Freedom of Expression in the Age of Online Platforms: Operationalising a Human Rights-Based Approach to Content Moderation

The Human Rights-Based Approach to Combat Cyberbullying Against Women and Girls

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fifth Edition - Advances in Information Quality and Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3479-3.ch029 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 398-409

Author(s):

Sabrina Ching Yuen Luk

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Psychological Violence ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Not For Profit ◽

Social Media Site ◽

Women And Girls ◽

Human Rights Based Approach

Cyberbullying against women and girls becomes more prevalent when the internet and mobile technologies become more widely available and accessible in terms of cost. It has led to multifaceted consequences that negatively affect victims' self-esteem, physical and mental health, behaviours, relationships with other people, and motivation to live, study, and work. This study argues that cyberbullying against women and girls is a major impediment to achieving gender equality and the full advancement of women. The adoption of a human rights-based approach to combat cyberbullying against women and girls is to encourage women to claim their rights to privacy and freedom of expression online and to be free from any physical, sexual, or psychological violence while recognizing the obligations of governments, employers, not-for-profit organizations, and social media site providers to respect, protect, and guarantee these rights.

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Securing the Future of Copyright Users’ Rights in Canada

Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice ◽

10.22329/wyaj.v35i0.5109 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 11-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saleh Al-Sharieh

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Public Interest ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Copyright Law ◽

Supreme Court Of Canada ◽

International Human Rights Law ◽

Political Rights ◽

Cultural Rights ◽

Exceptions And Limitations ◽

Human Rights Based Approach

The Copyright Act includes a set of copyright infringement exceptions that permit the unauthorized use of copyrighted works in order to serve public interest objectives. The Supreme Court of Canada liberally interpreted these exceptions as “users’ rights” by relying on the purpose of the Act, understood as a balance between the authors’ right to be rewarded for their works and the public interest in the dissemination and use of works. The utility of copyright balance to safeguard users’ rights is uncertain. The Act does not explicitly adopt “balance” as a purpose. National and international copyright law traditionally recognize the users’ side in the copyright law balance in copyright exceptions and limitations. And, in copyright law discourse, different stakeholders propose and defend conflicting forms of balance. Therefore, the paper argues that a human rights-based approach to copyright exceptions is more persuasive in justifying their interpretation as users’ rights. Copyright users’ rights mirror the content of the human rights to participate in culture, education, and freedom of expression, which Canada is obliged to implement as a State Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The proposed approach would align the discourse with key elements of Canadian jurisprudence: (1) human rights as reinforcers of the rule of law; (2) international human rights law as an interpretive tool for Canadian courts; and (3) the need to interpret Canadian legislation in a manner that does not breach international obligations.

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Social media actors in the fight against terrorism: technology and its impact on human rights

Cambridge International Law Journal ◽

10.4337/cilj.2018.02.06 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 284-300

Author(s):

Tsvetelina van Benthem

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Human Rights ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Climate Control ◽

Right To Life ◽

Online Social Media ◽

Online Platforms ◽

Terrorist Groups ◽

Democratic Societies

Terrorist propaganda spreads like a pandemic across online platforms. In this volatile climate, control over social media is increasingly seen as a determinant bastion of power by both terrorist groups seeking to exploit the ubiquity of internet platforms and states aiming to impose restrictions on content disseminated online. Social media actors are gradually taking centre stage in the fight against terrorism as they attempt to curb incitement to violence in its evolving manifestations via sophisticated algorithms. While such measures are necessary for the protection of the general population's right to life and security of the person, these measures carry inherent risks of over-caution and threaten freedom of expression – a core right in democratic societies. This article argues that, notwithstanding the risks in granting quasi-judicial functions to online intermediaries, they should be employed as a carefully tailored tool to secure protection against arbitrary domestic measures, particularly in the fight against terrorism.

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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN CYBERSPACE

INDIVIDUAL. SOCIETY. STATE. Proceedings of the International Student and Teacher Scientific and Practical Conference ◽

10.17770/iss2017.3021 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 163

Author(s):

Krista Revizore ◽

Māris Šļakota

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Service Providers ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Digital Technologies ◽

Online Service ◽

Online Platforms ◽

Two Sides ◽

Online Service Providers ◽

Cyberspace Security

This report includes information about freedom of expression and ability to execute the guaranteed freedom in the cyberspace. Thesis examine the question falling under the scope of human rights online. More particularly, it displays cyberspace security and vulnerability problems regarding guaranteed right to freedom of expression in cyberspace. The discussion concern two sides of the coin: individuals who participate and communicate through online platforms and consequences of their actions – impact on intermediaries. It is an essential topic as modern and digital technologies develop more and more every day alluring new participants who should understand what can be said online, how their actions can be protected, freedom executed and what are liabilities imposed to online service providers.

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A Human Rights-Based Approach to Bridge Gender Digital Divide

Gender Gaps and the Social Inclusion Movement in ICT - Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7068-4.ch002 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 24-44

Author(s):

Ching Yuen Luk

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Digital Divide ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

The Internet ◽

Internet Privacy ◽

Distribution Of Resources ◽

Human Rights Based Approach ◽

And Training

Using India as a case study, this chapter examines four elements of gender digital divide, the causes of gender digital divide, and ways to bridge gender digital divide. It finds that girls and women do not have equal access to the internet and mobile technologies like men do. This is due to social norms favoring men in the distribution of resources and opportunities, women's lack of the economic means, and ineffective law enforcement. This study calls for a human rights-based approach to bridge gender digital divide, which emphasizes women's rights to ICT-related education and training, internet privacy and freedom of expression, and mobile phone ownership.

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The role of artificial intelligence in disinformation

Data & Policy ◽

10.1017/dap.2021.20 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Noémi Bontridder ◽

Yves Poullet

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Human Rights ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

The European Union ◽

Digital Ecosystem ◽

Online Platforms ◽

Digital Services ◽

The Web ◽

The Eu

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are playing an overarching role in the disinformation phenomenon our world is currently facing. Such systems boost the problem not only by increasing opportunities to create realistic AI-generated fake content, but also, and essentially, by facilitating the dissemination of disinformation to a targeted audience and at scale by malicious stakeholders. This situation entails multiple ethical and human rights concerns, in particular regarding human dignity, autonomy, democracy, and peace. In reaction, other AI systems are developed to detect and moderate disinformation online. Such systems do not escape from ethical and human rights concerns either, especially regarding freedom of expression and information. Having originally started with ascending co-regulation, the European Union (EU) is now heading toward descending co-regulation of the phenomenon. In particular, the Digital Services Act proposal provides for transparency obligations and external audit for very large online platforms’ recommender systems and content moderation. While with this proposal, the Commission focusses on the regulation of content considered as problematic, the EU Parliament and the EU Council call for enhancing access to trustworthy content. In light of our study, we stress that the disinformation problem is mainly caused by the business model of the web that is based on advertising revenues, and that adapting this model would reduce the problem considerably. We also observe that while AI systems are inappropriate to moderate disinformation content online, and even to detect such content, they may be more appropriate to counter the manipulation of the digital ecosystem.

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