UNESCO is developing a guidance document for actors seeking to regulate digital platforms, with the aim of supporting freedom of expression and the availability of accurate and reliable information in the public sphere, while dealing with content that potentially damages human rights and democracy.
The document “Guidance for regulating digital platforms: a multistakeholder approach” was featured at the UNESCO Global Conference “Internet for Trust: Regulating Digital Platforms for Information as a Public Good” which took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, from February 21-23, 2023.
UNESCO has circulated the draft document and started multistakeholder consultations to get input and provide a space for debate about the broader issues behind the paper, and future actions.
The Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network has contributed to UNESCO's program by providing feedback on the regulatory framework for digital content platforms to secure information as a public good.
The submission welcomes the initiative, and shares observations that should be considered in the document, including the need to strengthen the role of multi-stakeholderism in setting up such regulatory structures.
In addition, the I&JPN points out that the framework needs to be strengthened with the introduction of key systemic components in content moderation decisions related to recourse mechanisms, and the geographic scope of content restrictions. Finally, the feedback provided shares concerns around other topics addressed in the document, such as meaningful transparency, content management, and thresholds. The Content & Jurisdiction Contact Group has developed a framing brief on developing such meaningful transparency regimes.
