REGULATORY GAP FOR HATE SPEECH IN CYPRUS - COMMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE CROSSHAIRS - PROPOSAL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL OBSERVATORY - Filenews 19/10 by Despina Psyllou
The need for additional regulations in relation to hate speech was underlined in the Parliament's Human Rights Committee. The discussion focused on the comments of various users on social media and the ways in which they are managed.
It was announced, in fact, that the CUT and MedDMO (Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory) were designated by the Radio and Television and Digital Services Authority as the trusted flaggers to forward complaints to social media companies.
Associate Professor of International Law, Aristotelis Constantinides, referred to the regulatory and legislative gap that exists in Cyprus.
Among other things, the professor said that one of the issues that needs to be managed is comments on social media. "There is a question of different management when it comes to simple user accounts and when it comes to news organizations' social media accounts."
As he said, both cases can be regulated. He pointed out, however, that the media cannot be constantly on social media for comments.
Another issue that arises, according to Konstantinidis, is to modernize the definition of hate speech. As he said, although there is no mistake, however, a rapprochement is needed. To make the guidelines, which exist internationally, more "clear".
The law, he noted, defines what hate speech is and would help everyone involved if the EU texts are legally incorporated. "I can speak intensely, express myself, disagree. However, I cannot limit groups of people, marginalize them, target them, underestimate them."
Need for a National Hate Speech Observatory
The establishment of a National Observatory on Hate Speech with the participation of the Radio and Television Authority, the Journalistic Ethics Committee, the Universities, and civil society, was proposed by the Assistant Professor of Journalism and Digital Media of the CUT, Venetia Papa.
In this observatory, as he said, the citizen will be able to make complaints and in addition, it will collect rhetorical material to complain as a mediator between the platform and the Police. "There are specialized and accessible mechanisms in other countries, such as France and Germany," he said, adding that there are also content moderation tools to control comments.
He also pointed out the need for the national coordinator of digital services, as users in Cyprus are not aware of how to complain.
"An algorithmic education course had to be integrated into schools," he pointed out.
Trusted Flaggers by the Radio and Television Authority
The designation of the CUT, in collaboration with the MedDMO (Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory), as the Trusted Flaggers of Cyprus, was pointed out by the representative of the Radio and Television and Digital Services Authority.
As mentioned, these are recognized entities that file reports and complaints with social media companies and are prioritized when examining them.
Regarding the comments written on the accounts of news organizations on social media, he said that the organizations are not responsible but the social media companies.
On the part of the Police, the assistant director of the Crime Fighting Department of the Headquarters, Andreas Anastasiadis, said that there is no need to replace the legislation, although improvements can also be made to the law.
There is already a platform for complaints to the Police (DiGiPOL) as well as the website of the Cybercrime Directorate and the 1480 line.
"There is specialization in the Police, but it does not have staff to constantly monitor hate speech, as we also deal with crimes such as pornography, terrorism and other issues."
The secretary of Accept LGBTQI Cyprus, Stefanos Evangelides, underlined that hate speech is not only about behaviour that is limited to the internet but to the real world. "We have the first case that has reached the Attorney General and the Court for incitement to violence," he pointed out.
