"Tech Companies Should Prioritize Rights in Ukraine", 16 March 2022

Social media and messaging service companies need to do much more to meet their human rights responsibilities in Ukraine and other crises and conflicts around the world...

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ..., companies such as Meta, Google, TikTok, and Twitter have announced numerous measures, most aimed at countering harmful disinformation. ...While it is too early to fully assess the adequacy of these steps, early reports indicate that measures to counter harmful disinformation and misinformation are falling short...

To explain the human rights responsibilities of technology companies in crises, Human Rights Watch released a detailed question and answer document...

One clear finding is that companies should exhibit more clarity, consistency, and transparency so their actions can be assessed against their human rights responsibilities, which apply wherever their services are used.

To fully assess whether companies are respecting human rights, there is an urgent need to provide access to data for independent researchers, including those in the fields of human rights disinformation, hate speech, and incitement to violence, among others, while protecting user privacy...