UN launches campaign against hate speech on the internet

O hate speech and misinformation increased on the internet during the pandemic, according to the United Nations (UN). To combat these evils, the organization created the campaign “The Virtual is the Real“. The series of activities begins on June 18, which is the official day proclaimed for the demonstrations. From November 25th to December 10th, since 1991, the UN has carried out the campaign “16 days of activism“, with the theme of gender violence, linked to initiatives against violent speech.

A ONU states that violent speech on the internet has increased and its effects are overwhelming. They cause discrimination, exclusion and increase social inequality. This speech can be defined as “any form of communication, written or behavioral, that attacks or uses discriminatory language with reference to a person or group based on their identity, i.e. religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other feature”.

In July 2021, more than 150 UN member countries passed a resolution to fight violent speech on any platform. The idea is that the struggle does not conflict with freedom of expression, however when speech becomes a weapon to violate the rights of other people, it is necessary to have an answer. The consequences of violent speech should not be underestimated.

The “Virtual is Real” campaign, created by the organization, brings real stories about the consequences of violent speech. Most victims of online violence are women (85%) and the campaign's website features testimonials, including victims from South America. Also according to the campaign, 57% of women were victims of abuse or misuse of their images online. from online videos deepfakes (fake and created with artificial intelligence), 96% are pornography, made to attack women.

Online movement and the filter for Instagram bodyright

A UNFPA (Population Support Fund) is the UN agency in charge of the campaign. An online tool to inspire a movement against violent speech is the bodyright. A filter for stories in Social media coordinator puts the symbol of a “b”, similar to the “c” of copyright, not photographed, identifying the right to the body (bodyright) on the social networks. The transparent logo is also available for download.

“Whoever commits copyright infringement (copyright) may suffer penalties and the removal of content from digital platforms. Survivors of online violence may even face obstacles to removing content that violates their legal rights. That's why UNFPA created the bodyright, um copyright for the human body. We demand that the images of our bodies have the same respect given to protection as the copyright gives to music, film and even company logos”, states the campaign.

The purpose of the bodyright is to create a movement, with an online petition that has collected more than 15.000 signatures. Upon reaching 20.000 signatures, the petition will be sent to technology companies, governments and NGOs calling for action against internet hate. The intention is that violence, especially abuse in the use of images of women's bodies without consent, is seen as a crime. The campaign was also released on video.

What are the main impacts of violent speech?

Civil society organizations that research media, such as the Association for the Advancement of Communications (APC), have listed some impacts of violent speech:

• The LGBTQIA+ community is especially vulnerable to violent speech. The organization GLAAD created a security index on social networks and showed that, in 2021, this group is the victim of 64% of online attacks, while the general population suffers from 41%.
• In countries without anti-discrimination laws LGBTQIA+, violent speech makes the internet as unsafe as physical spaces. Often, this group seeks the internet to meet people, express themselves and access information and suffer consequences as a result.

• Nas Philippines, Maria Ressa, journalist, CEO of social media news site Rappler and Nobel Peace Prize winner was the target of violent speech by supporters of the president, with devastating effects on her life, well being and ability to do her job.
• Na India, a report showed that the pandemic resulted in a large wave of contagious conflict against Muslims in the country. The techniques used were: decontextualization, pretense, speech distortion, creation of false content designed to provoke, amplification of violence by prominent individuals.
• Facebook was singled out by UN investigators as a key factor that could have led to genocide in Myanmar (Burma). Marzuki Darusman, head of a mission to the country, said the social network is the most used locally and its use without accountability has contributed to escalating the conflict.
• Na Palestine, a survey by 7amleh, showed that 71% of Palestinians consider that violence against them increases on the networks, 85,7% say they have been attacked on Facebook and 11,4% have suffered on Instagram.
• The MMFD organization of the Paquistão, created the project #KinderInternet (kinder internet), with online polls, on Twitter and Instagram. Most responses indicated that users feel unsafe on networks in relation to violent speech

Proposals to decrease or respond to the rise of hate speech have been the subject of research by organizations such as APC. Their recommendations include:

• perform answers holistic, including addressing issues such as structural discrimination and inequality.
• The practice of violent speech is linked to the abuse of power. This type of speech is a symptom of systematic violence, marginalization and oppression on the part of the population.
• There are numerous calls for states to create laws to help regulate content. However, some minorities and vulnerable groups are criminalized in certain countries. In this case, the side effect of regulation can generate even more risk for these communities.
• The propagation of violent speech is usually organized, planned and prefabricated. It is necessary to organize strategies to deal with the topic that inspire cordiality.
• It is a key action to promote affected communities to create their own content and narratives and tell your stories.
• The Philippine organization FMA created comic strips to combat violent speech in the country. The themes value the narratives of minorities and women.
• A campaign by Pakistan's MMFD for a kinder internet spread the idea of commitments among those who browse online. Volunteers shared photos on Instagram with signs pledging to act against violent speech.

What can governments do to combat violent speech on the internet?

• Regulate standards of transparency minimum requirements of social media platforms. Companies are often quite closed off about what data can be crucial for researchers and human rights advocates. Governments can encourage them to increase transparency.
• Establish clear rules regarding the obligation of companies to respect human rights, including in relation to the rapid investigation of attacks and impact assessments of publications.
• Avoid increasing authoritarian content regulation that is too vague and aimed at controlling the internet. Harming freedom of expression is not an efficient way to get social media companies to contribute to an end to violent speech.

What can companies do to combat violent speech online?

• Train content moderators in violent speech. There should be training on human rights standards and these standards should be used to guide moderation.
• Prioritize moderation human of the content. Ensuring human review rather than leaving the task of moderating content to algorithms alone.
• Adopt content moderation policies that are in line with international human rights standards.
• Be aware of and pay attention to local languages ​​and contexts. Some types of violent speech can only be identified by those who are aware of the local sociocultural context, its tensions and history.
• Be transparent about violent speech and how to deal with it, so that researchers and civil society groups can know what is happening and suggest solutions significant.
• Have clear and accessible mechanisms for complaints and remedy situations.
• Digital services and companies must recognize and adhere to the responsibility to respect the human rights of their users and others impacted by their operations, in line with the UN principles to guide human rights business.

Communication is the key to surviving violence

As well as the violence of genre takes many forms, digital also has many ways to victimize people. The attacker could be a stranger on another continent or an acquaintance who has used technology as a weapon and a victim's sexuality against her. Marginalized groups, including people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ individuals, may be even more vulnerable.

For the survivors and victims of this sexualized abuse, like the young women with stories revealed, there is no distinction between the real and the virtual. Leaving the computer does not end the terror. The consequences are very real – fear, panic, anxiety, depression, PTSD, suicidal thoughts and more.

A Campanha reminds us that our online and offline lives can mix and be indistinguishable. Even after the violence ends, the scars remain. Survivors may limit their use of the internet or stop connecting altogether, leaving communities and connections, explorations and discoveries, economic opportunities, education and entertainment.

who is it for victim of online violence, it is important to know that you are not alone. Talking to family and friends can be a first step in dealing with the problem. Fear or shame should not be allowed to stop you from seeking help.

What are the practices of digital violence?

• Doxxing - expose the data a victim's personal
• cybermob (virtual lynching) – a large group of attackers who threaten, insult or verbally abuse a victim, often in a coordinated and organized manner.
• Image abuse – the use of images, often sexual, to objectify, exploit, humiliate or harass. Examples include sharing without consent intimate images and child sexual abuse material.
• Online pretending – creation of profile false and impersonating another person for nefarious purposes, including destroying someone's reputation or threatening their safety.
• Sexual extortion – a type of electronic blackmail, demanding money, sexual acts or additional sexual images in exchange for not exposing intimate images or private information.
• Stalking (chase) – to stalk persistently, unintentionally or threatening surveillance, carried out by technological means. It can often be the start of an offline chase.
• Cyberbullying (virtual bullying) – form of harassment, constantly and intentionally inflicting harm on someone through technology, with attacks on self-esteem.
• Shallowfake (simple fake image) – Image manipulated, through editing software, such as putting someone's face on another the body. A simpler way of deepfake, which is the image manipulated with machine learning algorithm (machine learning).

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Sources: The Virtual is Real, bodyright, APC - Challenge Online Hate