Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Norberto Moretti, at the Global Digital Compact side event "A Global Digital Compact for Democracy", organized by International IDEA - April 29th, 2024

I appreciate the timeliness of this discussion, as we start engaging in the negotiations of the Global Digital Compact, and not least the invitation and the opportunity to address you on a topic of paramount importance to Brazil.

The GDC negotiations present us with a unique opportunity to enhance trust in the digital environment and promote and protect democratic values and processes. To this end, we must place front and center the need to ensure information integrity, and fight misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.

The virtual omnipresence of global digital platforms has transformed social and political interactions worldwide, fostering inclusion, growth and prosperity. Digital technologies have indeed become critical tools for the empowerment of people and the promotion and protect of human rights.

At the same time, the digital space and online platforms have often been misused, prompting the spread of misinformation, hate speech, polarization and corrosion of democratic values, with negative effects on institutions, social cohesion, fundamental freedoms and scientific understanding. The widespread uptake and rapid development of AI systems have the potential to aggravate the effects of disinformation.

Thus the crucial importance of the dissemination of accurate and reliable information. States, civil society groups, the press, businesses and other relevant stakeholders must come together to fight misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech online, promote information integrity, tolerance and respect online, and protect the integrity of democratic processes.

International cooperation has a pivotal role in such an effort. This includes the exchange of good practices and robust analyses on policies addressing disinformation, including on aspects such as transparency and accountability of digital platforms and their business models.

We are particularly supportive of setting up an international scientific panel to build and disseminate scientific consensus and evidence-based knowledge on AI, and shed light on its risks and socioeconomic impacts, including those related to disinformation and misinformation. UN agencies and offices, as well as Member States can also collaborate in evidence-gathering aimed at better  understanding the impacts of disinformation and misinformation on the achievement of the SDGs.

Special attention should be given to promoting media and digital literacy of individuals for meaningful participation and citizen empowerment in the digital space.

Here I must express our appreciation for the initiative of the Secretary-General to propose a code of conduct for information integrity, with a key contribution to the definition of this concept. Hopefully the code of conduct will also address the pressing need to close the digital divides and ensure meaningful connectivity, given the importance of empowerment of citizens, especially the vulnerable, amid efforts to counter disinformation and misinformation.

In its capacity as G20 presidency, Brazil has sought to frame discussions on information integrity from the perspective of digital inclusion. A side event on information integrity, held in São Paulo last week, brought together a wide array of stakeholders to contribute to the operationalization of the concept. The event also facilitated a productive exchange of good practices in the digital environment. We were honored to have the Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming as a keynote speaker on the occasion.

Governments around the world, including our own, have been considering regulation of digital platforms to protect the integrity of information online and preserve democratic values and civic spaces for public debate.

My government holds the view that tech companies and platforms are also part of the solution and can help fight misinformation. They need to be encouraged to reinforce their rules on transparency, especially regarding content moderation, recommendation algorithms and the handling of users' personal data. Conducting periodic human rights impact and risk assessments and mitigation measures is also key.

At the same time, regulation of digital markets should be intrinsically connected to the broader imperative of safeguarding human rights in the digital sphere, including the rights to freedom of opinion and expression and privacy.

I conclude with a call to action. If we fail to act now, we will continue to see the trust in democratic institutions be eroded around the globe with potentially very serious consequences domestically and globally. We must not allow it.

Thank you.