Encrypted messaging and extreme speech: policy directions

Online platforms, including encrypted messaging platforms, are increasingly politicized spaces. Questions regarding what speech is permissible, who decides this, on what basis, and who assumes responsibility for harms emerging from online communication are constantly debated. These platforms have become important means of social and political communication and have democratized information sharing, lowering the barriers to who can speak and be heard. However, they have also allowed for the large-scale circulation of extreme speech and disinformation

This report responds to this challenge by focusing on encrypted messaging platforms, using WhatsApp as a case study. WhatsApp is the largest messaging platform in the world and a critical communication infrastructure for many, particularly in the Global South.

Read the full report here.