Measures Against the Spread of Disinformation

Written By Website MUN Team UZH

Study Guide

Introduction to the Committee

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was created to ensure lasting peace through international cooperation in education, science and culture. Placing emphasis on intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, the organization seeks to strengthen solidarity among nations.

Founded in 1945, UNESCO’s humanist mission of preventing war and protecting cultural diversity remains highly relevant. Human rights and peace are continually being challenged by new forms of intolerance or the rejection of scientific facts, which has once again become prominent in recent times.

For the years 2014 – 2021 the strategic objectives of UNESCO include:

  • Supporting Member States to develop education systems to foster high-quality and inclusive lifelong learning for all (SO 1),

  • Strengthening science, technology and innovation systems and policies – nationally, regionally and globally (SO 4),

  • Protecting, promoting and transmitting heritage (SO 7).

UNESCO fosters sustainable development not only through education, science and culture, but also through its Communication and Information Programme (CI Programme).

The information and communication sector of the organization supports the free flow of ideas by promoting freedom of expression and media independence. The CI Programme places great importance on media and information literacy, the safety of journalists, and open access to information. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to ensuring ethical development and use of new technologies.

The influence of information and communications technology (ICT) on society presents both opportunities and challenges for the organization. While connectivity is growing in all regions of the word, the majority of the people have not been able to profit from the digital revolution. The unequal distribution of ICTs leads to an increased divide in knowledge across the world. The significance of this gap is illustrated by the fact that an estimated 1 billion people still lack access to any such technology. To bridge the digital divide the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) was created.

The various sectors and diverse functions of UNESCO are best captured in its mission statement: “As a specialized agency of the United Nations, UNESCO – pursuant to its Constitution – contributes to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, and sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information”.

History of the Problem

The phenomenon of disinformation is an age old tool used by humans to achieve various goals. However the term itself has only been coined in the late 1960s. It is derived from the Russian word “dezinformatsiya” (дезинформация) which was also used by the KGB to name their department responsible for the dispensation of propaganda. Disinformation and misinformation are usually synonymously used however there is an important difference. Disinformation is false information that has been intentionally spread to deceive people whereas misinformation is simply wrong information.

There are several examples in history where governments or organisations have used disinformation to their advantage. In the present there are many ways to spread disinformation, the main channels being the internet and traditional media outlets such as newspapers, TV and campaigns. One recent example of spreading disinformation are the two Brexit campaigns “Leave.EU” and “Vote Leave”. The former run by individuals and groups who had previously also been associated with the UK Independence party and the latter being run by a collaboration of Conservative, Labour and UKIP MPs. The aim of both campaigns was to sway the public’s opinion on the then upcoming referendum about the membership status of the UK in the EU to their favourable outcome which was a termination of the membership. The campaign consisted of numerous ads and a movie which depicted false information about the UK-EU relationship. The ads tried to spread semi-correct information about the financial tool the EU takes on the UK.

Another instance in which an organisation tried to use disinformation to their advantage is the case of Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica is a company founded by the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and Steve Bannon, the former adviser for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, in 2014. The company harvested personal data of 50 million Facebook users through the app thisisyourdigitallife (this is your digital life) that has been programmed by academic Aleksandr Kogan who worked at Cambridge University and collected the data for a research project. Cambridge Analytica used the data to target specific groups of people to try to change their opinion on the then ongoing US presidential election by advertising false news articles.

Central Questions

With the great number of parties involved in the spread of disinformation, the question of how to combat this global problem becomes one of accountability. Who is responsible for taking measures against the proliferation of falsehoods?

Media policy makers might charge private businesses, social media companies for instance, with regulating the flow of information on their platforms. The matter of implementing such regulation is delicate: How can digital disinformation be combatted without threatening freedom of expression?

The focus may also be put on media and information literacy (MIL). What can be done to raise awareness amongst individuals on how to identify credible news? How can journalism education be used to help people recognize manipulative disinformation? The fact that the lack of access to quality media is often a question of financial capacity or due to the absence of independent public service news media may also be taken into consideration.

Distinguishing only between quality journalism – compliant with professional standards and media ethics – on one hand, and disinformation on the other, disregards the threat of problematic journalism. Sensationalism, poor research, and uncorrected errors often present in poor journalism affect people’s trust in news media. Which measures may be taken in the area of journalism to ensure the spread of disinformation is not facilitated?

The challenge for this committee not only lies in discerning which approach to take, but also in considering the interests of all the aforementioned parties when finding concrete and effective measures against the spread of disinformation.

Main Lines of Positions on the Subject

The many aspects of disinformation bring along many different positions on the matter as well. On the point of accountability, the positions vary whether the government, the media, tech companies or the public itself should be held accountable for the spread of disinformation. A poll showed that 39% of Americans think that the media should be held accountable compared to 18% who believe it should be tech companies while 15% think it should be the government and the remaining 12% say it should be the public itself.

The question on to what extent there should be regulations by the government comes back to the question on how to regulate freedom of expression and if there should be regulations in the first place. Most governments recognize that freedom of expression is vital for a functioning democracy. One side of the discussion fears that any regulation restricts their right to freely express themselves and thinks that the trade-off of the weakening of democracy is bearable. The other side, on the contrary, argues that democracy has to be protected by all cost even by limiting the freedom of expression.

The question of whether the media should be regarded as a public service always boils down to what aspects of life the government should be allowed to regulate and who will cover the cost of government spending on public services. There is the side that is of the opinion that the media should be completely independent as that would secure the reliability behind the information reported and that the financial independence will also boost the performance of the media outlets as they are then driven to improve their services according to the expectations of the audience. The other side argues that the government has the task to reliably inform the public about current events and therefore media should be considered a public service as it fulfils the purpose of informing the public and that the financial independence would put smaller media outlets at a higher risk of bankruptcy hence at higher risk of disappearing form the media landscape. This could lead to rural areas or minority groups not getting the news coverage that they might need.

Earlier Measures Taken by the United Nations

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (freedom of expression) presents the basis for the promotion of public access to information and fundamental freedoms, a specific aspect of SDG 16. Complementary to the UNESCO mission, the UN encourages states parties to take all necessary steps to foster the independence of the press with regard to developments in information and communications technology.

In 2017 the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression issued a declaration, taking note of the growing prevalence of disinformation and adopting general principles and standards on the matter. Paragraph 6 of the declaration calls upon all stakeholders to participate in developing initiatives and formulating appropriate responses.

An unprecedented joint statement by UN human rights experts the following year, calling on India to protect a journalist against disinformation fuelled attacks, further serves to highlight the urgency of the topic.

Other UN efforts include:

  • a media seminar on peace in the Middle East exploring how the systematic spread of untruths affects the way traditional news outlets cover the conflict between Israel and Palestine,

  • the WHO fighting the “Infodemic” surrounding COVID-19 through the information network for epidemics (EPI-WIN) and partnering with businesses, such as Facebook, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),

  • the UN initiative Verified, that uses social media campaigns, such as #PledgetoPause, to counter misinformation about the pandemic,

  • The General Assembly requesting the UN Department of Global Communications pay particular attention to the fight against misinformation and disinformatio

Practical Advice

This study guide serves the purpose to introduce the general directions of the topics chosen for the conference, and to present some avenues along which delegates may wish to proceed in the preparation. It is not a comprehensive treatise, and the consultation of the study guide alone does not suffice as preparation for the session.

In dealing with the preparation for the matters introduced above, it is reasonable and worthwhile for delegates to initially consult the legislation of the country they are representing in search of material that deals with the matters at hand. Moreover, they should examine whether their country has agreed and bound itself to international legislation, for instance through the regulations of multinational organisations such as the European Union. The information they gain from this consultation should usually form the basis on which they inform their position that they will be contributing to the debate. Additionally, they should read current press releases or reports in newspapers, ideally ones domestic to their country, to establish whether their current government is politically invested in the matter, and if so what particular policies they seek to advance during their period of administration.

 

Sources

Written by Jennifer Angst Moritz F. Adam Ridika Osman

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Website MUN Team UZH
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