OHCHR / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE
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STORY: OHCHR / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE
TRT: 01:15
SOURCE: OHCHR / EPA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 JUNE 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Still shot, Courtesy EPA photos
2. Pan right, Human Rights Council
4.SOUNDBITE (English) David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, United Nations:
“What we are seeing more and more is that States, which see that so much debate and reporting and dissent takes place on social media platforms; they are often going to those platforms directly, outside of any legal process, in order to ask those platforms to take down content.”
5. Zoom out, still photo, courtesy EPA photos
6. Zoom out, server
7. Close up, hands on keyboard
10. SOUNDBITE (English) David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression:
“When the companies are moderating content, that is when they are deciding what kind of content is appropriate and inappropriate; I think we expect a few things: We expect that there are transparent about their process, for deciding what rules are going to be applied. Transparent about what those rules look like and how they are made. Clear about the nature of those rules and they provide the kind of appeals process and accountability for wrongful take downs of content.”
11. Med shot, Human Rights Council
UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression David Kaye said Governments and private companies policing online content must ensure it is done transparently using existing legal processes.
In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Kaye expressed concern that States were circumventing existing laws to censor information online by reaching out directly to companies.
SOUNDBITE (English) David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, United Nations:
“What we are seeing more and more is that States, which see that so much debate and reporting and dissent takes place on social media platforms; they are often going to those platforms directly, outside of any legal process, in order to ask those platforms to take down content.”
While acknowledging that moderating content is worthwhile, particularly to curb hate speech, Kaye emphasized on the need for transparency. He societies should accept that platforms remove content such as child sexual exploitation or incitement to violence. He noted that companies have a role in ensuring that their platforms do not become cesspools of hatred as that would interfere with the ability of people to express themselves.
However, the Special Rapporteur stressed that when companies are deciding what kind of content is appropriate and inappropriate a few things should be expected: “We expect that there are transparent about their process, for deciding what rules are going to be applied. Transparent about what those rules look like and how they are made. Clear about the nature of those rules. And they provide the kind of appeals process and accountability for wrongful take downs of content.”