© UNICEF What we write on social networks affects events in the real world, the UN reminds. Guterres: Hate speech is the first step towards dehumanization Human Rights
As hate speech on digital platforms continues to fuel offline violence against vulnerable populations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark warning: freedom of speech should never be an excuse for inciting hatred.
“Hate speech is the first step towards dehumanization,” Guterres said in his message on the occasion of the International Day Against Hate Speech.
According to him, xenophobic rhetoric has become a “tool of division.” It is used for political purposes and directed at specific groups of the population: women, migrants, refugees, representatives of the LGBTIQ+ community, people with disabilities.
Under the control of artificial intelligence
“In the digital age, hate speech spreads at lightning speed. Its catalyst is unregulated online platforms, and artificial intelligence only aggravates the situation,” the UN head emphasized.
“Many algorithms today encourage aggression and division of society. They monetize lies for “likes” and promote violence for views. At the same time, anonymity on the Internet allows the perpetrators to avoid responsibility for years,” he added.
UN Women representative Kalliopi Mingueiro, in an interview with the UN News Service, noted that rapid technological progress has made it much easier to broadcast patriarchal and retrograde views. “This is a huge ecosystem where algorithms spread misogyny and anti-gender ideas in a matter of hours, creating in the audience the feeling that such behavior is completely normal and acceptable.”
Mingueiro admits that artificial intelligence did not create misogyny, but apparently scaled it: “Now the organizers of bullying can churn out deepfakes, pornographic content created by neural networks, and fake accounts are much faster, without any advanced technical skills and for little money.The UN Secretary-General has consistently rejected arguments that combating online bullying infringes on freedom of speech. Back in 2019, in response to the growth of xenophobia in the world, he launched the UN Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Hateful Speech.
This document helps coordinate the work of all structures of the organization to identify, prevent and suppress this phenomenon, and guarantees strict compliance with international human rights standards. “Freedom of expression,” Guterres believes, “cannot be an excuse for destructive calls.”
The recently developed Global Information Integrity Principles offer a new vision for the digital space. The world’s information flows should no longer be controlled by a small group of corporations from a few countries.
Instead, the initiative calls for returning control to users: giving people the opportunity to decide for themselves what content they consume, how to set up their online platforms and how to manage personal data.
As part of the International Day Against Hate Speech, the UN is holding a series of specialized events. Among them is a discussion dedicated to historical and modern forms of discrimination against representatives of the Roma people in Europe, as well as a round table, the participants of which will discuss the creation of coalitions and the development of practical tools to counter aggression in the media space.