Online hate against women threatens our democracy. How do the far right, Russian hybrid threats and Big Tech come together here?
Today I hosted a #EgpCongress session on online hate with three power women 🇫🇮 Minister @MariaOhisalo, 🇦🇹Minister @Alma_Zadic and @StollmeyerEU 🧵1/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723321956388865
Online hate speech is often not a single angry tweet. They are coordinated attacks on women, people of colour and other minorities. The purpose is to polarize and to silence us - and unfortunately it works... 2/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723324665815042
51% of women hesitate to express their opinion online due to fear of online hate.
Increasingly women do not want to enter politics.
This strikes the heart of our democracy. We can only speak of democracy if everyone can participate safely, freely and equally. 3/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723329195528192
Still in our online public space, online platforms’ profit-driven algorithms continue to amplify online hate and disinformation, because that’s what people click on most.
Both the far right and pro-Russian actors have mastered the art of using these algorithms against us. 4/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723333134041088
We need to stand up, fight for free speech, be present and reclaim the online public space - Austrian Minister of Justice @Alma_Zadic. 6/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723350435713024
Director of @DefendDemocracy @StollmeyerEU: the algorithms of tech platforms, Russian intervention and the far right have one thing in common: they flourish on polarisation. Without a common truth, we cannot have effective policies. We need to defend democracy. 7/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723354831134720
Antidemocratic groups love to spread fear mongering messages about evil powerful women. Here the far right, pro-Russian groups and the platforms become a toxic cocktail leading to waves of hate on social media. 8/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723358752849922
What must we do in the EU?
➡️Ban interaction-based recommender algorithms that amplify hate and disinformation
➡️Free psychological and legal aid for victims of online hate speech
➡️Strong rules to stop the viral spread of disinformation online 9/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723362678870020
We as @europeangreens will do everything we can to ensure a safe environment for women and minorities to actively participate in democracy and fight fascism.
First step is to reclaim our online space✊. 10.
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723377862041601
Online hate does not stay on the internet, it eventually has offline effects and comes back on the streets, as Finnish Minister of Environment and Climate Change @MariaOhisalo said. This is a direct threat to our society and democracy. 5/
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/i/web/status/1598723345981153280