Edmonton’s Areto Labs Launches First-Ever Global Index to Benchmark Digital Harms in Sport
Hate Speech in sports surged 58% year-over-year, with the Index capturing patterns across Canada, the US, the European Union, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edmonton, Canada — April 28, 2025 - Areto Labs, an Edmonton-based international leader in AI-based automated content moderation for sports, media, content creators and public figures, has released the Areto Hate Speech Index — the world’s first global benchmark to quantify online abuse across sports. The Index builds on Areto’s work since 2018 to develop AI that actively reduces online harms, fraud and digital piracy, and protects public participation across society.
The first Index analysis reveals a 58% year-over-year increase in hate speech from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025. Among the most alarming trends:
- Sexism and transphobia have seen sharp increases (220% YOY and 133% YOY respectively)
- Racism spiked 138% in Q4 2024
- Women’s sports consistently attract higher levels of abuse than men’s (67% increase YOY vs 46% increase YOY respectively).
Hate speech in sport isn’t just rising — it’s reacting.
The Areto Index captures both the steady growth of abuse linked to broader societal shifts, and the sharp surges that follow a missed call, a game-winning goal or a moment that becomes political. “We’re seeing two truths at once,” says Areto Labs Founder and COO Kasey Machin. “Yes, online hate is increasing overall — especially around gender and identity. But it also spikes fast and unexpectedly. That makes real-time awareness critical, but it also shows the need for long-term accountability. The Index gives us both: the big picture and the early warning system.”
"We created the Areto Hate Speech Index as a way to shift the conversation from reacting to individual harms to understanding the systemic patterns behind them, and show clearly: this is what digital harm in sport really looks like,” Machin continues. "For years, we’ve been working with the world’s top researchers, rights holders and organizations to fight online harm in real time. But we’ve also known the problem needed a wider lens. The Index is our way of saying: here’s the data, here’s the standard–let’s raise the bar together."
Modeled after a stock or consumer confidence index, the Areto Index measures the percentage of abusive comments relative to overall engagement on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Powered by Areto’s proprietary AI hate speech analysis and moderation engine, which processes millions of data points in over 50 languages, the Index draws on data from 44 major sports leagues, clubs and ecosystems that attract global followings, across Canada, the US, the European Union and the UK, Australia, New Zealand, creating a global benchmark for online harm.
The Index tracks both illegal hate speech and harmful but legal content that creates unsafe or hostile environments, often driving fans and brands, creators, athletes and public figures to disengage from digital communities entirely. The Index provides a first-of-its-kind view into how hate speech is evolving across social media platforms.
“The Index is a pulse check on the internet — a snapshot of how hate manifests online, and a tool for any industry where public visibility comes with risk," said Jacqueline Comer, Founder and Chief Product Officer of Areto Labs. “That’s why the Index goes far beyond sports. From the rise of women’s sports, the politicization of gender and the proliferation of the manosphere, to legalized betting and bot farms, the patterns we see in our sports data reflect the deeper divides playing out across society. Having a benchmark helps us see those patterns clearly–and start doing something about them.”
The Index will be updated and shared quarterly and is available publicly. Areto is also offering free trial access to its content moderation software for organizations and individuals wanting to deploy their own AI agent to protect themselves and audiences from digital harm.
👉 Explore the full Index Analysis here or at aretolabs.com/blog/areto-index-q1-2025
👉Start a free trial: https://dashboard.aretolabs.com/register
About Areto Labs
Areto Labs is a Canadian women-founded technology company and global leader in AI-driven content moderation, with offices across Canada, Europe and Oceania. Since its inception, Areto Labs has been at the forefront of tackling digital harm — pioneering world-first solutions to detect and remove hate speech, fraud and digital piracy from social media. Their proprietary moderation engine is trusted by leading sports leagues, broadcasters, rights holders, global brands, creators and public figures around the world to protect communities, strengthen engagement and create safer online environments. With a mission rooted in both technology and social impact, Areto is shaping the future of digital safety at scale. aretolabs.com
About Areto Software
Areto is an advanced AI content moderation and engagement software tool, empowering organizations to manage their social media with efficiency and control. Acting as an AI agent on autopilot, and powered by bespoke AI models, Areto gives brands, creators and public figures real-time, automated protection against harmful content and fraudulent activity, while optimizing engagement and reducing manual workloads.
Media Contacts:
Kasey Machin, Founder, Chief Operating Officer - kasey@aretolabs.com
Jacqueline Comer, Founder, Chief Product Officer jacqueline@aretolabs.com