Joint Statement on digital technologies and hate speech delivered by Armenia during the General Debate under item 9: 51st Session of the Human Rights Council

04 October, 2022

President,

Armenia has the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of States. The list of co-sponsors and the full text of this Joint Statement will be uploaded to the extranet.

While digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), present increasing opportunities and benefits, their design, development, deployment and misuse may also entail risks to fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. We express our deep concern about the increase in online hate speech and harassment in recent years as reported by several watchdogs. Blunt and hurtful language and images are often fueled by algorithms, which are programed to register engagement, generate more views, and stimulate users to post hateful content. Those who post critical comments on hateful content often don’t realize that they unwillingly contribute to its spread because of the way those algorithms work.

Despite the immense opportunities that digital platforms have for increased public engagement and participation, we must be aware of the challenges posed by the platforms, their mechanical functions and algorithms. We are deeply concerned that the misuse of those platforms can amplify hate speech and contribute to national, ethnic, racial or religious polarization. Decisions based on algorithmic systems of predefined rules may amplify discrimination.

It is fundamental to preserve, protect and promote the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age. We are cognizant that several social media platforms attempted to proactively tackle the challenges of disinformation and information manipulation through the help of classifier algorithms, photo detection tools, relevant country experts and civil society in order to address possible abuse by malign state and non-state actors who wish to incite illegal online hate speech and hate crimes.

This Council is mandated to serve as a platform for constructive international dialogue and cooperation, with a view to enhancing the promotion and protection of all human rights. We advocate for the development of evidence-based strategies addressing the spread of hate online. We further call for a debate and multi-stakeholder dialogue on the role of social media platforms and their instrumentalization by those seeking to spread hate leading to real-world discrimination and violence.

We see a role for this Council in steering the discussion on this issue with wide engagement and participation of States and all interested stakeholders. The UN system, tech companies, civil society, and independent researchers should be invited to contribute to the development of measures to address online hate speech and harassment.

I thank you.

Co-sponsors of the Joint Statement

Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Bahrein
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Arab Emirates
State of Palestine

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications