Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 8 – Information Integrity on Digital Platforms
Lead author: Eshana Amarasinghe
Information integrity is increasingly under threat of mis- and disinformation and hate speech, which inflict a range of harms. These include: worsening tensions in conflict areas, undermining the climate emergency and worsening the economic and social exclusion of vulnerable groups. In response, Member States have adopted legislation to promote information integrity while protecting users’ freedom of expression on digital platforms. However, several challenges remain in terms of protecting data, empowering users and improving transparency (among other issues). To this end, the Secretary General proposes the United Nations Code of Conduct, which aims to promote the following:
- A commitment to information integrity
- Respect for human rights
- Support for independent media
- Increased transparency
- User empowerment
- Strengthened research and data access
- Scaled up responses
- Stronger disincentives to enabling disinformation
- Enhanced trust and safety.