When words do more than hurt, by Anukshi Jayasinha

ICTs in general 2 Minutes

“The demographics on (sic) these hate groups on social media are very young, which is alarming,” says Sanjana Hattotuwa, editor of Groundviews. “A thrust of hate speech today takes place more on social media than on mainstream media, and it is going viral. These ‘pages’ also carry a lot of photographic and illustrative content that is edited to look frightening and incredibly offensive. My fear is that, should another ethnic conflict arise, the target this time will be human, not simply property.”

Journalist and friend Anukshi Jayasinha has a good piece in Ceylon Today (When words do more than hurt) on the spread and promotion of hate, hurt and harm on online fora in Sri Lanka, especially regarding a growing wave of Islamophobia in the country, championed by groups like the Bodu Bala Sena.

Rather than blocking, banning and censoring (which against hate speech is about as effective as attempts to block, ban and censor dissident voices online) I proposed that there should be more discussion and debate about the venomous content promoted through online fora, requiring parents, schools and even the office environment (often used to produce and access this content) to be more aware of the detrimental effects of such content going mainstream, and influencing the minds of, inter alia, school going children (who are part of these groups).

“Space on the Internet is unlimited. Blocking or banning hate groups on social media is not feasible,” adds Hattotuwa. “Young children must have guidance from parents, schools and the media in understanding what hate speech is. I am not in favour of banning, because freedom of expression requires putting up content that we might not necessarily agree on.” Hattotuwa also adds that the best counter to hate speech, both in mainstream and social media, is to put out alternative viewpoints through various initiatives at all levels; civil society, religious and inter-religious groups and the government. “You cannot erase fringe lunatics, but you can ensure more moderate, inclusive, respectful content and discussions. Give more space for various moderate voices. There is a lot the government can also do through new media.” Hisham also believes that while freedom of expression is important, condoning hate speech will only lead to hate-mongers taking the law unto themselves. “It is important for people to hear what they have to say, but when their communication becomes offensive in an obvious way, it becomes worrying.” Says Deepan: “I believe everyone should be given a platform to express, but it has to be done with moderation, caution and sensitivity to ethics. When the government ignores them, it only feeds their ideologies, and minorities feel vulnerable.”

Especially in light of the Media Ministry’s upcoming media code of ethics, I told Anukshi that instead of more oversight and imposition of possibly self-serving regulations by (any) government, more useful would be to impose some of the existing guidelines and self-regulatory practices at play in print and broadcast media to online spaces.

Groundviews, according to Hattotuwa, has its own site guidelines, which does not allow for posts or comments that are deeply offensive. “We embrace disagreement and difference, but we also believe in respectful communications.” Sadly, many news websites, both state and private, have poor moderation of comments by readers that are hateful, racist and even foul in nature. “Most news organizations follow the Code of Ethics issues by the Sri Lanka Press Insitute (SLPI) and their own ethics. It is just a matter of someone taking the decision to apply these same ethics in their online platforms as well,” says Hattotuwa.

Published by Sanjana

An Ashoka, Rotary World Peace and TED Fellow, I have since 2002 used, studied and advocated Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to strengthen peace, human rights & democratic governance. I founded in 2006 and till June 2020 edited the award-winning Groundviews, Sri Lanka's first civic media website. From 2002-2020 I was a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives. I pioneered both the use of social media for activism and online citizen journalism/civic media in Sri Lanka, including setting up South Asia's first Twitter and Facebook accounts for civic media, in 2007. Having started digital security training for human rights activists in 2010, I continue to advise civil society on digital hygiene, mass and personal surveillance, privacy and secure communications to date. I also curate a comprehensive digital archive of material linked to peace and conflict in Sri Lanka, since 2002. I specialise in, advise and train on social media communications strategy, countering-violence extremism online, web-based activism, online advocacy and grounded, context-based, platform-specific social media research. My work experience over two-decades spans five continents. Through the ICT4Peace Foundation and since 2006, I help strengthen information management during crises and work on countering violent extremism online. For over a decade, this included leading the Foundation's work on these lines with the United Nations and other multi-lateral organisations involved in peacebuilding, peacekeeping, and humanitarian affairs. Since 2008, I have worked in South Asia, South East Asia, North Africa, Europe and the Balkans to capture, disseminate and archive inconvenient truths in austere, violent contexts. I completed doctoral studies at the University of Otago, New Zealand, looking at the symbiotic relationship between offline unrest and online instigation of hate and harm in Sri Lanka and, in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre in 2019, facilitated by leading research based on New Zealand's first ever Data for Good grant by Twitter.

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