Defamation, gagging, misinformation and hate speech: Challenges to democracy
Hey Checklisters!
We hope you’re having a great week.
In this edition, we look at Human Right Watch’s research on the Rwandan courts’ role in suppressing free speech, how defamation campaigns on Facebook are used to discredit opponents of the Tunisian government, statements by presidential candidates in the Philippines about the need for holding social media platforms responsible for the spread of misinformation, Facebook’s failure in detecting hate speech against Rohingya and how a ban on Telegram in Brazil resulted in the messaging app taking immediate measures to counter misinformation.
Also, read a blogpost by Meedan’s Jenna Sherman and Smriti Singh wherein they explore the difference between gendered disinformation and gendered misinformation, analyze the ways in which it presents online with a special focus on gendered misinformation in healthcare, and explain why it is an issue of concern to everyone.
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The latest top stories
Rwanda: Wave of Free Speech Prosecutions (Human Rights Watch)
An investigation by Human Rights Watch in Rwanda in 2020 and 2021 has found that judicial authorities pursued politically motivated prosecutions and perpetuated a culture of intolerance of dissent. The study found that Rwanda's courts are prosecuting opposition members, journalists, and commentators on the basis of their speech and opinions, which should be protected according to the country's constitution, but these protections are poorly defined, leaving room for the suppression of free speech.
“Judicial authorities in Rwanda, lacking the independence to stand up and protect free speech in accordance with international law, have unjustly convicted and jailed people based on their protected speech and opinions. All those jailed unjustly should be immediately and unconditionally released, and the abusive legal framework that allowed their prosecution should be reviewed and brought in line with international free speech standards” - Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch
Tunisia: Defamation As A Way Of Discrediting Opponents (SMEX)
In Tunisia, Facebook pages have become the go-to channel for launching defamation campaigns against judges standing up for President Kais Saeid’s attempts to control the judiciary.
Charges of defamation are still used in Tunisia to punish those with opposing views. In December, Human Rights Watch criticized “Tunisian authorities’ prosecution of citizens who publicly criticized the president under the charge of defamation,” adding that of the cases examined by HRW that month, five were related to “defaming the army and insulting the president.”
Philippines presidential hopefuls say social media platforms should be held accountable (Reuters)
The Philippines’ presidential candidates debating on Saturday agreed on at least one thing and that was the need to hold social media firms liable for the spread of disinformation as the country prepares for elections on May 9. With the coronavirus pandemic disrupting traditional campaigning, candidates and supporters are increasingly turning to social media to reach voters, prompting concerns about online hate speech and disinformation.
“Social media platforms should be made accountable because they are housing disinformation,” —Vice President and opposition leader Leni Robredo said in the debate.
‘Kill more’: Facebook fails to detect hate against Rohingya (AP News)
A new report has found that Facebook failed to detect blatant hate speech and calls to violence against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority years after such behavior was found to have played a determining role in the genocide against them.
“These posts are shocking in what they encourage and are a clear sign that Facebook has not changed or done what they told the public what they would do: properly regulate themselves,” — Ronan Lee, research fellow at the Institute for Media and Creative Industries at Loughborough University, London.
Brazil Lifts Its Ban on Telegram After Two Days (The New York Times)
Brazil’s Supreme Court blocked Telegram on Friday (last week). The messaging app then responded with measures to fight misinformation, and the court quickly lifted its ban. Telegram has long maintained a hands-off approach to content on its apps, which has made it popular with right-wing users who complain that their views are censored on more mainstream social networks. That has meant Telegram has become an important broadcast channel for Mr. Bolsonaro, who has amassed nearly 1.1 million followers on the app.
Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, election officials and federal police have been trying to get a response from Telegram, the fast-growing messaging app, for months. It turned out, all they had to do was ban it. Telegram’s chief executive responded — with a pedestrian excuse: his company had missed the court’s emails. “I apologize to the Brazilian Supreme Court for our negligence,” said the executive, Pavel Durov.
What’s new at Meedan
What is gendered health misinformation and why is it an equity problem worth fighting?
The IWD campaign theme for 2022 is #BreakTheBias – which asks people globally to imagine and fight for a world that is free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, and where differences are celebrated and valued. In accordance with this theme, and as part of our reflections on our own role in fighting a patriarchal and sexist society, we are bringing awareness in this post to gendered misinformation – a subset of health misinformation that is under-researched and under-prioritized – with a focus on gendered health misinformation.