Social media gets political in new UN announcement

A landmark announcement issued by the UN has revealed that laws that apply to all states, and specifically the UN Charter which governs international relations and individual rights, extends to people’s’ use of ‘communications technologies’.

This is the first time the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security has confirmed that social media is applicable to international law, as they analysed the threats of information security around the world.

The new ruling will help clear up confusion regarding social media and the responsibility of all those who use it, something countries have appeared confused about getting to grips with in the past few years.

The concluding paragraph of the statement comments: “Progress in international security in the use of ICTs by States will be iterative, with each step building on the last. technological environment shaped by change and a steady increase in the number of new ICT users make this iterative approach necessary.

The present report contains recommendations that build on previous work. Their implementation and refinement will help increase confidence among all stakeholders. The Group recommends that Member States give active consideration to the report and assess how they might take up these recommendations for further development and implementation.”