7amleh and APC raise fake news at UN level.

7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media in cooperation with the Association for Progressive Communication (APC) submitted a report on disinformation to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression.

The report focuses on disinformation and fake-news, and how to address these phenomena. The report stresses that a holistic approach across sectors is needed to confront disinformation, taking into account the informational ecosystems on- as well as offline, including public information systems, independent journalism and media diversity and pluralism. 

Furthermore, the report concludes with a number of recommendations, such as media-literacy programmes, and the need for a participatory process to approach this issue. 

Disinformation and fake news, although not a new phenomena, has reached new heights through the rapid spread through social media platforms, while allowing anyone with an account to not only publish, but contribute to the spread of fake news. Especially during the coronavirus pandemic, under the guise of protecting public health, governments have enacted legislations and social media companies removed content. These decisions lack transparency and participation and threaten digital rights and freedom of expression.  

The complete submission can be accessed here. 

Submissions by civil society actors to the UN Special Rapporteur are an important tool in specific issues reaching the Special Rapporteur and encouraging further action on them through the United Nations system. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur can act on these submissions and directly contact the concerned government for a statement. Civil society submissions are a central part of the yearly report by the Special Rapporteur to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which are published.