UN to tech companies: ‘Take responsibility’ for harms on information access
António Guterres, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, is asking tech companies to “take responsibility” for how their systems are affecting information integrity.
Guterres made the remarks in front of reporters earlier this week, as he was launching the UN's Global Principles for Information Integrity: a set of recommendations that can be used around the world to promote a more “humane information system".
“Take responsibility. Acknowledge the damage your products are inflicting on people and communities,” Guterres said.
The framework has five pillars: societal trust and resilience; independent, free, and pluralistic media; healthy incentives; transparency and research; and public empowerment.
The United Nations conducted “wide-ranging and diverse consultations,” for these principles across its member states, in media, the private sector and academia online and through focus groups.
The framework has 26 recommendations for tech and artificial intelligence (AI) companies that span from re-evaluating their business models away from a “complex and opaque” online advertising system that profits from “disinformation and hate” to labelling AI content.
Many of the calls to action relate to transparency: asking tech companies to publish who advertises with them, to release details about how data is stored on their platforms, and to offer users more controls and choices on how their data is used.
“No one should be at the mercy of an algorithm they don’t control, which was not designed to safeguard their interests, and which tracks their behaviour to collect personal data and keep them hooked,” Guterres said.
AI companies in particular are being asked to train models on “reliable, inclusive information sources” that will limit their biases.
Companies are also being asked to conduct third-party audits of their models and to release those reports publicly, along with a set of measures they’re taking to limit the threat of any hallucinations or misinformation that they might push.
To governments, Guterres asked them to commit to “maintaining a free, viable, independent and plural media landscape,” with strong support for journalists who are working in the public interest.
In return, journalists are asked to “raise and enforce” editorial standards to make sure their content is “based on facts and reality”.
