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Freedom of Expression and Disinformation

At the 47th Session of the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression will present her annual thematic report on the timely issue of disinformation. Join our side event, organised by ARTICLE 19 and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Canada, Fiji, Finland, Namibia, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States to the UN in Geneva, to discuss:

- How have State responses to disinformation failed to protect the right to freedom of expression and impeded the vital work of journalists, human rights defenders, and other civil society actors?
- Should the international community strive for a singular definition of “disinformation”? Is it possible to define the concept with sufficient precision to meet the principle of legality under international human rights law?
- What constitutes appropriate legislative responses to disinformation?
- What positive, holistic measures should be taken by governments to tackle disinformation?
- How must social media companies reform or transform their business models to appropriately and effectively combat the spread of disinformation online?
- How can social media companies and governments constructively collaborate to tackle disinformation online?

Opening Remarks

- Bahia Tahzib-Lie, Human Rights Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Leslie E. Norton, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva

Panelists

- Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Věra Jourová, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency
- Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler
- Benoît Loutrel, Member of the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel

Moderator

- Barbora Bukovska, Senior Director for Law and Policy at ARTICLE 19

Jul 5, 2021 02:00 PM in Zurich