Rappler Talk: UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye on how platforms can address hate speech online

MANILA, Philippines – Technology has allowed everyone who has access to it the ability to publish content and choose what matters to them without going through the traditional gatekeepers. The ordinary citizen now has a voice in local and global conversations.

But as platforms increasingly become the public spaces within which democracies operate, various concerns regarding so-called “harmful content” – hate speech, disinformation – begin to emerge.

These concerns result in pressure on the platforms to manage or moderate self-published content. And that pressure comes from all sides: governments and civil society groups.

How do platforms manage this without infringing on basic rights to free expression?

To answer these questions, Gemma Mendoza, head for Research and Strategy at Rappler, interviews David Kaye, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

The interview takes up highlights of a report the Special Rapporteur submitted to the UN Human Rights Council where he proposes a human rights-based approach to regulating user-generated content online. – Rappler.com