UN Working On Global Principles For Information (Worthy News Focus)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NEW YORK (Worthy News) – The United Nations chief demands new “global principles” to fight “harmful content” and urges media “to raise and enforce editorial standards” that are in line with U.N. global principles.
Secretary-General António Guterres says in comments obtained by Worthy News that his Global Principles for Information Integrity requires “immediate action to address the harms caused by misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.”
He wants big tech companies to “stop monetizing harmful content” and strengthen information integrity.
“At a time when billions of people are exposed to false narratives, distortions, and lies, these principles lay out a clear path forward, firmly rooted in human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and opinion,” Guterres notes.
“The spread of hatred and lies online is causing grave harm to our world,” he has told media at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The UN’s own humanitarian and peacekeeping operations are at risk as its personnel deal with a “tsunami of falsehoods” and “absurd conspiracy theories,” the U.N. chief adds.
“False narratives and lies” breed “cynicism and undermine social cohesion” and sustainable development, he suggests.
UN PLANS
However, critics view the U.N. plans as further attacking alternative views on issues ranging from “climate change” to “COVID-19” jabs and “digital money.”
There has also been concern that Christian or other conservative opinions on family or world affairs may be further undermined or even canceled.
Already, several news stories from Christian news agency Worthy News were banned on tech giant Meta’s Facebook page and other social media outlets despite being impartial journalistic articles.
Several other conservative-leaning media have had similar experiences.
The U.N. Global Principles for Information Integrity plan is being rolled out after a similar initiative by the European Union, the world’s largest trading bloc.
Last year, the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) was rolled out, setting out “standards” for monitoring and controlling what can be and can’t be said and read on the internet.
“With great scale comes great responsibility,” said the EU’s Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, in remarks monitored by Worthy News. “Online platforms and search engines with more than 45 million active users … will have a stronger obligation.”
ONLINE PLATFORMS
Under the DSA, the tech giants behind online platforms such as TikTok, Google, Facebook, or X, formerly known as Twitter, must police illegal content.
They must also prohibit certain advertising practices and share data with authorities. The legislation was introduced despite concerns expressed by Guillaume Zambrano, the prominent lecturer in private law at the French University of Nîmes.
He is among those expressing concerns about the DSA, citing concerns about censorship. “This is not a logical responsibility, “ the expert said.
“Responsibility means that you are responsible for your actions. The logic adopted here is one of censorship. We want to prevent something beforehand from committing a possible offense.”
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in a landmark case that the Biden administration may pressure social media companies to restrict content it considers harmful, including topics related to COVID-19 and election security
The justices voted 6-3 to overturn a lower court’s injunction that had prevented the federal government from “coercing or significantly encouraging” social media companies to restrict speech, determining that the plaintiffs lacked standing.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden campaigned against health misinformation, labeling the spread of “falsehoods” as an urgent public health crisis.
TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
His administration urged technology companies to track online disinformation and act against major spreaders by flagging “harmful posts” and sharing information about “dangerous content” with platforms.
Yet, critics suggest that the U.N. now seeks similar global measures to “protect” the world population against views unaligned with its objectives.
Guterres counters that “everyone should freely express themselves without fear of attack” and be able to access a “wide range of views” and information.
It remains unclear how far that “range of views” can go with states such as communist-run China among its members.
“No one should be at the mercy of an algorithm they don’t control, which was not designed to safeguard their interests, and which tracks their behavior to collect personal data and keep them hooked,” Guterres says.
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