#DisinformationStation

We're calling on social media platforms to:

Broaden definitions of hate speech to include misogyny, bias, and attacks against Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and transgender people, and gendered and racialized disinformation;

Establish an enforceable and escalating process for reporting and removing hate speech, disinformation, misogyny, and white supremacy;

Enforce policies that protect survivors of hate, abuse, and harassment; and,

Shift internal platform policies and culture to address and acknowledge misogyny and its intersections with other harms to marginalized identities.

Keep scrolling to learn more about our recommendations.

Overview

Disinformation has emerged in recent years as the primary mode for right-wing radicalization, with the spread of hate speech, racism, sexism, misogyny, and more. Social media and tech platforms have become the new homes for hate. With this emergence, UltraViolet has once again stepped up to the challenge to hold Big Tech accountable for its actions and influence in spreading sexist disinformation and empowering everyday users on the internet to fight back.

According to PEW Research, three quarters of Black and Latinx people and two-thirds of women say that online harassment is a major problem. Hate and disinformation online are used by groups like the Proud Boys, the 3%ers, and more to recruit and radicalize everyday users. And ultimately, its algorithms used by social media platforms which make it easier for users to fall down the Rabbit Hole and the profits earned from disinformation, clickbait, and conspiracy theories which prevent change.

Disinformation, misinformation and bias causes serious harm and “can inspire both online and offline attacks” (UltraViolet Disinfo Media Accountability Guide, 2020). It also often focuses on those most marginalized in society, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, women and girls, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and people belonging to religious minorities, all of whom are at a greater risk of becoming targets of disinformation campaigns, hate speech, and violence.

At UltraViolet, we know that the line between the online and “real” world is permeable. Online speech and disinformation has real world consequences. Social media platforms and tech companies have a responsibility to address the transformation of misinformation to disinformation to mitigate harm before it can become malinformation– what ultimately leads violence, harm, hate speech, and harassment on- and offline. That’s why we advocate for bad actors to be deplatformed from social media platforms. We know that deplatforming not only makes online spaces safer for those most marginalized by society, but it actually works at curbing the spread of disinformation and hate speech. “Deplatforming is effective in minimizing the reach of disinformation and extreme speech” (Deplatforming the far-right: An analysis of YouTube and BitChute∗, Rauchfleisch and Kaiser).

Our work on disinformation is rooted in fighting for an anti-racist, anti-misogynist, feminist future. From our beginning nearly a decade ago, UltraViolet has been at the forefront in the fight against disinformation and media accountability. From the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Google and Cost-per-Click ads, and deceptive anti-choice advertising, to taking on Donald Trump, the Disinformer-in-Chief, and the spread of sexism and misogyny on platforms like Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, we have a track record of showing up in solidarity with those most impacted by lies and disinformation.

There is so much more work to be done to ensure an online and offline world free from sexism, misogyny, racism, and bigotry. UltraViolet is proud to show up alongside our partners in this ever evolving world of digital organizing, policy advocacy, and movement building. We hope you join us in taking the pledge to stand in solidarity with truth and justice in this ongoing fight against misogyny and hate.

SUPREME COURT NOMINATION, 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY DEMANDS

In the age of social media, major platforms such as Facebook and Instagram (Meta), YouTube (Google/Alphabet), Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit each play a critical role in defining how women candidates and elected leaders are perceived by voters and the public. Amplification of headlines, photos, social media previews, and article content through algorithms can spread racist and sexist ideas and encourage or legitimize disinformation. Without policies and enforcements in place, sexist, racist, and misogynistic content online perpetuates hate and deepens belief in harmful stereotypes.

The Women’s Disinformation Defense Project, a coalition of gender and racial justice organizations, launched in 2020 with the goal of holding media and platforms accountable, as the U.S. elected the most diverse Congress in our nation’s history and the first Black and Indian American woman became vice president. The WDDP has mobilized now, at this critical time, to ensure the U.S. Supreme Court nominee is able to get through the nomination process without enduring racist and sexist attacks.

We are calling on major social media platforms to commit to the following three issue areas in the lead-up to the SCOTUS nomination and the 2022 midterm elections: eliminate disinformation, depolarize the algorithm and moderation practices, and enforce and deplatform hate and violence. These demands are based off of UltraViolet’s platform accountability demands launched in 2021.

Check out the WDDP’s memo to Big Tech here.