FH Graubünden

FH Graubünden, also known by the project title "Ein Bild verletzt mehr als 1000 Worte," is a Swiss research organization focused on the analysis of digital hate speech, specifically through the study of online hate imagery. Its core activity involves operating a citizen science platform that enables the public to anonymously submit examples of hate images for academic research. This project serves a dual purpose: collecting empirical data to understand the proliferation and nature of visual hate online, and developing methods to combat its spread. The platform directly engages the general public as contributors, making the research participatory and dependent on broad societal involvement. The organization's work is situated at the intersection of information technology, social sciences, and media studies, targeting the pervasive issue of digital intolerance. Its research output aims to inform strategies and tools for mitigating online hate, positioning it within the field of cybersecurity and digital ethics. The initiative's very name underscores its specialization in the potent impact of visual media compared to text.

The operational context of this research was dramatically illustrated in early February 2023 when its public-facing website suffered a targeted cyberattack. The attack occurred shortly after the project's launch and successfully disrupted the citizen contribution system for nearly three days, rendering the data collection platform inoperable. This incident highlights the project's role as a visible, public-facing entity tackling a contentious subject, thereby attracting hostile digital interference. The organization's technical resilience was demonstrated by its IT experts' ability to remove the malware and restore functionality without any compromise of personal or sensitive research data. This outcome was attributed to preventive security measures, including the segregation of the public submission platform from the protected repositories storing analyzed research data. Despite the temporary technical failure, the research team publicly reaffirmed its commitment to the project's mission, urging continued anonymous public participation. The attack's timing, coinciding with promotional activities, suggested an intent to sabotage the project's data-gathering objective and silence its research into digital hate.