In recent years, Europe has seen a surge in right-wing extremism, alongside nationalist and populist sentiments, resulting in hostile rhetoric that has escalated into real crimes against various groups and individuals, predominantly minorities. Instances of violence have moved onto online platforms, making social media especially conducive to the spread of hate, racist ideologies, and anti-democratic beliefs, ultimately desensitizing the general population. Anna-Lena’s viewpoint is about reclaiming the internet as a safe and empowering space for public debates and discussions, which is essential for the foundations of a pluralistic and diverse society. 
 

What motivated Anna-Lena even more was that these online incidents often go unreported, are not prosecuted, and therefore remain invisible. This invisibility stems from several factors: victims' lack of awareness of their rights and a lack of trust in the existence of specific support services; the high costs of legal proceedings; and the current German legal framework regarding hate speech, which is not sufficiently aligned with international human rights standards. German criminal law provides neither guidelines nor criteria for assessing hate speech cases, while civil remedies are inadequate to bring justice to victims of such offenses. In light of this, Anna-Lena has taken a strategic step by founding HateAid in collaboration with Campact and the organization Fearless Democracy, to assist victims in pursuing civil action against online abuse, including insults, threats, or defamation. 

To help victims of hate speech and online violence to take action, including reporting incidents and taking legal action against their abusers, Anna-Lena founded the first counseling and support service in Germany. This kind of assistance is lacking across the criminal court system. Anna-Lena collaborates with a group of twenty specialised solicitors who represent victims in court. Over 1600 victims of online abuse have received assistance from HateAid, and 170 of them have filed civil lawsuits.  

HateAid helps financially these individuals for legal counsel, representation, and even court proceedings in certain situations. To maximise cases and assist as many victims as possible, HateAid  has created internal legal tech solutions from the beginning. A direct result of these cases was a change in the German Network Enforcement policy, which refers to a law enacted by the Bundestag in 2017, designed to address fake news, hate speech, and misinformation on the internet. Under the earlier legislation, social networks were only required to take down content that was potentially harmful and unlawful; however, under the new law, platform providers must also report such incidents to the Federal Criminal Police Office. 

Anna-Lena has dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to the growth and institutionalisation of HateAid since she founded it. Over a period of seven years, she expanded the company to 41 staff members and raised and managed over 3.5 million euros for their yearly budget. In 2022, HateAid achieved a significant legal victory against Meta, confirming that platforms are required to eliminate not just illegal content but also any identical or similar versions once they have been identified. HateAid played a crucial role in the enactment of the EU's Digital Services Act and is recognized as one of its Trusted Flaggers. She currently works in the policy and advocacy department of HateAid, which is one of the few organizations to speak on behalf of civil society on matters of digital hate crime.