PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONChief censor David Shanks is cautiously optimistic about achieving more progress in international efforts to counter hate speech and violent extremism in social media. Mr Shanks was commenting in Dunedin during the two-day conference on "Democracy and the Age of Social Media", at the University Union building. Mr Shanks said the challenges posed by hate speech and discrimination through social media required a wide range of responses, not only by a chief censor but also from the government and society. "It’s not all bad", he pointed out, adding that social media was often used for positive community purposes. The speakers acknowledged that calls to regulate social media had grown over the past couple of years.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 17, 2021 15:33 UTC