{"id":340,"date":"2024-06-13T12:23:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T11:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/?post_type=publication&#038;p=340"},"modified":"2024-06-25T16:15:59","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:15:59","slug":"the-right-to-freedom-of-expression-online","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/publications\/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online\/module-2-introduction-to-digital-rights\/the-right-to-freedom-of-expression-online\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right to Freedom of Expression Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International law is clear that the right to freedom of expression exists as much online as it does offline, though there are challenges in implementing this principle in practice. For example, article 19(2) of the ICCPR is explicit that the right to freedom of expression applies \u201cregardless of frontiers,\u201d and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) General Comment No. 34 further clarifies that this includes internet-based modes of communication.[footnote]UN Human Rights Council \u2018General Comment no. 34\u2019 (2011) (accessible at https:\/\/www2.ohchr.org\/english\/bodies\/hrc\/docs\/gc34.pdf) at para 12.[\/footnote]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group highlight\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Challenges to freedom of expression online<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some examples of the new challenges to exercising freedom of expression online include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The blocking, filtering, and removal of content, often executed by internet intermediaries on behalf of the government outside of regulatory or legislative provisions, and with little transparency or accountability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Online content regulation through overly broad and vague cybercrimes legislation intending to counter genuinely criminal activity online, such as child pornography, but often misused by governments to stifle criticism and free speech.[footnote]For more see Module 7 in this series from Media Defence on \u2018Cybercrimes\u2019.[\/footnote]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The rapid growth in mis- and disinformation on online platforms led to backlash from states, who attempted to regulate it with broad \u2018fake news\u2019 regulations.[footnote]For more see Module 8 in this series from Media Defence on \u2018False news, misinformation and propaganda\u2019.[\/footnote]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defining and protecting journalists and the media in an environment now saturated with bloggers and social media writers, and defending them from online harassment, particularly women who are disproportionately subject to online harms.[footnote]See <em>Isaac Olamikan &amp; Anor v. Federal Republic of Nigeria<\/em> an ECOWAS decision that addresses the development of online media and highlights the influential role of influencers and content creators in shaping public opinion, noting that social media offers an unrestricted platform for information dissemination and expression.[\/footnote]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enabling free and equal access to the internet, including overcoming the challenges of unaffordability while preventing potential distortions and filtering of content.[footnote]For more see Module 3 in this series from Media Defence on \u2018Access to the internet\u2019.[\/footnote]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tackling the spread of hate speech on online platforms without placing undue responsibility on private actors to proactively limit content on their platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Protecting the public from invasive uses of private data and protecting anonymous communications, while simultaneously enabling accountability for illegal behaviour online, such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The use of automated systems, including those using artificial intelligence (AI), to filter and monitor online speech and to make decisions about the removal of content, as well as to make automated decisions about users of digital tools in ways that are potentially biased and discriminatory.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>International law is clear that the right to freedom of expression exists as much online as it does offline, though there are challenges in implementing this principle in practice. For example, article 19(2) of the ICCPR is explicit that the right to freedom of expression applies \u201cregardless of frontiers,\u201d and the United Nations Human Rights [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":329,"menu_order":207,"template":"page-templates\/chapter.php","publication-category":[],"class_list":["post-340","publication","type-publication","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Right to Freedom of Expression Online | eReader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"International law is clear that the right to freedom of expression exists as much online as it does offline, though there are challenges in practice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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