Platform and content governance
02 Sep 2024
Blog post
Is the Online Safety Act “fit for purpose”? Thoughts on its application in the recent UK riots
In July, the United Kingdom experienced a wave of racially charged riots following a mass stabbing in the town of Southport. Among multiple contributing social and political factors, one clear driver was disinformation spread via social media. In the aftermath, several British politicians have called for…
28 Aug 2024
Report
An ever-tightening net: Restrictions on online expression under cybercrime laws and content restrictions in Africa, the Middle East and Türkiye
This report seeks to highlight the dangers of cybercrime legislation and online content regulations in Africa, the Middle East and Türkiye which restrict online expression in ways that violate international human rights law. It also aims to provide strategic guidance for civil society organisations and technology companies to push back…
30 Jul 2024
Blog post
What would a human rights-based approach to platform regulation look like?
In the past few decades, the landscape of online platform regulation has undergone significant changes. For many years, online platforms were largely left outside the scope of government regulation, based on claims from companies and policymakers that platforms could successfully self-regulate, promote free expression…
19 Jul 2024
Blog post
Civil society joint brief on the UN Global Digital Compact
Introduction We, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals, who have been active in the United Nations (UN) Global Digital Compact (GDC) process since the onset, write to express our concerns regarding the state of the GDC from a human rights perspective. We release this because we understand that…
10 Jul 2024
Blog post
The UN Global Principles for Information Integrity: our thoughts
The integrity of information online has become a critical concern for global governance, prompting various efforts at the global, regional and national levels. This includes at the United Nations (UN), which in June 2024 published the United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity: Recommendations for…
07 May 2024
Blog post
To arrive at rights-respecting online platform regulation, we need more focus on data access for researchers
As governments grapple with the complexities of regulating online platforms, one often overlooked essential factor is data access for researchers. Access to data is in many ways the lifeblood of evidence-based policymaking. Without it, we are hindered in our ability to understand the ways that platforms operate. This…
18 Apr 2024
news
GPD provides submission to Global Digital Compact zero draft
We welcome the recent publication of the zero draft of the Global Digital Compact, an ongoing UN-led initiative that aims to develop a set of guiding principles for member states on how human rights standards apply in the digital age. We particularly applaud that the Compact recognises human…
07 Feb 2024
news
Work opportunity: GPD seeks consultant to undertake a psychosocial and mental health needs assessment for project
Global Partners Digital (GPD) is seeking an external consultant to undertake a psychosocial and mental health needs assessment and develop a template for future needs assessments on a project relating to platform regulation. GPD is looking to collaborate with a psychosocial and mental health expert to: …
05 Dec 2023
Blog post
The final text of UNESCO’s Guidelines: a more balanced approach to platform governance
The final text of UNESCO’s Guidelines for the governance of digital platforms was released this month. The document marks the conclusion of a process started in September 2022 by UNESCO to produce what were originally billed as ‘Guidelines for regulating…
18 Sep 2023
Report
Laws restricting disinformation in Sub-Saharan Africa: impacts of their enforcement on freedom of expression
For the last several years, a consortium of civil society organisations has been tracking and analysing government responses to online disinformation in Sub-Saharan Africa, examining their coherence with international and regional human rights law and standards. This brief explores how governments in the region are enforcing laws and policies on…
18 Sep 2023
Report
Laws restricting disinformation in Sub-Saharan Africa: the state of play in 2023
For the last several years, a consortium of civil society organisationsi has been tracking and analysing government responses to online disinformation in Sub-Saharan Africa. While it is important to find ways of addressing the harms posed by the proliferation of disinformation online, the research has shown that many laws and…
24 Aug 2023
news
GPD seeks external consultant to evaluate project on disinformation and human rights
Global Partners Digital is seeking to contract an external evaluation consultant to conduct a final evaluation of a project focused on promoting rights-respecting approaches to tackling disinformation. The project—which has the overall goal of ensuring responses to tackle disinformation in Sub-Saharan Africa are in line with international human rights standards—is…
29 Jun 2023
Blog post
The UK’s Online Safety Bill: notes on Committee stage and the final stretch
After six weeks of debate at Committee stage in the UK’s House of Lords, the Online Safety Bill—a landmark and controversial piece of legislation, which will impose a wide-ranging regulatory framework on online platforms operating in the UK—is nearing its final form. During Committee stage, members of the Lords undertook…
01 Jun 2023
Blog post
Disinformation and human rights explained
This explainer was updated in May 2023. The original version was published in 2019. * Disinformation. Fake news. Propaganda. Whatever you call it, one of the biggest challenges facing societies all over the world is the spread of false or misleading information through social media and communications platforms, often…
09 Mar 2023
Report
Evading Accountability Through Internet Shutdowns: Trends in Africa and the Middle East
Governments around the world frequently use internet shutdowns to disguise and evade accountability for grave human rights violations, including illegitimate grabs for power, state-sanctioned violence against peaceful protestors and even extrajudicial killings of political dissidents. This paper draws attention to key examples of this happening in recent years across Africa…
01 Mar 2023
news
GPD calls on UK government not to expand criminal liability for social media managers in Online Safety Bill
In a new briefing, GPD is calling on the UK government to scrap a proposed amendment to its Online Safety Bill which would introduce jail terms for senior managers of social media platforms who are not complying with child safety duties. The proposed amendment—originally put forward by 37 MPs in January—has been…
23 Jan 2023
news
GPD provides comments on UNESCO content regulation guidance
GPD has provided comments on UNESCO’s “Guidance on Regulating Digital Platforms: a multistakeholder approach”, a document which aims to provide high-level guidance to states and other relevant stakeholders considering how to regulate online content. The development of this guidance document is part of a broader UNESCO initiative: “Internet for Trust: Regulating…
20 Dec 2022
Blog post
The return of the UK’s Online Safety Bill: what’s changed and what’s next
The UK’s Online Safety Bill came back to Parliament on Monday 5 December for the completion of its report stage, having undergone substantive changes since the previous version was released in June 2022 (after passing through the Public Bill Committee). The process of developing the 250-page long piece of legislation has…
10 Oct 2022
Report
Engaging Tech Companies on Human Rights: A How-To Guide for Civil Society
This guide, jointly developed with the Global Network Initiative, aims to support civil society organisations in engaging with the tech sector around issues affecting human rights. It is structured in three parts: Part I identifies and explains the role of key actors within the tech…
14 Jul 2022
Blog post
The EU Digital Markets Act: is interoperability the way forward?
In our first blogpost in this two-part series, we began to unpack the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), exploring some of its key provisions and their likely impacts on human rights. In this blogpost, we will dive further…
05 Jul 2022
Blog post
How will the Digital Markets Act affect human rights? Four likely impacts
In this first blogpost of a two-part series, we lay out some of the key provisions of the European Digital Markets Act and four impacts it will likely have on human rights. In the upcoming second blogpost, we’ll take a closer look at its interoperability requirements,…
04 Apr 2022
Blog post
The UK’s Online Safety Bill poses serious risks to human rights
After a Green Paper, a White Paper and a draft Bill, the UK government has finally published its long-awaited Online Safety Bill, which aims to tackle a range…
02 Mar 2022
Blog post
Marginalised languages and the content moderation challenge
Last week saw the launch of a new report on the state of the internet’s languages, timed to coincide with International Mother Languages Day on 21 February. The report explores how multilingual the internet actually is, finding considerable inequalities in the…
20 Jan 2022
Blog post
The Irish Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: our thoughts
Last week, the Irish government published the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill, which aims to update regulations for broadcasting and video on-demand services and create a new regulatory framework for online safety in Ireland. The Bill would establish…
18 May 2021
Blog post
First thoughts on the UK’s draft Online Safety Bill
After a Green Paper, a White Paper and an interim and final response, on Friday the UK government finally published the first draft…
17 Mar 2021
Report
Human Rights in the Digital Age: State of Play across Commonwealth Pacific Countries
The rise and evolution of the internet and digital technologies has brought about new opportunities and challenges for communities around the world to exercise and enjoy their human rights – including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the right to privacy. However, while it is now widely accepted that…
17 Dec 2020
Blog post
The EU’s Digital Service Act: initial thoughts
This week, the European Commission published its proposal for a new Regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to update the EU’s legal framework for intermediary liability, and introduce new obligations on online platforms around their content moderation policies and practices. The…
16 Dec 2020
Blog post
The UK government’s full response to the Online Harms White Paper: initial thoughts
This week, the UK government published its full response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation, setting out further details on its proposed legal framework to address illegal and harmful content and activity on online platforms. The government is championing this…
15 Jul 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 13 (S2): Online content: possible futures w/ Jason Pielemeier
We speak to Jason Pielemeier, Policy Director at the Global Network Initiative (GNI), for a big picture discussion on the rapidly involving debate around online content regulation. Find out more about GNI’s upcoming policy brief on online content regulation here. Follow Jason on Twitter here.
03 Jul 2020
Blog post
The EU’s Digital Services Act—what might it mean for freedom of expression?
On 2 June, the European Commission published its long-awaited consultation paper on the proposed Digital Services Act—which will create a regulatory framework for digital services and online platforms in the European Union, replacing the current e-Commerce Directive, which was adopted 20 years ago.
25 Jun 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 11 (S2): Tracking disinformation in Sub Saharan Africa w/ CHR
We discuss the recently launched disinformationtracker.org with the team at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria (CHR)—Hlengiwe Dube, Marystella Simiyu, and Tomiwa Ilori Ilori. Find out more about CHR here. In beta ·…
09 Jun 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 9 (S2): Content moderation in fast moving times
We speak to Barrie Sander, Fellow at Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV) Direito Rio in Brazil, about current trends in content moderation by online platforms. In beta ·…
28 May 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 8 (S2): What can we expect from Facebook’s Oversight Board?
We speak to Evelyn Douek, a leading commentator on online content moderation by platforms, about Facebook’s Oversight Board—which recently unveiled its first slate of members. In beta ·…
07 Apr 2020
multimedia
In beta, episode 1 (S2): COVID-19 and the fight against disinformation
We talk to our Head of Legal, Richard Wingfield, about recent measures taken by governments and tech companies to counter disinformation in the context of COVID-19. …
08 Jan 2020
Blog post
Online Safety Legislative Reform in Australia: our first thoughts
2020 is likely to be a big year for legal developments when it comes to social media platforms. While governments have, in the last few years, made sporadic efforts to tackle what they consider to be “harmful” content, these have largely been focused on specific…
19 Jun 2019
Report
Social Responsibility is a Business Matter: A Guide for Tech SMEs in Lebanon
This guide is designed to help small and medium tech enterprises ensure that they are respecting privacy and free expression in their products and services. It covers: The business case for respecting privacy and free expression as a tech SME; What these rights mean in legal terms, and the specific obligations placed…
03 Apr 2019
Blog post
The Online Harms White Paper: what you need to know
This extract is taken from the February 2019 issue of The digest, GPD’s monthly newsletter. Sign up here. * The UK government’s long awaited Online Harms White Paper is…still not here. But when it comes (any day now, we promise) it’s likely to be…
27 Nov 2018
Blog post
Initial thoughts on Facebook’s “Blueprint for Content Governance and Enforcement”
As the world’s largest social media platform, and one of its largest companies, it’s not surprising that Facebook attracts a great deal of scrutiny over its actions, and, in particular, how it moderates content on its platform. Criticism comes from many angles; with the platform…
25 Nov 2018
Report
How to respect privacy and free expression as a tech SME in Zambia
This guide is designed to help small and medium tech enterprises ensure that they are respecting privacy and free expression in their products and services. It covers: The business case for respecting privacy and free expression as a tech SME; What these rights mean in legal terms, and the specific obligations placed…
25 Nov 2018
Report
How to respect privacy and free expression as a tech SME in Zimbabwe
This guide is designed to help small and medium tech enterprises ensure that they are respecting privacy and free expression in their products and services. It covers: The business case for respecting privacy and free expression as a tech SME; What these rights mean in legal terms, and the specific obligations placed…
25 Nov 2018
Report
Como respeitar a privacidade e a liberdade de expressão sendo PME de tecnologia em Moçambique
A privacidade, segurança e liberdade de expressão dos utilizadores devem ser considerações fundamentais para qualquer empresa que actua em Moçambique – especialmente no sector de tecnologia. Por um lado, estes direitos são protegidos por leis internacionais, regionais e nacionais de direitos humanos. Mas não é a única razão.
25 Nov 2018
Report
How to respect privacy and free expression as a tech SME in Malawi
This guide is designed to help small and medium tech enterprises ensure that they are respecting privacy and free expression in their products and services. It covers: The business case for respecting privacy and free expression as a tech SME; What these rights mean in legal terms, and the specific obligations placed…
25 Oct 2018
multimedia
In beta, episode 11: How should we approach “fake news”?
Governments and other institutions are increasingly avoiding the term “fake news”, preferring disinformation. But if the term has fallen out of fashion, policy responses to the issues it evokes show few signs of abating. In Singapore, the government has just signalled their intention to develop a new law to tackle…
15 May 2018
Blog post
Content regulation laws threaten our freedom of expression. We need a new approach
In the wake of what has been described as tech’s ‘annus horribilis’, it has become almost unfashionable to speak of online platforms as enablers of freedom of expression and other human rights. But it is unquestionably true. Many of the most successful social movements…
09 Apr 2018
Report
How to respect privacy and free expression as a tech SME in South Africa
This guide is designed to help small and medium tech enterprises ensure that they are respecting privacy and free expression in their products and services. It covers: The business case for respecting privacy and free expression as a tech SME; What these rights mean in legal terms, and the specific obligations placed…
18 Jan 2018
multimedia
In beta, episode 8: should the tech giants of Silicon Valley be broken up?
In 1982, the Bell telecommunications monopoly in the US was broken up after a landmark antitrust suit, ushering in a wave of innovation in telecommunications. Today, companies like Alphabet and Facebook are capturing an unprecedented – and increasing – share of the world’s attention. Should we be thinking about breaking…
22 Nov 2017
Report
How to Respect Privacy and Free Expression as a Tech SME in Nigeria
This guide is designed to help small and medium tech enterprises ensure that they are respecting privacy and free expression in your products and services. It covers: The business case for respecting privacy and free expression as a tech SME; What these rights mean in legal terms, and the specific obligations placed…
27 Sep 2017
multimedia
In beta, episode 6: who gets to decide when online content is removed?
GPD’s executive director Charles Bradley talks to Emma Llansó, Director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) about the role of intermediaries like Facebook and Twitter, and how growing pressure on them to remove user content might affect our freedom of expression.
21 Aug 2017
Report
Comment Respecter Vie Privée et Liberté d’Expression dans une PME Technologique au Sénégal (FR)
La vie privée, la sécurité et la liberté d’expression des utilisateurs devraient faire l’objet de considérations fondamentales pour toute entreprise opérant au Sénégal – en particulier dans le secteur de la technologie. D’une part, ces droits sont protégés sur les plans international et régional et au Sénégal en tant que…
08 May 2017
multimedia
In beta, episode 4: are we missing the bigger picture behind network disruptions?
GPD’s Executive Director talks to Deji Olukotun from Access Now, Julie Owono from Internet San Frontiers and Arthur Gwagwa from Strathmore University and the Open Technology Fund, about the bigger picture behind the growing trend of network disruptions. This episode was recorded on the margins of the 2017…
05 Apr 2017
multimedia
In beta, episode 3: can a business be a human rights defender?
GPD’s Executive Director interviews Michael Samway, former Vice-President and Deputy General Counsel for Yahoo! and current adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
11 Feb 2016
Blog post
Just another ‘black box’? First thoughts on Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council
Yesterday, Twitter announced the creation of the Trust and Safety Council, a body comprising 40 organisations and individuals from civil society and academia, tasked with “ensur[ing] that people feel safe expressing themselves on Twitter”. The move is clearly a response to specific criticism of…