The United Nations and World Health Organisation are tightening the noose on free speech. While the UN uses treaties, WHO is deploying a “social listening” technique in Pacific island nations.
The European Union is creating a committee specifically to tackle online “disinformation.” In the UK, Ofcom is tightening the noose through the Online Safety Act and is leading the global push for online censorship as it chairs the Global Online Safety Regulators Network for a second year.
Meanwhile, corporate media in France is using the courts to enforce French censorship globally. And Spain is proposing a law to force social media influencers to issue public corrections for “misinformation.”
In the US it’s more of a mixed bag with some wins for freedom of speech and some worrying developments, such as the Kids Online Safety Act which some Senators are attempting to rush through before the current Congress expires.
The UN Internet Governance Forum in Saudi Arabia emphasised the need for global collaboration to increase online censorship and combat “misinformation” using AI. Speakers, including Esam Alwagait and Khaled Mansour, expressed concerns about the spread of misinformation on social media, with Mansour stating that it can be “deadly” and “murderous” in conflict zones.
The Forum agreed on the need for regulation, relying on “advanced fact-checking tools” and labelling content, while also paying lip service to preserving freedom of expression.
The UN General Assembly is set to adopt the UN Cybercrime Treaty, despite concerns from human rights and media organisations, as well as technology companies, that it threatens free speech and privacy.
The treaty has been criticised for falling short of international human rights standards and allowing countries to choose whether to implement certain standards.
The US is expected to support the treaty, along with other major Western countries, despite some expressing concerns, with critics arguing that it may be used to enforce repressive legislation.
The World Health Organisation (“WHO”) is expanding its “misinformation management” efforts, particularly in the Pacific region, where it conducted a “needs assessment” in 17 island states. The WHO aims to “manage” not only “disinformation” and “health misinformation” but also “rumours,” which were identified as a top priority by the Pacific states.
The organisation is using a platform called “OpenWHO” and a technique called “social listening” to analyse conversations and narratives and address health misinformation and disinformation as defined by the WHO.
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