutrality as a myth

hate speech and the algorithmic complicity of digital platforms

Abstract

This article examines how the discourse of online racial neutrality contributes to the invisibility and reproduction of racism on Brazilian digital platforms. It is based on the premise that the belief in the internet as a racially neutral space hinders the recognition of the multiple forms of discrimination that emerge in the digital environment, both through explicit and subtle hate speech and through the operation of platform algorithms. The study is grounded in bibliographic and documentary research, bringing together scholarship on structural racism, hate speech, algorithmic racism, and the liability of internet application providers, as well as empirical data produced by research institutions and organizations dedicated to monitoring digital violence. The findings demonstrate that the internet reproduces and intensifies racial inequalities already present in society, revealing that the operational logic of digital platforms and their algorithms plays a significant role in the circulation and amplification of discriminatory content. Finally, the article argues that addressing online racism requires abandoning the myth of racial neutrality and recognizing the responsibility of digital platforms for structuring and disseminating these discriminatory dynamics.