BRUSSELS (Guardian) -- More than 85% of people are worried about the impact of online disinformation and 87% believe it has already harmed their country’s politics, according to a global survey, as the United Nations announced a plan to tackle the phenomenon.
Audrey Azoulay, director general of the UN’s culture body, UNESCO, told reporters that false information and hate speech online – accelerated and amplified by social media platforms – posed “major risks to social cohesion, peace and stability”.
Regulation was urgently needed “to protect access to information … while at the same time protecting freedom of expression and human rights”, Azoulay said as she presented a “governance blueprint” for governments, regulators and platforms.
A UNESCO-commissioned survey in 16 countries due to hold national elections next year – with a total of 2.5 billion voters – showed how pressing the need for effective regulation had become, the organization said.
The survey by pollster Ipsos of 8,000 people in countries including Austria, Croatia, the U.S., Algeria, Mexico, Ghana and India, found that 56% of internet users got their news mainly from social media, far more than from TV (44%) or media sites (29%).
Social media was the main source of news in almost every country, despite trust in the information it provided being significantly lower than in traditional media: 50% against 66% for television, 63% for radio and 57% for media websites and apps.
Across all 16 countries, 68% of respondents said social media was where fake news was most widespread, ahead of messaging apps (38%), a belief “overwhelmingly prevalent in all countries, age groups, social backgrounds and political preferences”.
Disinformation was overwhelmingly seen as a concrete threat, with 85% saying they worried about its influence. Eighty-seven per cent said disinformation had already had a major impact on national political life and would play a part in 2024’s elections.
Hate speech was also seen as widespread: 67% of respondents said they had seen it online (and 74% of under-35s). Large majorities (88%) said governments and regulators must address both issues, and 90% also wanted platforms to take action.
Vigilance was seen as particularly important during election campaigns. Of those polled, 89% demanded government and regulatory intervention and 91% expected social media platforms to be even more alert when democracy was directly in play.