Digital Hate Speech in Syria

“Our challenge is that digital hate speech in Syria has deeply permeated social media and online platforms, exacerbating sectarian, ethnic, political, gender-based, and area-based divisions. This widespread digital hate speech poses significant barriers to social cohesion, reconciliation, and peacebuilding efforts in the post-Regime era, making it a critical obstacle to the country’s recovery and the establishment of a stable, inclusive society.”

The background of the challenge of digital hate speech in Syria is deeply rooted in the country’s recent history and the dynamics of its prolonged conflict. Here’s a detailed breakdown: History and Drivers: • Conflict Onset: Digital hate speech in Syria gained momentum with the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, which began as part of the Arab Spring. This period marked a shift from peaceful protests to a violent civil war exacerbated by ethnic, religious, and political divisions. • Use of Digital Platforms: Various factions, including the Syrian government, opposition groups, extremist entities, and external influencers, have utilized social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to disseminate hate speech. These platforms became digital battlegrounds where competing narratives and inflammatory rhetoric targeted specific groups based on religion, ethnicity, political beliefs, gender, and geographic origin. Contributing Factors: • Sectarian and Ethnic Divides: The conflict heightened existing sectarian and ethnic tensions, which were then amplified online. Digital platforms have been used to spread false narratives and incite violence, particularly targeting Sunni, Shia, Alawite, Kurdish, and Turkmen communities. • Political Manipulation: Digital spaces have also been exploited to attack political opposition, label dissenters as traitors or foreign agents, and manipulate public opinion. • Technological Proliferation: The widespread access to internet and social media in Syria, despite infrastructure challenges, has facilitated the rapid spread of hate speech. Stakeholders Involved: • State Actors and Opposition: Both the Syrian government and various opposition factions have been involved in propagating digital hate speech. • Extremist Groups: Entities like ISIS have used digital platforms for recruitment and spreading their extremist ideologies. • International Actors: External countries and organizations have sometimes contributed to the spread of digital hate through support of various factions within Syria. • Tech Companies: Platforms that host user-generated content have been key venues for the dissemination of hate speech but also have a role in its moderation. Current Situation: • Digital hate speech continues to be pervasive across Syria, with new narratives emerging in the post-Assad transitional phase. This speech remains a potent tool for social manipulation, contributing to ongoing instability and hindering peacebuilding efforts. Undesired Effects: • Social Fragmentation: Hate speech has deepened the divisions within Syrian society, making reconciliation more challenging. • Violence and Displacement: Incitements to violence through digital hate speech have led to physical violence and displacement of communities. • Hindered Recovery and Governance: The pervasive nature of hate speech undermines efforts at governance and stabilization, as it continues to polarize the populace and disrupt efforts at building inclusive political and social systems.

1. Innovative Approach and Experimentation: • Rapid Prototyping: Your Lab is equipped to design, test, and iterate solutions rapidly, which is crucial for adapting to the dynamic nature of digital hate speech. • Experimentation Culture: The Lab’s ability to experiment with unconventional solutions allows for creative approaches that can be more effective in tackling complex social issues like hate speech. 2. Local Insights and Contextual Expertise: • Deep Local Understanding: The Lab’s team has an in-depth understanding of the local context, culture, and social dynamics, which is essential for designing interventions that are culturally sensitive and effective. • Community Integration: Your Lab works closely with local communities, which not only provides real-time insights into the spread and impact of digital hate speech but also engages the very people who are most affected by it. 3. Collaboration and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement: • Network of Partners: The Accelerator Lab can leverage its existing partnerships across the UNDP network, local government, civil society, and tech companies to coordinate efforts and pool resources effectively. • Facilitator of Stakeholder Collaboration: The Lab serves as a neutral ground for various stakeholders to come together, discuss, and form coalitions to tackle digital hate speech collectively. 4. Technology and Data Expertise: • Access to Advanced Tools: With access to the latest technology and data analysis tools, the Lab can implement advanced monitoring systems to track hate speech trends and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. • Capacity Building: The Lab can help build local capacities in digital literacy and safe online communication, which are crucial for long-term resilience against hate speech. 5. Scalability and Replicability: • Pilot Projects: Solutions developed and tested by the Lab can be scaled and replicated across other regions in Syria or adapted for other contexts within the UNDP network, maximizing the impact of successful interventions.

Tackling digital hate speech in Syria is crucial for peace. Our UNDP Accelerator Lab leverages local insights & tech innovation to combat online divisions, promoting cohesion and stability in post-conflict recovery. #DigitalPeace #InnovateForChange #SyriaRecovery

“What are the most effective methods and tools for identifying, monitoring, and countering digital hate speech in the diverse cultural and political landscape of Syria, and how can these be integrated into broader peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts?”

1. Behavioral Insights: • Usage: Applying behavioral insights to understand how different segments of the population engage with hate speech and counter-narratives online. This includes analyzing the triggers and motivations behind sharing or combating hate speech. • Value: Helps in designing interventions that are more likely to change behavior and reduce the spread of hate speech by addressing the underlying psychological factors. 2. Ethnography: • Usage: Conducting ethnographic research to gain a deep understanding of the cultural contexts and daily realities of communities affected by digital hate speech. This might involve field studies and participant observations. • Value: Provides nuanced insights into how hate speech is perceived and affects communities, which can inform more culturally sensitive and effective interventions. 3. Peacebuilding: • Usage: Integrating peacebuilding strategies into digital platforms, such as promoting dialogue between conflicting groups and supporting peace advocates. Initiatives could include digital peace talks or collaborative content creation that promotes understanding. • Value: Enhances the resilience of communities against hate speech by fostering a culture of peace and reconciliation, thereby supporting sustainable peace. 4. Sensemaking: • Usage: Using sensemaking workshops and tools to help communities and stakeholders understand the complex dynamics of hate speech and its broader implications. This involves mapping out the hate speech ecosystem and identifying key leverage points. • Value: Empowers communities and decision-makers with a clearer understanding of the hate speech problem, enabling them to develop more targeted and informed strategies. 5. Social Media Analysis: • Usage: Leveraging advanced analytics to monitor and analyze trends in hate speech across various platforms. Techniques might include sentiment analysis, content mapping, and network analysis to track how hate speech spreads and evolves. • Value: Provides real-time data and actionable insights that can guide the implementation of countermeasures and the evaluation of their effectiveness. It also helps in identifying influential nodes in social networks that can be engaged to amplify positive messaging.

1. Baseline Survey: • Data Gaps Addressed: Baseline surveys help establish a quantitative foundation for understanding the prevalence and nature of hate speech across different regions and demographic groups. This data may be lacking, especially in conflict-affected areas where monitoring and data collection are challenging. • Value Added: Provides a quantifiable measure of the problem, which is essential for tracking changes over time, assessing the impact of interventions, and securing funding and support from stakeholders. 2. Behavioral Insights: • Data Gaps Addressed: Existing data often lacks depth regarding the psychological and emotional triggers behind the propagation or combatting of hate speech. Behavioral insights delve into these motivations and decision-making processes, which are typically not captured in traditional data collection. • Value Added: Helps in designing more effective communication and intervention strategies that are rooted in understanding human behavior, thus potentially leading to more effective mitigation of hate speech. 3. Citizen-Generated Data: • Data Gaps Addressed: There may be a lack of real-time, localized reporting of hate speech incidents. Citizen-generated data can fill this gap by providing up-to-date information from the ground, offering insights into the immediate effects of hate speech and the community’s response. • Value Added: Enhances the responsiveness of interventions by providing timely data, helps engage the community directly in monitoring efforts, and increases the accuracy and relevance of data by capturing a wide range of perspectives and experiences. 4. Gender and Social Inclusion Data: • Data Gaps Addressed: Traditional data collection often overlooks the differential impact of hate speech on various gender and social groups. This type of data specifically helps understand how hate speech affects vulnerable populations, including women, minorities, and marginalized communities. • Value Added: Critical for developing targeted interventions that address the needs and vulnerabilities of these groups, ensuring that peacebuilding and hate speech mitigation efforts are inclusive and equitable. 5. Social Media Data: • Data Gaps Addressed: There might be an underestimation of the scale and evolution of digital hate speech if monitoring focuses only on traditional media or sporadic reporting. Social media data provides a comprehensive view of the online dynamics and the spread of hate speech. • Value Added: Offers the ability to track real-time changes in hate speech patterns, identify key influencers, and understand the reach and impact of hate narratives. This data is vital for developing timely and effective online interventions and for working with tech companies on content moderation strategies.

1. Government Officials: Engaging with officials from the Ministry of Information and Ministry of Education can help integrate anti-hate speech initiatives into national policies and educational systems. Their involvement ensures that the efforts are aligned with governmental goals and reach a broad audience. 2. Community and Religious Leaders: These leaders are deeply trusted within their communities and can be pivotal in changing social norms and behaviors related to digital discourse. Their endorsement and active participation can help legitimize the efforts and encourage widespread community engagement. 3. Tech Companies: Collaboration with major technology platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google is essential for implementing advanced monitoring and moderation tools tailored to the Syrian context. These companies can provide technology solutions that detect and mitigate hate speech effectively. 4. International NGOs and Organizations: Partners like UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council can offer support in terms of funding, expertise, and global dissemination of successful strategies. Their involvement ensures that the initiative gains international credibility and support, which is crucial for sustainability and impact.