The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility released a new policy paper on hate speech online on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the paper, “Countering and Addressing Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Policy Makers and Practitioners” was created in collaboration with the Economic and Social Research Council Human Rights, Big Data, and Technology Project at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
The UN stated that they had observed how social media has become a major vehicle for spreading hate speech at an unprecedented rate, endangering free expression and thriving public debate.
“We saw how perpetrators of identity-based violence used online hate to target, dehumanize, and attack others, many of whom are already on the margins of society.”
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Ms. Alice Nderitu, said that the most marginalized members of society include those who are racial, ethnic, religious, or national minorities, refugees, immigrants, women, and people with various sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and sex characteristics.
The Strategy commits firmly to stepping up coordinated efforts to combat hate speech at both the international and national levels, including the use of new technologies and interaction with social media to address online hate speech and promote uplifting narratives.
“Digital technologies and social media play a crucial role in tackling hate speech, through outreach, awareness-raising, providing access to information, and education,” noted the Special Adviser.
“As we keep changing and spending more time online, it’s crucial to ensure that everyone has access to the same rights online as they do outside,” the former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Deputy Director of the Essex Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed concluded.
Beyond the digital gaps produced by internet hate, he warned of “the acts of violence that follow from online incitement to violence, including mass atrocities.”
