The CIVICUS Monitor is a knowledge base and a research tool built by civil society. CIVICUS shares reliable, up-to-date data on the state of civil society freedoms in all countries. Their interactive world map enables accessing live updates from civil society around the world, tracking threats to civil society and learning about the ways in which our rights to participate and express ourselves are being realised or challenged.

The tool provides a coherent methodology for the analysis of cases of hate speech. It is based on the Rabat Plan of Action (2012). It helps to make a clear distinction between hate speech that is criminally punishable, hate speech that is not criminally punishable but would justify civil or administrative sanctions and hate speech that just "raises concerns in terms of tolerance, civility and respect for the rights of others". The tool's methodology relies on a six-part threshold test/categories:

1. the context of the speech

2. the speaker

3. the intent

4. the content and the form of the speech

5. the extent of the speech and

6. the likelihood of the speech to produce immediate action against its targets.

In recent years, technological developments have transformed the public sphere, changing the logic and speed of information dissemination. This is why we have no chance to verify every important claim in the public domain, and there are not enough journalists in the world to do it. But we hope to point to methods, sources, and the kind of critical insight that can help our readers to find their way around even when they are not reading the Lakmusz.