‘Urgent need’ for more accountability from social media giants to curb hate speech: UN experts

In a detailed statementmore than two dozen independent UN-appointed human rights experts – including representatives from three different working groups and multiple Special Rapporteurs – called executives by name, saying the companies They lead “must urgently address posts and activities that support hate, and that constitute incitement to discrimination, in accordance with international standards for freedom of expression.”

Time to change

They said Twitter’s new tech billionaire owner Elon Musk, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, head of Google’s parent company Alphabet, Apple’s Tim Cook, “and the CEOs of media platforms other social media”, should “focus on human rights, racial justice, accountability, transparency, social responsibility and corporate ethics in their business model.”

They remind that taking responsibility as a business for racial justice and human rights, “is a core social responsibility, and advises that” respecting human rights is in the long-term interests of public companies. this company and its shareholders.

They emphasize that International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rightsand UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide a clear path on how this can be done.

Step up against hate

“We urge all CEOs and leaders of social media to fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights and tackle racial hatred..”

As evidence of the company’s failure to control hate speech, Dong Nhan Quyen AssociationAppointed independent experts have pointed to a “strong increase in the use of the racist ‘N’ word on Twitter,” following its recent acquisition by Tesla boss Elon Musk.

They argue that this shows an urgent need for social media companies to be more accountable “for the expression of hatred towards people of African descent.

Shortly after Mr Musk took over, the Rutgers University Cyber ​​Infection Research Institute in the US, highlighted that N-word usage on the platform had increased by nearly 500% over a 12-hour period, compared to the average before. , experts said.

There has been a sharp increase in the use of hate speech on Twitter following its recent acquisition.

Upholding human rights

“While Twitter advises this based on a troll campaign and leaves no room for hatred, Expressions of hatred towards people of African descent are deeply concerning and deserves an urgent human rights-focused response.”

They added that hate speech, “supporting national, racial and religious hatred to incite discrimination and violence, as well as racism on social media, is is not only a concern for Twitter but also for other social media giants like Metathe company was formerly known as Facebook.

Experts say that although some companies claim to not allow hate speech, there is a clear gap between stated policies and enforcement.

Misinformation is rampant

“This is particularly prominent in approving inflammatory ads, election misinformation on Facebook, and content about conspiracy theories. Research from Global Witness and SumOfUs recently revealed how Meta failed to block certain ads,” the experts said.

super”took an important step with the establishment of a supervisory board in 2020,” in response to the complaints, they said, noting that “a group of experts from different professional fields stands ready to ‘promote freedom of expression by making independent decisions, about content on Facebook and Instagram and by making recommendations on Facebook in relation to the Company’s Content Policy’.

Long-term monitoring

Experts concede that the panel is well funded, has received around two million appeals on the content, and made a number of recommendations and decisions.

“However, the effectiveness of the Supervisory Board can only be seen over a long period of time and will require ongoing commitment at the highest level” to review and modify tools to combat racial hatred online, experts said.

They added: “There is a risk of arbitrariness and profit impeding the way social media platforms self-monitor and regulate themselves.”

Hate speech, whether online or offline, is a threat to democracy and human rights.

Freedom of expression, not a ‘free ticket’

They pointed out that High Commissioner Volker Türk, the head OHCHRrecently wrote a open letter to Twitter CEO Elon Musk, emphasizing that freedom of speech does not mean “freely spreading harmful misinformation that leads to real-world harm.

“As you have emphasized, human rights law is clear – freedom of expression is limited to hate that incites discrimination, hostility or violence. We often see that the spread of hate and hate speech against people of African descent and other groups not only undermines their rights but also creates major rifts in society. These are increasingly difficult to overcome and a source of various forms of unrest within nations.”

‘Traumatic stress based on race’

Independent experts say that allowing and tolerating behavior that incites and expresses hatred, or promotes hatred towards people of African descent and other socially marginalized groups, “doesn’t do.” not only encourages the perpetrators but also constitutes a constant source of stress and chronic racial trauma. .”

The presence of racial hatred further undermines the trust of those affected, in using social networks and seeking justice.

“This is especially alarming,” they added, given how many young people “live an important part of their lives” online.

Social media at a crossroads

“Content censorship only partially addresses what goes on in cyberspace without taking into account the expected and unintended effects in society. There are deeper problems of advocating for racial hatred, a lack of accountability for abuses, and a lack of efforts to promote tolerance.

“If resolved, These can be powerful determinants in building a positive future both online and offline.”

Acknowledging the good power that social media represents if used actively, experts say it has “a key role to play to prevent further rifts, to racial justice and human rights.” can be maintained, to build less racist, less scheming, more tolerant, fair and equal societies.”

The Special Rapporteur and independent experts are appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council based in Geneva, and are part of the so-called Special Procedures to check and report back about a particular human rights topic or a country situation. The positions are honorary and professionals are not paid for their work.