The latest report of UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan focuses on the “paradigm shift” brought by surging authoritarianism, recent changes in the governance of speech on social media platforms, States’ responses to it, and the rapid advances of AI. “The harms, as well as the benefits, are as much the outcome of the policies and products of digital companies as they are of States’ action or inaction,” Khan writes. The report outlines the dangers of “privatization” of freedom of expression, companies’ failures in due diligence and risk mitigation, their AI innovation race without human rights guardrails, and the outsized market power of a few platforms, concluding with recommendations for governments, companies, investors, and civil society.
UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan, Threats to Freedom of Expression Online in Turbulent Times, A/80/341, United Nations, https://docs.un.org/en/A/80/341.