may be vaccine misinformation undermine efforts

#May be vaccine misinformation undermine efforts full
#May be vaccine misinformation undermine efforts free

” However, derogation of Article 19(2) is not considered necessary to address COVID-19 misinformation. During a state of emergency “that threatens the life of a nation,” Article 4 of the ICCPR permits states to “derogate” or deviate from their obligations “to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation. Article 19 of the ICCPR does not protect commercial fraud, defamation, hate speech intended to incite violent behavior, incitement of war, or threats to national security. To fulfill the right to access information, governments should require disclosure of information in the public interest, whether requested by citizens or not, and protect whistleblowers who release such information.

#May be vaccine misinformation undermine efforts free

As such, Article 19 does not distinguish among media types or platforms and is based on a recognition that an independent, uncensored, and unhindered press is essential to the free exercise of these rights. International protections of expression universally translate into a set of strongly held rights: the right to hold opinions, the right to express viewpoints of all types, the right to access information held by public authorities, and the right to receive information through all media these protections hold true for private citizens as well as journalists.

#May be vaccine misinformation undermine efforts full

” (See Supplementary Material, Appendix 1 for the full text of Article 19 of the ICCPR.) The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, American Convention on Human Rights, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Human Rights Declaration, among other instruments, also affirm the right to freedom of expression.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has protections for freedom of expression that were given legal force through Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which states: “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. Yet, international law protects freedom of expression, and prosecution over speech elicits human rights concerns. To address the problem of COVID-19 misinformation, some governments prioritized the dissemination of accurate information others, however, arrested and prosecuted citizens and journalists who publicly discussed the virus or government officials’ handling of the pandemic. For instance, hundreds of people died and thousands were poisoned in Iran after consuming toxic methanol alcohol under the erroneous belief it cures COVID-19. The proliferation of misinformation can create panic and threaten public health by undermining confidence in science, health systems and workers, government institutions, and public health recommendations. Conversely, governments undermine public health when they create a state of uncertainty and violate human rights.Īlong with the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified a “massive” global “infodemic” that it defined as an overabundance of both accurate and false information that makes it difficult to identify trustworthy sources and reliable information about the virus. The goal of addressing COVID-19 misinformation is best served by protecting expression, disseminating factual information, ensuring strong protections for whistleblowers, and supporting an independent media environment. We identified five categories of government activities: (1) disseminating and increasing access to accurate information (2) restricting access to accurate information (3) disseminating disinformation, false information, and misinformation (4) addressing commercial fraud and (5) criminalizing expression. To identify the range of methods governments used to address COVID-19 misinformation, we conducted a content analysis of international media and evaluated government actions in light of international law, which protects freedom of expression and calls on governments to guarantee this fundamental right even during a pandemic or other emergency. Since COVID-19 emerged, a plethora of misinformation has undermined the public’s ability to identify reliable sources of accurate information.