Indonesian Civil Society Organizations trained on Content Moderation and Human Rights

On 8-9 March 2023, UNESCO launched a series of workshops on “Content Moderation: Global and Local Perspectives”, in collaboration with SAFEnet  and ARTICLE 19, to support Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) active collaboration in this dynamic field. The  event was attended by 23 representatives from 12 Indonesian CSOs, all members of the peace coalition launched in February 2023, working on content moderation and freedom of expression in Indonesia, to foster transparent and innovative content moderation policies relevant to local contexts.

The first part of the training focused on freedom of expression standards, and their interplay with content moderation practices. It highlighted the roles of various actors in content moderation and the challenges of current content governance systems and regulatory approaches. Participants advanced their knowledge of the international human rights framework on freedom of expression. They learned more about the processes applied by  social media platforms and how to critically assess the roles of the multiple actors involved in content moderation. During the workshop’s interactive sessions, they discussed the issue of disinformation around elections and focused on the Coalition’s vision, viable governance and workplan.

“The ultimate goal is to create a sustainable Coalition on freedom of expression and content moderation, an expert multi-stakeholder body, well prepared to act as an ‘interlocutor’ between Indonesia’s local content moderation needs and digital platforms.” - Ana Lomtadze, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Unit, UNESCO Jakarta

The initiative is part of UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace project implemented in Indonesia since 2021 funded by the European Union. The project’s purpose is to enhance the understanding of the root causes, scale and impact of harmful content, and the effectiveness of the tools to address it. It focuses on the local dynamics, regulatory framework and impact of content moderation on society, to help bridge the gap between regulators, online platforms and civil society.

“UNESCO aims to ensure that there are effective tools to counter the global spread of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech,  towards digital technologies, notably social media,used locally to build peace.” - Adeline Hulin, Social Media 4 Peace project coordinator, UNESCO Liaison Office Brussels

This first Social Media 4 Peace workshop in Indonesia will be followed by more events bringing  together the Coalition’s members to facilitate the cooperation with the relevant social media platforms.

“Social media companies must ensure that they understand the content they are moderating – which means understanding local languages, cultures, and political and social contexts. Direct engagement with independent local stakeholders, in particular civil society, is key to ensure that content moderation practices are in line with international human rights standards”- Chantal Joris, Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19

Apart from Indonesia, Social Media 4 Peace is implemented in three other pilot countries, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia and Kenya. The project plays an important role in strengthening the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content spread online, in particular hate speech inciting violence, while at the same time protecting the fundamental right of freedom of expression and enhancing the promotion of peace-building narratives through digital technologies.