July 1, 2024
Cited article by UN News
HRRC applauds the United Nations’ call to action to governments, tech corporations, advertisers, and media to practice accountability for the dissemination and monetization of harmful online content, including hate speech and disinformation.
News Brief
In a key development, the United Nations launched the Global Principles for Information Integrity, which strive to ensure the safety of information platforms while protecting fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech. The recommendations were announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York last week. Noting how the UN’s own work has been hindered by conspiracy theories and deceptive claims, the UN chief emphasized the critical need to counter hateful messaging and misinformation. Among the principles’ goals are to protect the public from opaque algorithms, increase transparency and factual content in online spaces, and foster the growth of diverse media.
The UN’s principles urge tech and artificial intelligence (AI) developers to enable data access for research purposes while still prioritizing the safety and privacy of users, including children, and to help uphold information integrity online, especially during elections. While tech companies ought to conduct audits, stakeholders invested in AI creation must also do their part to ensure that AI-generated tools are used ethically and responsibly. In addition, the recommendations caution tech companies from relying on programmatic advertising that violates users’ rights and encourage advertisers to also advocate for transparency from the tech industry so as to avoid enabling the spread of inaccurate or malicious content in digital advertising. Furthermore, the principles direct governments to enhance information accessibility and support journalists and independent media, as well as to help equip educators and parents with the necessary resources to protect children in the digital age.