The Tech Against Terrorism Pledge

Article 19 of the ICCPR provides that “1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. 3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may, therefore, be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals.”

“We respect the right of our users to express views and opinions, and commit to educating users regarding  terms of service and their transparent and consistent application.”

Article 24 of the ICCPR states that “All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.” Article 15 of the ICESCR recognizes the rights of everyone to take part in cultural life.

UNDHR Article 12 and ICCPR Article 17 states “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”

“We appreciate the need to account for what content we deem impermissible on our platforms, how we address government requests related to content on our platforms, and how we make determinations about content. To this end, we value and strive for transparency regarding those policies and practices, especially with regard to how they may impact the above – mentioned human rights – principles.”

Guiding Principle 21 articulates an expectation that companies will account for how they address human rights and the commentary further explains that this “requires that business enterprises have in place policies and processes through which they can both know and show that they respect human rights in practice. Showing involves communication, providing a measure of transparency and accountability to individuals or groups who may be impacted and to other relevant stakeholders, including investors.”

Guiding Principle 20 states: “To make it possible for grievances to be addressed early and remediated directly, business enterprises should establish or participate in effective operational-level grievance mechanisms for individuals and communities who may be adversely impacted.”

Article 19 of the ICCPR states that the exercise of freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may, therefore, be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order of public health or morals.S/RES/1624 (2005) calls upon States to prohibit by law incitement to commit a terrorist act and S/RES/2354 (2017) condemns “in the strongest terms the incitement of terrorist acts” and repudiates “attempts at the justification or glorification of terrorist acts that may incite further terrorist acts.”S/RES/2354 (2017) further stresses the importance of the role of the business community “in efforts to enhance dialogue and broaden understanding, and in promoting tolerance and coexistence, and in fostering an environment which is not conducive to incitement of terrorism, as well as in countering terrorist narratives.” It urges further development of initiatives to strengthen public-private partnerships in this area and notes the benefits of engagement, with a wide range of actors, including youth, families, women, community leaders, and other concerned groups of civil society.