including on the emerging policy framework referenced above and how to access or even
follow policy guidance.
3. Recommendations
A growing number of private sector actors are engaged in efforts to respond to the use of
the internet and ICT for terrorist purposes. The findings of this project shed light on an
emerging content policy framework anchored in ensuring public safety while also
respecting the rule of law and universal human rights and principles. At the same time, the
findings highlight some of the normative, technical, informational and organisational
challenges persisting in current responses to the issue. To this end, the project makes a
number of interdependent recommendations for further work. They are largely centred on
trust-building within and among sectors, consolidating the emerging normative base for
public and private action, establishing mechanisms and platforms for sharing knowledge
and information, exchanging practices, capacity building and awareness raising.
3.1 Dialogue Facilitation
Scale up and strengthen existing mechanisms for relationship brokering/ dialogue
facilitation and knowledge sharing across regions on existing and emerging challenges
among private sector actors and between private sectors and non-private sectors, such as
regional inter-governmental organisations, government representatives, academia, and
civil society, including affected communities.
3.2 Strengthen the Emerging Normative/Policy Framework
Build on/ strengthen existing initiatives to help consolidate the emerging global
normative/policy framework anchored in ensuring public safety and the security of civilians,
while also respecting the rule of law and core universal human rights and principles,
particularly transparency, accountability and remedy to guide both public and private
responses to the use of the internet and ICT for terrorist purposes. The recommendations
stemming from the GNI policy dialogue can serve as an important normative basis for this
process.
For instance, efforts should be made to ensure that transparency, accountability and
remedy underpin any government-backed mechanisms and structures to use technology
and social media companies own mechanisms (e.g. terms of service) for reporting
violations of companies’ terms of service to request the removal of content. To this end,
efforts should be made to ensure that:
-
Companies are transparent with their users, to the extent permitted by law, about
government orders to remove or restrict content.
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Governments do not pressure companies to change their terms of service. Terms of
service are developed in order to deliver user experiences that are appropriate for
the nature or type of service, and the user community of the service.
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When governments refer content to companies for removal under companies’ terms
of service, they guard against the risks that such referrals may set precedents for
extra-judicial government censorship without adequate access to remedy,
accountability, or transparency for users and the public. If governments make such
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