The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder, democratic and transparent forum facilitating discussion on public policy issues related to Internet governance by all stakeholders. The discussions at the 2015 forum were framed around the theme ‘Evolution of Internet governance: Empowering Sustainable Development’, supported by eight sub-themes – Cybersecurity and trust, The Internet economy, Inclusiveness and diversity, Openness, Enhancing multi-stakeholder cooperation, The Internet and human rights, Critical Internet resources and Emerging issues.
The issue of hate speech online was the focus of a Workshop held on 12th November. ‘Dangerous speech online: Identification and strategies’, focused on the South Asian region, exploring the complex tangle of issues around online hate speech and implications for disempowered groups, Internet enabled anonymity, its cross-border nature and the effects of regulation on freedom of expression. The workshop was moderated by Professor Urs Gasser, Executive Director, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. The panel included Professor Susan Benesch, The Dangerous Speech Project, Ankhi Das, Regional Director Facebook for South Asia and representatives from India, Pakistan, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
Researcher Roshini Wickremesinhe represented CPA at this forum, having co-authored a recent report Saving Sunil – a study of dangerous speech around Facebook page dedicated to Sgt. Sunil Rathnayake.
Read a full report on the Forum here.
Listen to an insight on the Saving Sunil study here.