“L1ght” reported there was a 900% increase of hateful online abuse against Asians during the coronavirus outbreak, according to Yahoo. “L1ght” is an Israeli startup that tracks hate speech across all online platforms including social networks, chat rooms, and gaming services. The company reported hate speech and cyberbullying targeting Asians were up across the board as more people spend their time online.

“According to our data, much of this hate and abuse is being directed towards China and its production, as well as individuals of Asian origin in other parts of the world,” the report said.

The Chief Technology Officer and cofounder of “L1ght,” Ron Porat told Digital Trends that they have been tracking coronavirus-related hate speech on the internet since December 2. The company found a shift in terminology surrounding the coronavirus as more time passes. It went from hashtags such as “COVID -19” and “coronavirus” to “Kungflu” and “chinaliedpeopledied.”

Furthermore, they found that people are actually seeking out hate sites which has seen a massive spike in traffic.

“These are not places people usually go,” Porat said. “It’s not like you can fall on these randomly. These are places where it takes effort to get there.”

The report found that “instigators of hate” were using these uncertain times to feed discriminatory behavior and that kids were especially affected.

“Instigators of hate are likely using the general feeling of uncertainty and tension to stir up discriminatory behavior, and, according to our data, racist abuse is being targeted most explicitly against Asians, including Asian Americans,” the report said. “Toxic tweets are using explicit language to accuse Asians of carrying the coronavirus and blaming people of Asian origin as a collective for spreading the virus.”

The CEO and cofounder of “L1ght” Zohar Levikovitz, said that big tech companies and hosting providers had a responsibility to filter out online toxicity. He believes the language will become more extreme as people become more isolated.

Troubling news as online hate can have real-life consequences. There has been a surge of anti-Asian hate crimes since the coronavirus outbreak.