Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms

UNESCO aims to ensure that everyone's freedom of expression, access to information and diverse cultural content are fully guaranteed, while various stakeholders, including Member States, deal with the problems of dis- and misinformation and hate speech online. These problems will be better addressed, in a way that aligns with international human rights law, through implementing the UNESCO Guidelines in a comprehensive and coherent manner.

Digital platforms have become a new front in the pursuit of peace. The transformative role that digital platforms have played in advancing human rights is undeniable. Yet the same digital platforms that have democratized access to knowledge and culture, and fostered global connection, have also become ecosystems of misinformation, disinformation, ideological polarization, and incitement to violence, discrimination, and hate. Such features have undermined democracies and threatened human rights across the world.

Thus, while companies lack transparency, accountability and due diligence, many countries have embarked on regulatory processes without a human right respecting approach and as a solo solution, weakening deeply the civic space and leading to different kinds of censorship. 

1. Must respect, protect, and fulfil human rights in accordance with international human rights standards.
2. They should avoid using arbitrary or disproportionate measures to deal with these harms.
3. They should put in place policies aligned with international human rights law.
4. They should promote free, independent, and plural media and guarantee strong protections for journalists.
5. They should refrain from imposing measures such as internet shutdowns.

• Should be equipped with the means to enforce international human rights standards in the digital ecosystem.

• Shall support stakeholders in providing technical assistance; monitoring and reporting human rights violations.

• They are important watchdogs, they monitor, evaluate and report on laws, policies, regulatory actions among others that impact human rights, as well as the behavior of the digital platforms

1. They should be requested and able to manage and mitigate human rights risks related to potential harmful content.
2. They should commit to align their design processes: as well as content moderation and curation policies and practices to international human rights standards.
3. They should be transparent and accountable.
4. They should be able to give their user tools to engage critically with their products.

1. Platforms conduct human rights due diligence;
2. Platforms should adhere to international human rights standards, including in platform design, content moderation, and content curation;
3. Platforms are transparent;
4. Platforms make available information accessible;
5. Platforms are accountable to relevant stakeholders.

• Prior to any significant design changes, major policy decisions (including those related to the advertising system, if applicable), changes in operations, or new activity or relation/partnerships. 

• Regularly, to protect the rights of all groups in situations of vulnerability and marginalization, including women and girls, as well as journalists, artists, human rights defenders, and environmental defenders. 

• Ahead of electoral processes to protect their integrity.

• In response to emergencies, crises, or conflict or significant changes in the operating environment.

5 overarching principles for the governance of digital platforms:

• Platforms’ content curation and moderation policies and processes should be transparent.

• Checks and balances should be formally institutionalized.

• Governance processes should be open and accessible to all stakeholders including the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.

• Diverse expertise should be a common feature of all regulatory arrangements.

• Governance should protect and promote cultural diversity and the diversity of cultural expressions.

Regulatory arrangements should:

• Be effective and sustainable.

• Ensure independent oversight.

• Develop regulation through open, transparent, and evidence- based processes.

• Put emphasis on the empowerment of users. 

• Promote cultural diversity, social inclusion, and global citizenship.

• Aim to reduce the ‘participation gap’ between citizens who engage in the creation and critical use of media and information content and those who do not.

• Promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and provide opportunities for participation by groups in situations of vulnerability and marginalization.

• Encourage and contribute to the development of global multistakeholder networks and common spaces to debate and share good practices about digital platform governance, gathering different visions and a broad spectrum of perspectives.

• Serve as a tool for all relevant stakeholders to advocate for human rights-respecting regulation and to hold governments and digital platforms accountable. 

• Advance evidence-based and human rights-based policy approaches.

• Encourage as much worldwide convergence as possible in platform governance policies to avoid internet fragmentation.

Read more about the scope of Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms.