Social media for peace: Bringing local knowledge to content moderation can support resilient societies

These are the findings of the study conducted by ARTICLE 19, an international human rights organisation, under the joint EU and UNESCO Social Media for Peace project.

The research was carried out in three target countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, and Kenya. The findings in all three countries show that inadequate content moderation risks jeopardising peace and reconciliation processes and fuelling further societal tensions.

The representatives of civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia and Kenya, interviewed for the study, mentioned their experience of social media companies’ failure to understand specific cultural and societal contexts, including a lack of coverage of local languages. The civil society organisations feel that social media platforms lack local knowledge and expertise when applying content regulation rules.

Local coalitions on freedom of expression and content moderation could play a key role in supporting expression online, mitigating risks arising from content moderation on social media, and contributing to redressing the imbalance between global tech companies and local communities, reveal the reports.

In the next phase of the European Union and UNESCO supported project, ARTICLE 19 will work with local actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia and Kenya to contribute to facilitating the establishment of these coalitions.