Digital Rights |The Digital Rights Project of SAM issued its report on "hate speech in the digital environment" in Yemen, highlighting its repercussions, as well as the most important measures that would limit the spread of this speech through the digital space.
The report, titled: "Hate Speech in the Digital Environment... Diagnosis and Treatments," said that "the Yemeni media had a prominent role in fueling civil conflict and fueling hatred," considering that the parties' media machines practiced incitement "blatantly to demonize their opponents."
He added that the language of hate is not a result of the current war, as it is rooted in the collective conscience, since before the witnessed war, as one of the structural factors of conflict between groups, but the consequences of hate speech and its effects at the present time are more destructive and dangerous than before, given what It is represented by social media platforms as a means that mainly contribute to amplifying and spreading hatred on a large scale, as well as exacerbating societal division and fragmentation.
The report stated that the war contributed to the creation of new derogatory terms that were not familiar in the past, and also contributed to highlighting old terms and enhanced their circulation among the parties to the conflict and their supporters (individuals and media institutions), who use them to stigmatize the other with negative and enmity traits.
The report indicated that hate speech played a pivotal role in deepening the division and the emergence of a state of extreme disharmony between the parties to the conflict in Yemen, in addition to having led to acts of violence and fragmentation of the social fabric, as well as contributing to the prolongation of the war, pointing out that there is a close link between The hate speech that is broadcast through cyberspace, and the violence that is practiced in reality, because many of the hostile behaviors and discriminatory behaviors targeting some groups/individuals; It was the result of accumulated grudges and grudges fueled by hate speech, according to the report.
A report added that hate speech represents a real threat to coexistence and social stability, which necessitates all parties to confront it and confront it by all means, based on the opinion that: "The more we can undermine hate speech with friendly words, logical arguments, and telling the truth, the more hate speech begins to lose its power." According to the report.
The report notes that the spread of hate speech over the Internet and its gaining popularity over time is a problem and a challenge, and therefore understanding and monitoring the dynamics of this speech across the various online communities and platforms is essential to form new responses to it.
The report, “Hate Speech in the Digital Environment,” notes that social media risks creating new hierarchies rooted in contradictions, and these media often create a state of isolation, as many users interact mostly with like-minded people, exacerbating Polarization in narratives and societal divisions.
The report issued by the Digital Rights Project pointed out that “the lack of local language expertise and cultural knowledge of those in charge of the Facebook platform, and the platform’s reliance mainly on complex algorithms to detect and remove harmful material, made it difficult to suppress sectarianism through digital space and other forms of harmful content.” which targets local vulnerable groups.
The report cited the opinions of journalists and media professionals regarding measures to curb the spread of hate speech, as it said that it requires the solidarity of society, civil society organizations, opinion leaders and cultural elites to confront hate speech, and to confront everything that would incite and feed violence and fragment the social fabric. In addition to the media playing a role in building peace by directing a committed and professional discourse, and searching for commonalities between the various parties.
The report mentioned the opinions of specialists on the need for an observatory that specializes in monitoring all forms of hate speech promoted by means of the parties to the conflict, to control media discourse. Others stressed the importance of including media policies within the agenda of the ongoing political negotiations in Yemen under international auspices, and that they include the efforts of the UN envoy. To Yemen, urging the parties to rationalize the media discourse as a prelude to more general and comprehensive settlements.
The specialists also emphasized the importance of having a code of conduct to promote peace journalism and contribute to mitigating the intensity of the raging war in the country, adopting ethical principles that criminalize hate speech, and adopting positive discourses that search for possible solutions to bring about peace instead of continuing to fuel conflict and fuel violence. A law regulating cybercrime.
It is noteworthy that the "Hate Speech in the Digital Environment" report is the fifth within the digital rights project, which is implemented by the "SAM Organization" with the support of the "Internews Organization", with the aim of advocating for Yemenis' digital rights issues, to reach a free and safe digital space.
