New Delhi:
As global elections heat up, the independent Oversight Board warned that inaccurate enforcement by social media platforms and uneven investment in global election integrity efforts have increased the risks of poll-related violence, the problematic suppression of critical political speech and the spread of fake news increases. and deepfakes aimed at disrupting elections.
The Oversight Board, an independent body of 22 global human rights and freedom of expression experts from across the political spectrum, has made elections one of its top strategic priorities.
In a paper, the independent board called for urgent action to tackle the worst online abuses that threaten key global elections and freedom of expression.
The Council analyzed a wide range of election-related cases – ranging from the suspension of former US President Donald Trump from Meta's platforms to the Council's decision to withhold controversial comments on immigration by a French politician, and news reports on political speeches in the United States. Pakistani parliament.
It then came up with nine key lessons that all social media platforms should follow.
These include devoting sufficient resources to moderating content before, during, and after elections without limiting it to the immediate voting period, establishing basic standards for all elections everywhere, and not neglecting dozens of elections taking place in countries which may be less lucrative markets. but where the threat of instability is often greatest.
“Our guidance was clear: if you remove content related to politics, especially in the context of elections, removal must be necessary to prevent or limit real offline harm. The right of voters to express and hear a wide range of information and opinions is essential,” said Michael McConnell, co-chair of the Oversight Board.
“But this should not be an excuse for allowing messages that are likely to incite violence or suppress the rights of others to speak and vote,” he added.
The guidelines include ensuring that political speech that incites violence should not go unchecked, prioritizing faster escalation of content to human review and strong sanctions against repeat abusers.
“Expanded labeling of AI-generated content is an important first step in this global election year, but there is too much at stake for companies to hesitate when it comes to adopting greater transparency across the board,” it added McConnell added.
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