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Digital platforms are a strong contributor in preserving and strengthening freedom of expression and information. They have also enabled voices to be heard and vital information to be shared. Yet structural problems exist when digital platforms deal with disinformation and hate speech, which can have severe consequences.

That’s according to a review of more than 800 sources, analysed for UNESCO by the thinktank Research ICT Africa (RIA).

The evidence is unpacked in UNESCO’s latest policy brief, “”, part of the series World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development.  The brief explains some of the problems behind the proliferation of hate speech and disinformation on online platforms:

1. Attention to economics and microtargeted advertising that results in platforms algorithms being customised to cultivate people’s engagement;
2. Automated advertising systems that rely on massive data holdings from many (often undisclosed) sources that are processed via instant analysis and action;
3. External manipulation that comes from political, governmental, commercial and geopolitical actors and leads to disinformation, hate speech and misinformation.
4. Company spending priorities
5. Stakeholder knowledge deficit about platforms operation and lack of citizen’s media and information literacy.

The policy brief discusses solutions around companies’ internal policies and how these are implemented, and if aligned with international standards on freedom of expression. It outlines problems of ‘solo-regulation’ by individual platforms in content curation and moderation are paralleled by harms associated with unilateral state regulation. It also shows the large scope for platforms to improve on and better enforce their own terms of service – especially in developing countries.

The brief also proposes different regulatory configurations for different challenges and for different regulatory actors. It also highlights the need for basic commonalities across all platforms, including:

• Independence of the diverse regulatory arrangements so that no single actor can “capture” control;
• Requirements of due diligence through upfront human rights impact assessments (for example, in examining risks and developing mitigation measures in regard to upcoming elections).
• Transparency of policies and practices around moderation, and of algorithmic drivers of content curation.

The policy brief was launched in Lyon, France on 10 July at the annual conference of the International Association for Media and Communications Research, a body formed in 1957 under UNESCO impetus.  The brief serves as an evidence-based contribution to UNESCO’s global dialogue around guidelines for regulating platforms. More than 800 information sources were consulted in the research process.

The Issue brief is number 11 under the UNESCO World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development series. Previous issues have included analysis on Journalists covering Protests, the Safety of Foreign Correspondents, the Transparency of digital platforms, and the Misuse of judicial systems to suppress freedom of expression.