Defending Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
UNESCO and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
A nine-unit interactive course for youth on AI and Human Rights developed jointly by UNESCO and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). This course breaks down complex concepts on how freedom of expression, the right to privacy, and the right to equality are affected using AI.
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Joint Declaration on Media Freedom and Democracy
May 2023
Joint Declaration on the role of media freedom in creating and sustaining democratic societies by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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Communiqué by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media on the Use of Digital Surveillance Technology on Journalists
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, September 2023
In this communiqué on the use of digital surveillance technology on journalists, the RFoM underscores the significant negative impact such technology can have on media freedom and urges against their use on journalists.
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UNESCO Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms
UNESCO, November 2023
UNESCO developed Guidelines that aim to safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information online in the context of the development and implementation of digital platform regulatory processes.
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Video Launch: the SAIFE Policy Manual
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, January 2022
A livestream event featuring the launch of the SAIFE Policy Manual, the culmination of two years of research and several expert workshops, bringing together more than 120 experts from various backgrounds and across the OSCE region. The SAIFE Policy Manual provides human rights-centric recommendations to safeguard freedom of expression in the use of AI in content moderation and curation.
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SAIFE Policy Manual
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, January 2022
The SAIFE Policy Manual is the culmination of two years of research and several expert workshops, bringing together more than 120 experts from various backgrounds and across the OSCE region and provides human rights-centric recommendations to safeguard freedom of expression in the use of AI in content moderation and curation.
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How AI can affect human rights
Essex University’s Human Rights Centre, 2015-2022
This video, produced by Essex University’s Human Rights Centre, presents the human rights challenges posed by surveillance capitalism and the mass collection and processing of personal data.
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Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Gender Justice.
May 2022
Joint Declaration on transformative changes for gender justice in freedom of expression, including in the digital context, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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Event on Gender Justice: Advancing Pluralism and Free Speech For All
Organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, July 2022
The event discusses transformative change to remove systemic inequalities, barriers and discrimination in view of achieving gender justice and an enabling environment for pluralism and freedom of expression for all, and launches policy papers focusing on online rape threats, digital security hazards and targeted disinformation from the perspective of the (mis-)use of technology and automated systems to disempower women’s exercise of freedom of expression.
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Communiqués by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
Organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, July 2022
A collection of communiqués on fundamental media freedom issues.
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Digital misogyny vs. pluralistic media: Responding to gendered disinformation and online harassment of women journalists
organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and International Press Institute (IPI) at the 2022 IPI World Congress, September 2022
Recording of a workshop on steps to address gendered disinformation and violence against journalists and its detrimental impact on media pluralism and information spaces. It explored types and methods of gendered disinformation and online violence, discussed strategies to prevent and combat smear campaigns, and identifed the role of different stakeholders to address gendered violence against journalists. In particular, the workshop explored what international organizations such as the OSCE can and should be doing to better to support journalists and hold states to their commitments on safety of journalists, pluralism and media freedom.
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SAIFE expert workshop on content governance in times of crisis
Agenda, Concept Note, Miro Boards – October 2022
This SAIFE workshop explored the specific crisis-context of platform and content governance, building on the SAIFE Policy Manual and exploring implications and experiences in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, and the climate crisis.
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Can there be security without media freedom? - Report on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, November 2022
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the RFoM established an Advisory Group of Eminent Experts on Freedom of the Media to take a birds-eye view on the media freedom situation and its linkage to security. This report highlights the expert discussions on current and emerging trends and challenges for media freedom – including in the digital realm, and the potential role of the RFoM in addressing these issues.
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There is no security without media freedom: 25th anniversary of the RFoM mandate
Organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, November 2022
This event commemorates the 25th anniversary of the mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and presents the report “Can there be security without media freedom?” based on the discussions that the members of the Advisory Group Eminent Experts on Freedom of the Media (AGEEFOM).
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Spotlight on AI-driven Content Governance in Times of Crisis
organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media at the 2022 Internet Governance Forum, November 2022
Recording of the SAUFE session at the 2022 Internet Governance Forum. In early 2022, the OSCE RFoM provided general guidance to states, on regulation of AI in order to protect freedom of expression and other human rights, as well as media pluralism. This session explored their explored its applicability in times of crises, to ensure there are no trade-offs to human rights. During the session, preliminary research and workshop outcomes on this were presented and key findings discussed to provide concrete recommendations on protecting freedom of expression and other human rights in the use of AI for content governance in times of crises.
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Gender and Digital Rights: IGF Best Practice Forum
organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media at the 2022 Internet Governance Forum, December2022
Recording of a session at the 2022 Internet Governance Forum, addressing the main subjects of the Best Practice Forum on Gender and Digital Rights: a) Reproductive privacy; (b) Freedom of expression / Gendered disinformation; and (c) Freedom of association and religion; in order to understand the thin lines between protective and user-oriented regulatory practices and authoritative language with possible restrictions to our digital rights.Human rights must be observed in all aspects of one’s life – personal and professional, online and offline.
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Content Governance in Times of Crisis
organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media at the 2022 SAIFE Expedition, December2022
Building on the SAIFE Policy Manual and an earlier workshop held with civil society and academia, this panel aimed at increasing understanding of the specific challenges of content governance in crisis situations and at contextualizing existing recommendations on transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, and public oversight. The panel provided guidance to OSCE participating States on how to ensure free speech safeguards for automated content governance in the context of crises, be it conflict, climate change, or COVID.
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AI for a Public Interest Framework
organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media at the 2022 SAIFE Expedition, December2022
This panel explored the opportunities of a “public interest framework” for the digital information landscape and content recommender systems that promote quality media and public interest information to address many of the media freedom challenges posed by AI-based content governance systems, as identified in the SAIFE Policy Manual. The panel deliberated key recommendations of the OSCE Advisory Group of Eminent Experts on Freedom of the Media regarding a digital public interest framework. This panel provided a starting point for further discussions on opportunities for a healthier and more vibrant online information space – conducive to democracy, sustainable development, and comprehensive security.
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Better Human podcast
SAIFE Spotlight Initiative, Susie Alegre, January-March 2021
Human rights lawyer Susie Alegre joins the Better Human—a popular podcast hosted by UK barrister Adam Wagner—to lead a series of episodes that delve into an overlooked aspect of freedom of expression in the context of AI: freedom of opinion and freedom of information. Alegre invites experts from around the world to discuss the right to receive information and the ways in which AI affects what information we see and share. Featuring interviews with: Meetali Jain, Legal Director of Avaaz; Dr. Emma L. Briant, Maven of Persuasion; Professor Lorna Woods, University of Essex; Dr. Elif Mendos Kuskonmaz, University of Portsmouth; Brendan de Caires, Director of PEN Canada; and Professor Evelyn Aswad, University of Oklahoma.
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Guidelines for API Access to Social Media.
SAIFE Spotlight Initiative, Thomas Treml, Rania Wazir and Armin Rabitsch, January 2021
This report by Thomas Treml, Rania Wazir, and Armin Rabitsch describes the procedures for obtaining access to the application programming interface (APIs) for Twitter and Facebook, to provide useful guidance for researchers and civil society seeking data when conducting research on social media trends.
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Social media disinformation in the age of Covid
Better Human podcast, Episode 41. January 13, 2021
What is disinformation, how does it spread, and can it be stopped? Meetali Jain, Legal Director at Avaaz, joins host Susie Alegre, international human rights lawyer, to discuss how AI-driven tools power disinformation and other types of harmful digital content, and what can be done about it.
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Interview series on AI and COVID-19 Disinformation
SAIFE Spotlight Initiative, Kyle Matthews, February-March 2021
This initiative in co-operation with Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) at Concordia University, explores the impact of AI in enabling and confronting COVID-19 related disinformation, as well as the intersection of AI in relation to digital threats that are taking advantage of the pandemic “infocalypse”. A series of interviews with renowned experts from different backgrounds explores policies on how AI can be harnessed and regulated to better counter online disinformation and guarantee freedom of expression, including in times of crises.
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Decoding Hate podcast
SAIFE Spotlight Initiative, Katie Pentney, February 2021
A six-episode series that explores the connection between freedom of expression, artificial intelligence, and hate speech online. Human rights lawyer Katie Pentney discusses with leading experts what freedom of expression means in the digital age, the challenges of combating online hate speech, and the complexities of content moderation. Featuring discussions with: Nani Jansen Reventlow; Deniz Wagner; Tarlach McGonagle; Jillian York; Thiago Dias Oliva; Sahana Udupa; Molly Land; and Rikke Frank Jørgensen
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AI Explanations
SAIFE Spotlight Initiative, Caroline Sinders and Bojana Kostic, February 2021
A feminist collective of digital rights researchers, design thinkers, artists, journalists and social media specialists explore questions how artificial intelligence shapes our realities, human rights, and access to justice and equality.
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Who Should Decide What We See Online?
Jascha Galaski, Civil Liberties for Europe, February 2021
A report by Civil Liberties for Europe on how online platforms rank and moderate content, and advocating for regulatory responses that prioritize transparency and the protection of fundamental expression and privacy rights.
Go to resourceAre we truly free to express our opinions?
Better Human podcast, Episode 44. March 2, 2021
Evelyn Aswad, a professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, discusses freedom of opinion and how it interacts with freedom of speech.
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SAIFE expert working group on content moderation and security
Agenda, Concept Note, Miro Boards – April 2021
This SAIFE working group explored the free speech implication ofAI-based tools deployed in content moderation to detect and evaluate illegal content online, including security threats, such as extremist and terrorist content. It's outcome report fed into the SAIFE Policy Manual.
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SAIFE expert working group on content moderation and hate speech
Agenda, Concept Note, Miro Boards – April 2021
This SAIFE working group explored the free speech implications of AI-based tools used for detecting and evaluating potentially harmful but legal content, with a specific focus on online hate speech and algorithmic discriminatory bias. It's outcome report fed into the SAIFE Policy Manual.
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Policy paper on AI and freedom of expression in political competition and elections
SAIFE Spotlight Initiative, Election-Watch.EU, Vienna Data Science Group, April 2021
The policy paper developped by the Election-Watch.EU and the data4good Initiative of the Vienna Data Science Group (VDSG) addresses the impact of AI on freedom of expression in political campaigns and elections. Authors recommend human rights-based AI policies and regulatory measures that enable freedom of expression and the right to political participation.
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AI, human rights, democracy and the rule of law: A primer prepared for the Council of Europe
The Alan Turing Institute and the Council of Europe, April 2021
A primer by The Alan Turing Institute and the Council of Europe summarizing the main concepts presented in the Council of Europe’s Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI) Feasibility Studyexploring the impact of AI on human rights and democracy.
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Echo Chambers
A.I. Nation, Ep. 5. April 29, 2021
A.I. Nation, a podcast of Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy and Philadelphia Public Radio station WHYY, examines the role of AI technologies in driving politically polarizing ideas in the U.S., discussing how such tools generate online echo chambers and fuel the virulent spread of disinformation and misinformation on social media.
Go to resourceAre algorithms making us less creative?
Better Human podcast, Episode 47. April 19, 2021
Do automatically curated news feeds help or hinder free expression? How does creativity interact with rights protections? A discussion with Brendan de Caires of PEN Canada, hosted by barristers Adam Wagner and Susie Alegre, about the impact of AI on writers.
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Do You See What I See? Capabilities and Limits of Automated Multimedia Content Analysis
Dhanaraj Thakur and Emma Llansó. Center for Democracy & Technology, May 2021
This paper by CDT explains the capabilities and limitation sof tools for analyzing online content, in particular multimedia content. It highlights the potential risks of using these tools at scale without accounting for their limitations.
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AI for dummies
Civil Liberties for Europe, May 2021
This primer for non-tech audiences breaks down the fundamentals of AI and provides simple responses to questions such as: What is artificial intelligence? Why is it artificial?
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SAIFE expert working group on content curation and media pluralism
Agenda, Concept Note, Miro Boards – June 2021
This SAIFE working group explored the free speech implications of AI-based tools designed for curating and personalising online content, with a focus on content recommender systems and their impact on media pluralism. It's outcome report fed into the SAIFE Policy Manual.
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Algorithmic governance and the state of impact assessment in the EU, US, and Canada
Data & Society podcast. June 23, 2021
Data & Society Program Director Jacob Metcalf hosts a conversation with tech policy experts Sarah Chander, Fenwick McKelvey, Brittany Smith, and Jake Metcalf on the emerging AI regulations in the EU, U.S., and Canada, and asks how human rights impact assessments can help mitigate harms caused by algorithmic systems.
Go to resourceServing you up on the internet
Better Human podcast, Episode 50. June 29, 2021
International human rights lawyer Susie Alegre hosts a discussion with Dr. Elif Kuskonmaz, a professor at the University of Portsmouth, about how tech companies have adopted deeply privacy-invasive surveillance and data-harvesting practices that are having profound implications for freedom of expression, access to information, and other human rights.
Go to resourceAre internet algorithms a problem for human rights?
Better Human podcast, Episode 49. June 9, 2021
A discussion with university professor Lorna Woods about how AI-driven technologies are shaping the digital content we see and access, and how this affects fundamental freedom of expression and privacy rights.
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Press release: Greater efforts needed to ensure digital technologies empower human rights, OSCE leaders say
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, July 2021
Understanding the implications of digital technology is key to the protection and promotion of human rights in the 21st century, OSCE leaders said as a two-day online conference focused on the opportunities and challenges of the digital age for human rights and democracy.
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SAIFE expert working group on content curation and surveillance
Agenda, Concept Note, Miro Boards – July 2021
This SAIFE working group explored the free speech implications of AI-based tools used in surveillance-based advertisement and their link to curating content through profiling of individuals and predicting future behaviours. It's outcome report fed into the SAIFE Policy Manual.
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Algorithmic Accountability for the Public Sector
Ada Lovelace Institute, AI Now Institute, and Open Government Partnership, August 2021
A report mapping the challenges and successes of implementing algorithmic accountability policies, including practical case studies.
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AI Regulation: Present Situation And Future Possibilities
Jascha Galaski, Civil Liberties for Europe, September 2021
The report by Civil Liberties for Europe addresses how the use of AI systems by public authorities and companies can have a significant impact on our lives—and calls for regulatory solutions that ensure these technologies do not enable manipulation or promote bias.
Go to resourceHow Business Models Have Shaped Big Tech
The World as You'll Know It podcast, Season 02, Episode 03. September 7, 2021
Host of The World As You’ll Know It podcast Kurt Andersen speaks with Roger McNamee, author of Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe (2019), about the evolution of Facebook and other Big Tech companies and what measures might be taken to curb their influence.
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Compilation report of the public online consultation on AI and free speech
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, 2021
In this report, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media presents outcomes of an online public consultation conducted in 2020 to collect views, input, and feedback on the topic of AI and freedom of expression, and preliminary recommendations presented in the SAIFE Strategy Paper. This report outlines responses to survey questions and identifies emerging trends from responses received.
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Joint Declaration on Politicians and Public Officials and Freedom of Expression.
October 2021
Joint Declaration focusing on political speech and speech by politicians and public officials by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation as a Multilateral Policy Challenge
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, November 2021
A paper discussing the century-old, international problem of how to counteract the dissemination of false reports and information. Prepared by Deniz Wagner, Adviser to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
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Fourth expert meeting: Deepfake news – Artificial intelligence and disinformation as a multilateral policy challenge
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, December 2021
An expert roundtable exploring the role that AI can play in both enabling and combating the spread of disinformation. Experts also discuss the broader socio-technical context of online disinformation, and what safeguards are needed to protect freedom of expression and media pluralism.
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The Santa Clara Principles 2.9
December 2021
A set of minimum transparency and accountability standards for the moderation of online content, developed in 2018 and updated in 2021 by a consortium of civil society organizations and academics.
Go to resourceSocial media, mind control and the right to freedom of thought
Better Human podcast. Episode 9. January 6, 2020
Are algorithms controlling our thoughts? Is Facebook like a totalitarian state? How can we stop political parties using our innermost thoughts to influence our decision-making? International human rights barrister Susie Alegre and Adam Wagner discuss how the human right to freedom of thought might be the most useful prism through which to answer these questions.
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Algorithmic content moderation: Technical and political challenges in the automation of platform governance
Robert Gorwa, Reuben Binns, and Christian Katzenbach, Big Data & Society, February 2020
A technical primer of how algorithmic moderation works. This report examines some of the existing automated tools used by major platforms to handle copyright infringement, terrorist content, and toxic speech, and identifies key issues and challenges of these applications, particularly as reliance on them grows.
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Artificial Intelligence, Content Moderation, and Freedom of Expression
Emma Llansó, Joris van Hoboken, Paddy Leerssen, and Jaron Harambam Working paper of the Transatlantic Working Group on Content Moderation Online and Freedom of Expression, February 2020
A working paper on the use of AI and automation to moderation and curate online content and the challenges this raises for the rights to freedom of expression and access to information. Part I focuses on content moderation and the use of automated systems for detecting and evaluating content at scale. Part II focuses on content curation and questions about the role of recommendation algorithms in amplifying hate speech, violent extremism, and disinformation.
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Non-paper on the impact of artificial intelligence on freedom of expression
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, March 2020
This paper reviews the impact of AI and algorithms on human rights, focusing on how these technologies can be deployed in ways that censor the news and other information and stifle media freedom.
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It's Not Just the Content, It's the Business Model: Democracy’s Online Speech Challenge
Nathalie Maréchal and Ellery Roberts Biddle, Ranking Digital Rights, March 2020
A report articulating the connection between surveillance-based business models and the health of U.S. democracy. Drawing from Ranking Digital Rights’ extensive research on corporate policies and digital rights, the report examines how content curation and content moderation algorithms are used to propagate and prohibit different forms of online speech, and how this can cause or catalyze social harm, particularly in the context of the 2020 U.S. election.
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Lightning Talks on the impact of AI on freedom of expression
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, April to June 2020
A series of “Lightning Talk” presentations with AI experts to promote a clearer understanding of the effects on free speech and media pluralism stemming from the use of AI.
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Lighting Talk on the impact of AI on freedom of expression: Challenges to freedom of expression in the use of AI to identify and remove hate speech online
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, April 2020
Lorena Jaume-Palasí, founder of The Ethical Tech Society, and co-founder of AlgorithmWatch and the Internet Governance Forum Academy, introduces a major challenge to freedom of expression in the use of AI to identify and remove hate speech online.
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Lighting Talk on the Impact of AI on freedom of expression: Main challenges to freedom of expression of using artificial intelligence (AI) for removing terrorist and extremist content online
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, April 2020
Djordje Krivokapić, lawyer, co-founder of the SHARE Foundation and Professor at the University of Belgrade, introduces the main challenges to freedom of expression when using artificial intelligence (AI) for removing terrorist and extremist content online.
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Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Elections in the Digital Age
April 2020
Joint Declaration affirming commitments to freedom of expression during times of elections in the digital age by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.
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Recommendation CM/Rec(2020)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the human rights impacts of algorithmic systems
Council of Europe, April 2020
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe’s recommendations for the public and private sector for safeguarding human rights in their design, development, and deployment of algorithmic systems.
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How will artificial intelligence affect international law? Using Human Rights Law to Inform States' Decisions to Deploy AI
Darragh Murray, AJIL Unbound 158, April 2020
Both the public and private sectors are investing heavily in the development of new AI tools and technologies. This paper underlines that these technologies are being deployed without a full understanding of their impact on individuals or society, and in the absence of effective domestic or international regulatory frameworks.
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Lightning Talk on the impact of AI on freedom of expression: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) can impact media pluralism
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, May 2020
Krisztina Rozgonyi, assistant professor at the University of Vienna and legal and regulatory expert on media governance, explains the main impact that the use of AI and automation have on access to information and media diversity online.
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Lighting Talk on the impact of AI on freedom of expression: The growing impact of AI on free speech during the COVID-19 pandemic
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, May 2020
Eliška Pírková, Europe Policy Analyst at Access Now explains how the impact of AI on free speech became even more visible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Getting to the Source of Infodemics: It’s the Business Model
Nathalie Maréchal, Rebecca MacKinnon, and Jessica Dheere, Ranking Digital Rights, May 2020
A report addressing the root cause of the proliferation of harmful content online: the surveillance-based business model. Authors make the case for policy solutions that address the systemic causes of today’s “infodemic”—with measures that include corporate governance reform and strong data protection rules—rather than solutions that require intermediaries to police and remove harmful materials, which can result in undue restrictions to online speech and access to information online.
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Implications of AI-driven tools in the media for freedom of expression
Council of Europe Background Paper, Ministerial Conference, Cyprus, 28-29, May 2020
An expert paper exploring the implications of AI-driven tools on the media and freedom of expression. Authors evaluate how AI systems can limit or narrow the availability of news content and information, which have detrimental effects on the public sphere and on the diversity of media markets.
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Are Algorithms a Threat to Democracy? The Rise of Intermediaries: A Challenge for Public Discourse
Birgit Stark, Daniel Stegmann, Melanie Magin, and Pascal Jürgens, Algorithm Watch, May 2020
Researchers at the Berlin-based NGO Algorithm Watch explore how algorithms threaten public discourse and democracy. This report explores key research on how algorithmic news curation can drive the development of so-called “echo chambers,” and finds that while the effects of such filter bubbles can be overstated the risk of societal fragmentation and polarization remains.
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Lighting Talk on the impact of AI on freedom of expression: How surveillance and data capitalism - especially when using AI - can impact freedom of expression
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, June 2020
Human rights lawyer Carly Kind, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute, explains how the use of AI and data collection, surveillance capitalism and state surveillance are closely intertwined, and how it can impact access to information and freedom of speech.
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Lighting Talk on the impact of AI on freedom of expression: How automated bots and the use of algorithms and AI can influence public discourse and pluralism online
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, June 2020
Ingrid Brodnig, digital expert and scholar, explains how automated bots and the use of algorithms and AI can influence public discourse and pluralism online, while she emphasizes the need for more transparency.
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Online Platforms' Moderation of Illegal Content Online Law, Practices and Options for Reform
Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), European Parliament, June 2020
A report evaluating how automated content-filtering technologies can restrict the display of unlawful or otherwise problematic content but can also lead to over censorship of online speech, particularly discussions of gender equality and hate speech.
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Strategy paper to Put a Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence and Freedom of Expression
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, July 2020
This paper addresses the impact of artificial intelligence on freedom of expression, focusing on key challenges of deploying AI to curate and moderate online content, particularly for content related to national security and hate speech. It identifies a number of overarching problems that AI poses to freedom of expression and to human rights more broadly, which stem from a lack of transparency in the design and deployment of AI, a lack of accountability and independent oversight over these AI systems, and a lack of effective remedies for freedom of expression violations linked to or caused by AI.
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The Rise of Artificial Intelligence & How it will Reshape the Future of Free Speech
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, July 2020
Experts from civil society, academia, and the tech industry discuss the impact of artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, and machine-learning technologies in shaping and arbitrating online information, the potential risks this poses to freedom of expression, and ways to safeguard free speech when deploying automation and AI.
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Press release: The power of digital technologies must be harnessed to counter hatred based on religion or belief, ODIHR says
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, August 2020
On the eve of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) calls for better use to be made of the advantages that digital technologies can offer, as well as a greater emphasis on countering hatred online
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How online misinformation murdered the truth
MIT Tech Review’s DeepTech podcast. October 20, 2020
MIT Tech Review reporters Abby Ohlheiser and Patrick Howell O’Neill discuss how internet platforms failed to control the flood of misinformation ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. “[It’s] as if the platforms were trying to stop a river from flooding by tossing out water in buckets,” according to Ohlheiser.
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How democracies can reclaim digital power
MIT Tech Review’s DeepTech podcast. October 15, 2020
In this episode of MIT Tech Review’s Deep Tech podcast, Dutch former MEP Marietje Schaake discusses how national regulators are not doing enough to enforce democratic values in technology. She joins MIT Tech ReviewEditor-in-Chief Gideon Lichfield to discuss how decisions made in the interests of business are dictating the lives of billions of people.
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Policy paper on freedom of the media and artificial intelligence
Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, November 2020
While AI can improve communications, it can also be deployed in ways that can threaten human rights. In this paper, Julia Haas of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media presents a summary of how AI can negatively impact freedom of expression and media freedom.
Go to resourcePractical guidance for businesses, and other actors in the digital ecosystem, on how to conduct human rights impact assessment of digital activities
Danish Institute for Human Rights, November 2020
The Danish Institute for Human Rights’ guidance for conducting human rights impact assessments for private and public sector entities that design, develop, sell, procure, deploy, apply or otherwise use digital projects, products and services.
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Getting the Future Right – Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Rights in the EU
EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, December 2020
A report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) highlighting the urgent need to imbed human rights safeguards into how artificial intelligence is developed and deployed. Findings based on 91 interviews with public administration officials and staff members of private companies in select EU-member states. They were asked about their use of AI, their awareness of the fundamental rights issues involved, and best practices for assessing and mitigating risks linked to the use of AI.
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Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI)’s Feasibility Study
Council of Europe, December 2020
A report exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on human rights and democracy, and providing options for an international legal response that fills existing legislative gaps, and that tailors binding and non-binding legal instruments to the specific risks and opportunities presented by AI systems.
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Tech-Giants, Freedom of Expression and the Right to Privacy
Rikke Frank Jørgensen and Marya Akhtar, The Danish Institute for Human Rights, December 2020
A report by researchers at the Danish Institute for Human Rights addressing how content moderation and curation by digital platforms can affect freedom of expression and the right to privacy and protection of personal data.
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Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights
Eileen Donahoe and Megan MacDuffee Metzger. Journal of Democracy, vol. 30 no. 2, 2019, p. 115-126
The rapid adoption of AI systems by both governments and the private sector have sparked concerns about potential negative implications for human dignity, democratic accountability, and the bedrock principles of free societies. Authors advocate for a global AI governance framework grounded in international human rights.
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How Recommendation Algorithms Run the World
Zeynep Tufekci, Wired, April 2019
Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci explores how recommendation algorithms influence what people buy, read, and watch online, based on highly opaque digital profiles of users assembled by private platforms using troves of personal data.
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The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power
Shoshana Zuboff, New York: PublicAffairs, March 2019
Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff examines the growing power of tech companies and suggests that their business models represent a new form of capitalist accumulation that she calls “surveillance capitalism”. This model represents an unprecedented form of corporate power that has flourished free from democratic oversight.
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Everything in Moderation: An Analysis of How Internet Platforms Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Moderate User-Generated Content
Spandana Singh, Open Technology Institute, July 2019
A report focusing on the automated content moderation policies and practices of three platforms—Facebook, Reddit, and Tumblr—to highlight the different ways these tools are deployed to police content and the challenges associated with each of them.
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First Things First: Online Advertising Practices and Their Effects on Platform Speech
Jeff Gary and Ashkan Soltani, Knight First Amendment Institute, August 2019
Tech policy experts Jeff Gary and Ashkan Soltani discuss the freedom of expression challenges of content moderation. They argue that rather than requiring platforms to remove harmful content, policymakers should instead focus on targeted advertising and the underlying business model that incentivizes and amplifies the proliferation of much of the harmful speech online.
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Rising Through the Ranks: How Algorithms Rank and Curate Content in Search Results and on News Feeds
Spandana Singh. New America’s Open Technology Institute, October 2019
A report exploring how internet platforms are using automated tools to shape the content we see and access, analyzing how ranking, prioritization, and recommendation systems work and deliver targeted content to users.
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A Right to Reasonable Inferences: Re-Thinking Data Protection Law in the Age of Big Data and AI
Sandra Wachter and Brent Mittelstadt, Columbia Business Law Review, October 2019
A study of how big data analytics and artificial intelligence are used to draw often unverifiable inferences and predictions about the behaviors, preferences, and private lives of individuals. These inferences draw on deeply privacy-invasive datasets that can result discriminatory and biased algorithms.
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Surveillance Giants: How the Business Model of Google and Facebook Threatens Human Rights
Amnesty International, November 2019
A report illuminating how the surveillance-based business model of Facebook and Google is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and poses a systemic threat to a range of other rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination.
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Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification
Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, Feburary 2018
Machine-learning algorithms can discriminate based on categories such as race and gender. Scholars Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru offer an approach for evaluating bias in automated facial analysis algorithms and datasets.
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Algorithms and Human Rights: Study on the Human Rights Dimensions of Automated Data Processing Techniques and Possible Regulatory Implications
Council of Europe study, March 2018
An expert report evaluating the impact of algorithms and automated data processing techniques on human rights, including implications for rule of law principles and judiciary processes.
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Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
submitted to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/38/35), April 2018
A human rights-centered approach to online content moderation presented by then UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye.
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The invisible curation of content: Facebook’s News Feed and our information diets
World Wide Web Foundation, April 2018
The World Wide Web Foundation explores Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm to show that we have little comprehension of how these systems work, despite the power they have to shape our public discourse.
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Privacy and Freedom of Expression in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Privacy International and Article 19, April 2018
A joint paper by Privacy International and Article 19 addressing the privacy and freedom of expression risks of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
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Algorithmic Accountability: A Primer
Data & Society, April 2018
A primer that unpacks key AI concepts and definitions, including how AI can reinforce bias and discrimination.
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Joint Declaration on Media Independence and Diversity in the Digital Age
May 2018
Joint Declaration on the importance of an independent, pluralistic media in the digital age by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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The Toronto Declaration
May 2018
Led by Amnesty International and Access Now, the Toronto Declaration calls on governments and companies to urgently protect human rights in the age of artificial intelligence, with a focus on the right to equality and non-discrimination.
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Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression on artificial intelligence
submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 34/18, August 2018
A report by then UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye that identifies the human rights legal framework relevant to artificial intelligence and presenting preliminary recommendations for ensuring human rights are built into the development and deployment of these technologies.
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The Anatomy of an AI System
Vladan Joler and Kate Crawford, September 2018
An anatomical map and long-form essay of human labor, data, and planetary resources required to power Amazon Echo, created by scholars Vladan Joler, a professor at the Art Academy of the University of Novi Sad and co-founder of the SHARE Foundation, and Kate Crawford, a professor at New York University and co-founder and co-director of the AI Now Institute.
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AI, Free Speech & Human Rights
Techdirt Podcast Episode 187. October 30, 2018
Artificial intelligence is raising complex questions about free speech, privacy, and other important rights. An in-depth discussion on artificial intelligence and its implications on human rights with David Kaye, former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
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Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Access Now, November 2018
A report advocating for the application of international human rights law as the framework for developing global AI policy. It includes policy recommendations that push for strong data protection rules to protect privacy rights in the data sets used to develop and feed artificial intelligence systems; special safeguards for government uses of artificial intelligence; safeguards for private sector uses of artificial intelligence systems; and investment in more research to continue to examine the future of artificial intelligence and its potential interferences with human rights.
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DECISION No. 3/18 SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS, 7 December 2018
This consensus document agreed by all 57 OSCE participating States focuses on numerous inter-related aspects of the safety of journalists and introduces new political commitments. It calls to fully implement all OSCE commitments and their international obligations related to freedom of expression and media freedom, including to respect international obligations protecting the safety of journalists.
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Joint Declaration on freedom of expression and “fake news”, disinformation and propaganda.
March 2017
Joint Declaration providing recommendations on combatting disinformation in accordance with international human rights standards by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information
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Mixed messages? The limits of automated social media content analysis
Natasha Duarte, Emma Llansó, and Anna Loup, Center for Democracy & Technology, November 2017
An in-depth analysis of the limits and potential human rights harms of using artificial intelligence and other types of automation to analyze content on social media. According to the authors, “policymakers must understand these limitations before endorsing or adopting automated content analysis tools. Without proper safeguards, these tools can facilitate overbroad censorship and biased enforcement of laws and of platforms’ terms of service.”
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Twentieth Anniversary Joint Declaration: Challenges to Freedom of Expression in the Next Decade.
May 2016
Joint Declaration on the importance of protecting online freedom of expression in the digital age by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Countering Violent Extremism
May 2016
Joint Declaration on countering violent extremist content in a way compliant with freedom of expression by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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How the machine ‘thinks’: Understanding opacity in machine learning algorithms
Big Data & Society, June 2016
Jenna Burrell, a researcher from the University of California, considers the issue of algorithmic opacity as a problem for socially consequential mechanisms of classification and ranking, such as spam filters, credit card fraud detection, search engines, news trends, market segmentation and advertising, insurance or loan qualification, and credit scoring.
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The Manila Principles
May 2015
Developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other NGOs, the Manila Principles are a set of standards related to online censorship and content takedowns to help governments develop laws and processes that protect freedom of expression.
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OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media's regular reports to the Permanent Council
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
A collection of reports on media freedom developments in the OSCE region, presented by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media to the OSCE Permanent Council.
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Safety of Female Journalists Online
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
A repository of materials related to the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media’s project on the Safety of Female Journalists Online (SOFJO).
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Expert roundtables on Disinformation
Organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
A series of expert roundtables on disinformation and media freedom, organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
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Joint Declarations
International free speech mandate holders
A collection of the Joint Declarations launched by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
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Countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
A collection of materials pertaining to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media’s initiatives to promoting human rights compliant and gender-mainstreamed best practices aimed at effectively preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism online.
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AI Observatory
A project by individuals and communities in India affected by artificial intelligence and automated decision-making systems, which evaluates and breaks down how these technologies are used by government institutions in India.
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