Beirut August 9, 2024 – The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) organized a workshop and expert meeting titled “Content Moderation & Human Rights: Can We Navigate the Challenge?”. The event aimed to discuss the increasing challenges facing Arabic content in the digital space, especially in light of recent events that have significantly affected freedom of expression and human rights in the region. The discussion highlighted the need to draft recommendations to protect these freedoms and set advocacy mechanisms within a multi-stakeholder alliance approach.
The workshop brought together a group of journalists, activists in freedom of speech and expression, and representatives from civil society organizations in Lebanon. Participants emphasized that major platforms’ non-transparent policies create an unequal environment, where Arabic content faces significant challenges in attaining the same level of reach and engagement as content in other languages. They also pointed out that these policies are sometimes used as tools to impose censorship and restrict freedom of expression, particularly in times of crises and conflicts.
The event was divided into two parts: the first included a panel discussion and the second consisted of a workshop and brainstorming session for groups to develop practical recommendations.
The meeting was moderated by Rouba El Helou, Secretary-General of CLDH and university professor. She stated that despite major platform companies announcing their adoption of policies that uphold human rights, their decisions are often still driven by commercial interests. This results in discrimination against and the marginalization of vulnerable groups and communities in the Global South.
Wadih Al Asmar, President of CLDH, emphasized the significant disparities between countries in the use of social media platforms. Al Asmar pointed out that these platforms serve as a refuge for many human rights organizations, especially given the limitations of traditional mass media in addressing human rights issues in the region. However, he noted that the current challenge for these platforms lies in unequal access for many groups, in addition to algorithmic control and censorship on Arabic content. He also added that the pressures exerted on these platforms by political and economic lobbies negatively affect freedom of expression.
Dr. Aymen Zaghdoudi, Senior Policy Advisor at Access Now for the Middle East and North Africa region, based in Tunisia, emphasized the profound changes in the concept of digital sovereignty with the emergence of global platforms. He explained that, in the past, states alone controlled the digital space. However, with technological advancements, the power of digital companies has increased, allowing them to decide what gets published and what gets removed. These decisions are often based on internal policies that are not transparent to the public. Zaghdoudi pointed out that companies use three main tools—content management, content moderation, and terms of service—to steer content in a way that aligns with their commercial interests or political pressures. He highlighted that these practices conflict with international human rights standards, particularly the universal right to freedom of expression. Zaghdoudi called for the establishment of transparent mechanisms to oversee these companies’ operations and ensure their respect for human rights.
Jack Bakaev, a member of the Board of Directors and Secretary-General of Internet Society in Lebanon and overseer of the country's top-level domain, discussed the increasing influence of certain countries in the technology industry and its impact on social media platforms’ policies. He noted that this control poses a threat to the principle of an open internet and the technological environment that has shaped it, leading to the restriction of freedom of expression and the manipulation of content to serve specific interests. Bakaev called for strengthening international internet governance as a collaborative and participatory model based on a multi-stakeholder approach. He emphasized the need for joint efforts to protect this vital digital space and shape a future internet accessible to all.
At the end of the event, participants emphasized the need to continue joint efforts to address the challenges facing freedom of expression on the internet, protect the Arabic language, and uphold the right to publish, access, and freely exchange information. The outcomes of this meeting will be summarized in a position paper by experts and published by CLDH in September.
