Session
Dynamic Coalition on Platform Responsibility
Round Table - 90 Min
International Legal Perspectives
This session investigates emerging platform regulations worldwide, scrutinizing their implications on human rights. The focus will be on an array of legislative initiatives including the Brazilian Fake News Draft Bill, the United Kingdom's Online Safety Bill, the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), the Indian IT Act, and the Chinese algorithmic regulation, among others, aiming at dissecting their complexities, particularly their potential effects on freedom of expression, privacy, and other human rights. The primary objective of this session is to understand how these legal paradigms are reshaping the digital landscape. Our aim is to discern viable strategies for fostering a universally safe, equitable digital environment that steadfastly respects and upholds fundamental human rights while avoiding internet fragmentation. The methodological approach entails fostering a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder dialogue, encompassing perspectives from government entities, civil society advocates, and the tech industry. This will allow for a profound exploration of the issues, challenges, and opportunities that these local regulations pose.
To facilitate interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees, we will leverage a hybrid event platform that provides real-time communication channels. For the onsite attendees, we will project the virtual attendees and their questions/comments onto the screen to ensure that both groups can engage with each other. In addition, we will use a moderated chat on Zoom for online participants to interact with onsite speakers and vice versa. The session will be designed with both online and onsite participants in mind. The session will be structured with interactive segments to engage all attendees, such as Q&As and debates to cater both online and onsite participants. To increase participation and interaction during the session, we plan to use an online document to allow participants to contribute their thoughts in a shared digital space. We will also utilize social media platforms for pre-session and post-session engagement, such as Twitter and Instagram for live updates.
Yasmin Curzi (FGV Law School, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Academic
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Tatevik Grigoryan (UNESCO)
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Alejandro Pisanty (UNAM) - Technical Community
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Anita Gurumurthy (IT for Change) - Civil Society
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Camille Grenier, Forum on Information and Democracy – Civil Society
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Monika Zalnieriute, UNSW Sydney (Australia) and Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (Lithuania) - Academic
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Rolf Weber (University of Zurich) - Academic
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Samara Castro (Directress for the Promotion of Free Speech at the Special Secretariat for Social Communication of the Brazilian Government) - Government
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Shilpa Jaswant (Jindal Global Law School) - Academic
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Sofia Chang (PKU School of Transnational Law) - Academic
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Vittorio Bertola (Head of Policy & Innovation - Open-Xchange) - Technical Community
Yasmin Curzi and Luca Belli
Giullia Thomaz (CTS-FGV)
Yasmin Curzi
5. Gender Equality
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Targets: SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions The session proposal explores emerging platform regulations worldwide and their implications on human rights. By scrutinizing legislative initiatives from different countries the session aims to understand how these legal paradigms are reshaping the digital landscape. This investigation aligns with SDG 16's objective of promoting just, peaceful, and inclusive societies by examining the regulatory frameworks that impact freedom of expression, privacy, and other human rights. SDG 5: Gender Equality The proposal highlights the importance of fostering a universally safe and equitable digital environment that respects and upholds fundamental human rights, including the rights of women and girls. By engaging in a multi-stakeholder dialogue that encompasses perspectives from government entities, civil society advocates, and the tech industry, the session aims to explore the challenges and opportunities posed by these regulations. This inclusive approach recognizes the significance of diverse voices and perspectives, especially those of women from the Global South, in shaping digital policies and regulations that protect and promote gender equality. Overall, the session proposal seeks to examine the impact of emerging platform regulations on human rights, including freedom of expression, privacy, and gender equality. It aims to foster dialogue, understanding, and strategies for creating a safe and equitable digital environment while respecting fundamental human rights, which aligns with the objectives of SDGs 16 and 5.
Report
1. Need for Platform Regulation: Professor Yasmin Curzi and Professor Luca Belli have consistently stressed the urgent need for the regulation of digital platforms. The DCPR, for nearly 10 years, has been a prominent entity in advancing research and championing actionable solutions. Their comprehensive studies highlight the significance of digital platforms on democracy, markets, and human rights.
2. Emphasis on Transnational Dialogues: Professor Belli accentuates that mere regulation isn't sufficient. A deeper understanding of systemic risks requires global conversations that consider the unique aspects of local contexts. The DCPR has concentrated on various legislative frameworks, such as those in Brazil, India, China, and the EU regulations, to appreciate how these platforms influence and adapt within different environments
Importance of an open, accessible internet governed by multiple stakeholders, encompassing gender equality, children's rights, sustainable development, and environmental aspects. All entities, from governments to the private sector, must utilize these principles as benchmarks for their internet governance; Platform governance discourse needs to delve into substantive concerns that platforms pose, such as their environmental and labour impacts