Finland: Countering disinformation to defend human rights

NordenBladet — The fight against disinformation is important also from the perspective of the realisation of human rights. Disinformation is a challenging issue, because it has not been defined in international law, and there is not a straightforward way to distinguish misleading information from correct information. The Finnish Coalition Chair will pay special attention to the introduction of normative instruments for internet stakeholders.
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a partnership of governments that are committed to the promotion of an open and safe internet. In February, a public online event was organised to discuss the FOC Joint Statement on the spread of disinformation. The event was part of Finland’s Chairship of the FOC in 2021.At the end of 2020, the FOC issued a Joint Statement on Spread of Disinformation Online, prepared under the leadership of Finland and the UK. Its aim is to counter the use of disinformation for undermining human rights, democracy and the rule of law.