Contributions to UNESCO on digital platform regulation

The Association for Civil Rights (ADC) submitted inputs to the UNESCO Regional Consultation as a response to its proposal Guidelines for Regulating Digital Platforms for Information as a Common Good. Our recommendations focus on recognizing regulation as an essential tool to safeguard information as a common good and promote freedom of expression as a fundamental human right, always within the defense of democracy.

In this sense, the document responds to a series of guiding questions from which we develop the main principles to be considered in a regulatory framework such as the one proposed by the international organization. Among them are the need to:

• Seek a balance between detailed regulatory principles and regulatory guidance.
• Focus on third-party content curation platforms and consider their size and market presence.
• Clearly state that content protected by freedom of expression will not be restricted.
• Include a mandatory review every three years to adjust to new technologies.
• Consider the intersectional approach to gender, addressing the experiences of vulnerable groups.
• Promote transparency in meetings with political leaders, collaboration with external organizations, and relationships with advertising companies.