UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay told reporters on November 6 that online misinformation and hate speech – fueled and amplified by social media – pose “a major risk to social cohesion, peace and stability.” She said there was a need for regulation to protect access to information, while also protecting freedom of expression and human rights.
The UNESCO-commissioned survey of 16 countries holding elections next year – a total of 2.5 billion voters – shows how urgent the need for effective regulation has become. The survey of 8,000 people from countries including Austria, Croatia, the United States, Algeria, Mexico, Ghana and India found that 56% of internet users get their news mainly from social media, far higher than television (44%) or media websites (29%).
Social media is the biggest source of news in almost every country, despite significantly lower trust in the information it provides than traditional media: 50% compared to 66% for television, 63% for radio, and 57% for media apps and websites.
Across all 16 countries, 68% of respondents agreed that social media is the most widespread source of fake news, followed by messaging apps (38%). Misinformation is seen as a specific threat, with 85% expressing concern about its impact. 87% believe it has a major impact on national politics and will play a role in the 2024 election.
Hate speech is also widespread: 67% have witnessed it online. 88% of respondents want governments and regulators to address both issues, and 90% want platforms to take action.
Mathieu Gallard, director of Ipsos, the agency commissioned by UNESCO to conduct the survey, commented that people are very worried about misinformation, regardless of where they live, their age, their education, whether they live in rural or urban areas. They are especially worried during elections and want all relevant parties to address the issue.
UNESCO has published a plan to combat disinformation based on seven key principles, the result of an “unprecedented” advisory process within the UN system that drew more than 10,000 contributions from 134 countries over 18 months.
According to UNESCO, independent and well-resourced public regulatory bodies must be established everywhere and should work together as part of a larger network to prevent digital entities from exploiting legal differences between countries.
Platforms must effectively moderate content at scale, across all regions and languages, “with accountability and transparency regarding algorithms that maximize interactivity at the expense of trustworthy information.”
Authorities and platforms must take stronger measures – including risk assessments, content reporting, greater transparency around political advertising – during elections and in times of crisis such as armed conflict and disaster.
(According to The Guardian)
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