Paris : The UNESCO conference Internet for Trust, dedicated to discussing the draft global guidelines for regulating digital platforms and safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information had gathered 4,300 participants in person and online.
The conference brought to the table different stakeholders including governments, independent regulators, digital companies, academia, the technical community and civil society, UNESCO said.
Among the issues raised were how to make platforms more transparent and have content governance policies and practices consistent with human rights standards; striking a balance between AI and human moderation; fostering greater engagement by civil society, youth, influencers and other actors in shaping an internet of trust.
The global dialogue to discuss the guidelines was well received by various stakeholders, among them the European Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová.
However, participants agreed that there are still many issues to discuss following a multistakeholder process, especially with actors from the Global South.
The points of reflection arising from the various panel discussions and comments from the audience in presence and online will be analyzed in the coming months.
UNESCO will continue to receive comments on the guidelines until March 8 and contributions can be submitted through the online commenting platform. A new draft is expected to be available by the end of March.
As the UN agency with a global mandate to defend and promote freedom of expression, UNESCO seeks to guide the processes of regulation of the digital ecosystem with a human rights-based approach.
