Digital platforms are crucial tools that have transformed social, cultural and political interactions everywhere. However, the world is much concerned about hate and lies online. The United Nations have come up with a a key report to shore up information integrity on digital platforms.
“Countries must address the grave global harm caused by the proliferation of hate and lies online,” said UN Secretary-GeneralAntónioGuterres on the launch of the report.
WHAT THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL SAID?
Alarm over the potential threat posed by the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) must not obscure the damage already being done by digital technologies that enable the spread of online hate speech, as well as mis- and disinformation, Guterres said.
“My hope is that it will provide a gold standard for guiding action to strengthen information integrity,” he wrote in the introduction.
Given the threat, the Secretary-General has called for coordinated international action to make the digital space safer and more inclusive while also protecting human rights.
CONNECTING AND DIVIDING
Digital platforms – which include social media channels, search engines and messaging apps – are connecting billions of people across the planet, with some three billion users of Facebook alone, the report said. .
Social media have brought many benefits, from supporting communities in times of crisis and struggle, to helping to mobilize global movements for racial justice and gender equality. However, the report points out that these digital platforms are misused to subvert science and spread disinformation and hate, fuelling conflict, threatening democracy and human rights, and undermining public health and climate action.
DANGEROUS AND EVEN DEADLY
Social media enabled hate speech and disinformation can lead to violence and death. The ability to disseminate large-scale disinformation to undermine scientifically established facts poses an existential risk to humanity. It endangers democratic institutions and fundamental human rights. These risks have further intensified because of rapid advancements in technology, such as generative artificial intelligence.
“While traditional media remain an important source of news for most people in conflict areas, hatred spread on digital platforms has also sparked and fuelled violence,” the report said. “Some digital platforms have faced criticism of their role in conflicts, including the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Hate speech, according to the working definition in the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, is “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses
Disinformation is information that is not only inaccurate, but also intended to deceive and spread in order to inflict harm. State or non-State actors in multiple contexts can spread disinformation. These include during armed conflict, public health, humanitarian aid and climate action. Misinformation refers to the unintentional spread of inaccurate information shared in good faith by those unaware that they are passing on falsehoods. Misinformation can be rooted in disinformation as deliberate lies and misleading. These narratives are weaponised over time. They are fed into the public discourse and passed on unwittingly. In practice, the distinction between mis- and disinformation can be difficult to determine.
INFORMATION INTEGRITY
Threats to information integrity are not new. Falsehoods and hatred have long been spread for political or financial gain. Yet in the digital age, these operations can be conducted on a previously unthinkable scale, the report said. Powerful communication tools can now spread content instantly across the globe, creating a problem so widespread that online platforms themselves are at times unable to grasp its full extent. The lack of governmentally agreed definitions of these terms should not result in inertia
SAFER DIGITAL SPACE
Noting that constructive responses have largely been lacking, the report states that some tech companies have done far too little to prevent their platforms from contributing to the spread of violence and hatred.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The report puts forward the framework for global action though a Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms that outlines potential guardrails while safeguarding the rights to freedom of expression and information.
- It will build on principles that include respect for human rights, support for independent media, increased transparency, user empowerment and strengthened research and data access.
- The Secretary-General also provided recommendations that could inform the Code of Conduct.
- They include a call for Governments, tech companies and other stakeholders to refrain from using, supporting, or amplifying disinformation and hate speech for any purpose.
- Governments should also guarantee a free, viable, independent, and plural media landscape, with strong protections for journalists.
- Meanwhile, digital platforms should ensure safety and privacy by design in all products, alongside consistent application of policies and resources across countries and languages.
- All stakeholders should take urgent and immediate measures to ensure that all AI applications are safe, secure, responsible and ethical, and comply with human rights obligations, he added.
- Advertisers and digital platforms should ensure that ads are not placed next to online mis- or disinformation or hate speech, and that ads containing disinformation are not promoted.
