The freedom of social media platforms can have negative effects on society, such as the spread of misinformation, cyber bullying, and the erosion of privacy.
Misinformation on social media can have serious consequences, such as spreading false information about personalities, political ideologies, and public opinion, or spreading hate speech and even inciting violence.
Cyber bullying is another negative effect of social media freedom. Online harassment and bullying can lead to volatile situations, social unrest, serious mental health consequences, and, in some extreme cases, even suicide.
Privacy is also at risk on social media platforms. Personal information and data can be collected, shared, and used without users’ knowledge or consent, which can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, and other harms to individuals and society.
On the other hand, social media are interactive technologies that allow the creation and sharing of information through virtual networks and have numerous benefits for people. In Sri Lanka, the most commonly used platforms are social networking sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and several other similar applications.
These applications are primarily used on mobile phones in Sri Lanka, and reports indicate that the country currently has 7.6 million active Facebook accounts. Similarly, WhatsApp has become the most popular messaging application among the 32 million mobile phone users in the country, according to research.
Cyber bullying
In order to address these issues, some countries have brought in regulations for social media platforms, such as stricter rules on the spread of misinformation and cyber bullying and greater protections for user privacy. However, it is important to strike a balance between protecting individual rights and freedoms and ensuring the safety and well-being of society.
In Sri Lanka, better moderation of misinformation and disinformation on social media is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens.
Hate speech on social media can incite violence and discrimination against marginalised groups and has been a significant problem in the country in recent years. For example, the irresponsible behaviour of some YouTubers who kept on producing offensive religious content may have damaged religious harmony in the country.
Moreover, because of the impending local Government elections, people with one-sided political bias are creating unwanted and harmful substances through social media platforms, particularly Facebook, creating an undesirable division in society. Most often, these biased followers create derogatory substances to mercilessly attack their political opponents.
Most of the time, the content in these posts does not have substantiated evidence based on real facts. The intention of these mischief-makers is to create chaos to help their political parties. This seems to be a national disaster and must be curtailed immediately through a regulatory body or by enforcing existing laws.
Individual rights
Regulating social media freedom in Sri Lanka is a complex issue that involves balancing the protection of individual rights with freedom to ensure the well-being of the entire society. One of the main challenges of regulating social media in Sri Lanka is the spread of misinformation and occasional hate speech on these platforms.
Offenders who try to disturb the status quo usually always hide behind the clause “freedom of expression and right to information” stipulated by the constitution. Knowingly or unknowingly, they completely disregard the fact that freedom of expression, by its very nature, cannot be used to infringe on other universally accepted freedoms and rights.
Therefore, freedom of expression is subject to other accepted restrictions that are necessary to safeguard the rights of individuals and the citizenry. Freedom of expression does not mean that someone can attack one’s feelings, ideas, emotions, and thoughts without restriction.
To address these issues, one approach is to strengthen the laws and regulations that govern online social media content. Sri Lanka’s existing laws, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act and the Penal Code, already criminalise hate speech and incitement to violence.
However, these laws may need to be updated to reflect the specific challenges posed by social media, such as the rapid spread of misinformation and hate speech.
Although it is not easy to enact, another approach is to strengthen the self-regulation of social media platforms. Practically, getting the offenders to understand the overall social harm from misinformation is not a convenient task. Educating them on ethics and media responsibilities can be a dreadful and futile effort.
Media companies
However, social media companies can be encouraged to develop stricter industry standards and guidelines for moderating content and to invest in sophisticated technology and algorithms to detect and remove hate speech automatically. These companies can also invest in training and hiring more moderators to review content.
The Government can partner with social media companies to develop industry standards and guidelines for moderating online hate speech and other offences. The regulatory agencies in Sri Lanka are established by the legislature on a legal basis with specific regulatory authority.
Although the two agencies, the Sri Lanka Police Computer Crime Investigation Division and Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), are actively offering a creditable service, their key responsibility is focusing on the criminal aspects of cyber crime and not exactly regulating social media abuse.
The Government can also partner with social media companies to develop industry standards and guidelines for moderating hate speech.
One key aspect of regulating social media freedom in Sri Lanka is community-based moderation. This could involve training and empowering community members to identify and report misinformation and hate speech on social media platforms.
Community-based moderation can be more effective than relying solely on algorithms or third-party fact-checkers, as it allows for a more distinctive understanding of local context and cultural behaviour.
Another important aspect of regulating social media freedom in Sri Lanka is the protection of user privacy. Personal information and data can be collected, shared, and used without users’ knowledge or consent, which can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, and other harms.
Social media platforms can also be used as a tool for surveillance, both by governments and private entities.
Therefore, it is important to have strong data protection laws in place to safeguard the personal information of users.
Civil society organisations and the media can play an important role in creating awareness of the negative effects of hate speech and promoting a culture of tolerance, mutual respect, and understanding in the country.
Hate speech
Another approach is to strengthen the laws and regulations that govern online speech. Sri Lanka’s laws, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act and the Penal Code, already criminalise hate speech, but they may need to be updated to reflect the specific challenges posed by social media. The Government can also partner with social media companies to develop industry standards and guidelines for moderating hate speech.
Additionally, social media companies can invest in sophisticated technology and procedures to detect and remove hate speech automatically and can invest in training and hiring more moderators to review content.
Lastly, civil society organisations and the media can play an important role in creating awareness of the negative effects of hate speech and promoting a culture of tolerance, mutual respect, and understanding in the country. It is important to note that moderating hate speech on social media is a complex issue and will require a multi-faceted approach involving Government, social media companies, civil society, and the community.