Platforms are facing increased pressure from users and governments
Facebook asked to publish a report on hate speech in India, Nigeria's Twitter ban ends, and reporting tweets with misinformation made easier in Brazil
Hey Checklisters!
We hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
In this edition, we look at various actions by platforms around the world. Facebook, now operating as Meta, has been asked to publish an impact assessment report that it commissioned in 2020 to investigate hate speech on its platforms in India. This follows revelations that the company has struggled and often failed to adequately identify and respond to hateful and harmful content in a number of countries, including India, where this content has contributed to continuing harm.
We also look at the Nigerian government’s unblocking of Twitter, ending a seven-month ban. The platform had to commit to registering as a broadcaster in the country, and to upholding ‘sensitivity to national security and cohesion’.
Twitter has also expanded access to tools that allow users to report posts that contain misinformation to Brazil. This followed a campaign by Sleeping Giants Brazil that highlighted a lack of action on harmful posts containing Covid-19 misinformation.
Elsewhere, messaging app Viber has pledged to partner with legitimate sources of information to help combat misinformation ahead of elections in the Philippines, where the service is used by more than 40 million Filipinos.
If there are updates you would like us to share from your country or region, please reach out to us at checklist@meedan.com.
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The latest top stories
Facebook critics urge for release of India human rights review (Mint)
Critics of Facebook have called on the world's largest social network to release a human rights impact assessment it commissioned in 2020 to investigate hate speech on its platforms in India. In a letter sent to the company, rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and India Civil Watch International urged Facebook to release the report, following revelations that the company struggles to monitor problematic content in countries where it was most likely to cause harm.
"Given the complexity of this work, we want these assessments to be thorough. We will report annually on how we're addressing human rights impacts, in line with our Human Rights Policy." — Miranda Sissons, director of human rights policy, Meta
"As a result of the consistent and continuous barrage of hate on social media, particularly on Facebook, Indian Muslims have been practically dehumanized and rendered helpless and voiceless." — Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, former Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission
How Twitter rolled over to get unblocked in Nigeria (Rest of World)
The government of Nigeria has ended its seven-month ban on Twitter after the platform agreed to a list of demands from the government, including opening an office in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, registering as a broadcaster, paying taxes, and committing to ‘sensitivity to national security and cohesion'. The ban was brought about after the platform took down a tweet by Nigerian president Muhamadu Buhari in June 2021 that was seen as a violation of Twitter’s policy banning calls to violence.
“We are concerned that some of the conditions that [the] government claims Twitter agreed to will play into the long-term agenda of clampdown that the government has demonstrated toward citizen rights and the civic space. If [the] government is allowed to move on as if this suspension was not illegal, it leaves room for even worse violations, including a possible complete internet shutdown during the 2023 general elections — Gbenga Sesan, executive director of the Paradigm Initiative
Twitter overhauls whistleblower system after user pressure (Estadão)
Following a campaign led by Sleeping Giants Brazil, Twitter has announced that it would expand access to tools for reporting posts containing disinformation to Brazilian users of the platform. The initiative by Sleeping Giants was in response to a lack of action by Twitter to restrict posts containing misinformation about Covid-19 flagged with the hashtag #FakeNewsMata. According to Twitter, detection was previously done using automated systems, which it claims has been able to identify ‘more than half’ of the content that violates its rules, and that the remainder is identified from "continuous monitoring by internal teams".
“Twitter is silent on the health and safety of Brazilians. They know that health authorities and elections are under attack. Despite this, it does not offer Brazil the tools for reporting disinformation that other countries have access to — Statement by Sleeping Giants Brazil
Viber says to fight 'fake news' as Halalan 2022 heats up (ABS-CBN News)
Messaging app Viber has stated that it intends to keep “fake news” out of its platform as the Philippines gets ready to hold national elections in May 2022. The platform has stated that it “is supporting the Filipinos’ right to vote by partnering with legitimate sources of information to help combat misinformation”.
"The team is working hard to make sure that Viber doesn’t become a platform where fake news or misleading information is possible. In terms of public content which you often see in our Communities, we are starting to increase moderation and resources in the country to ensure that we pick up information that is inappropriate and remove these in a timely manner" — David Tse, Rakuten Viber Senior Director for Asia and the Pacific
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