Thursday (2/16), 12 civil society organizations introduced the formation of the Indonesian Digital Space Democratization and Moderation Coalition or Damai Coalition. This coalition aims to encourage content moderation and freedom of expression in Indonesia to reflect understanding of the local context and comply with international standards regarding human rights. The coalition also encourages the participation of civil society as equal discussion partners in dialogue with companies operating electronic systems.
"So far, from our research, there has been an imbalance of power in content moderation. Hopefully this Coalition will become an inclusive forum, more organizations can join, so that we can be more involved in content moderation. Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world. Creating democracy in the digital space is a joint work," said the Chair of the Damai Coalition Presidium, Wijayanto, at the Coalition's launching event in Jakarta.
The coalition also published a Call for Action aimed at digital corporations, the government, mass media and community groups. Through the Call for Action, the Coalition hopes that the parties can contribute according to their respective roles to ensure that digital accountability is maintained for a digital public space that is democratic, free from hate spin, violence and disinformation.
“In principle, civil society and the government are aware of their respective places. The content moderation function, the government cannot get in, but civil society can come in to help platforms carry out moderation," said Wijayanto.
In the launching activity, the Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy, YouTube Indonesia and South Asia Frontier, Danny Ardianto was present. Danny said that Youtube is ready to collaborate with the Damai Coalition, especially in facing the 2024 Indonesian Election. Youtube has also tried various innovations to prevent dangerous content from going viral, such as content that contains disinformation and misinformation, violence and incitement to hatred.
"Our hope is for the Damai Coalition, this is a partner in terms of checking facts and research. How do you innovate to educate the public and content creators, to create content that is in the corridors of democracy, but not limiting and still opens up opportunities for healthy content," said Danny.
At least, Danny explained four approaches taken by Youtube or Google. One, taking down content that doesn't meet YouTube's community guidelines. Two, promoting content containing authoritative information. Three, reducing user exposure to disinformation content. Fourth, appreciation for educational content, and promoting diversity.
"So, apart from taking down content that has a negative impact, we must also focus on content that is useful. Educational content, that's our priority. So, we hope content creators know, and can seize the opportunity," concluded Danny.
The Director General of Informatics Applications of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Samuel Pangerapan, invited all parties to contribute in efforts to increase people's critical power. Kominfo has formed Sibercreation to activate digital literacy.
"We invite all stakeholders to increase digital literacy. So, people everywhere, when they find waste content, they can counteract it," said Samuel, in the same activity.
The 12 organizations that are members of the Damai Coalition namely, Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), Alliance of Indonesian Independent Journalists or AJI, Indonesian Anti-Defamation Society or Mafindo, Institute for Economic and Social Research, Education and Information or LP3ES, the Association for Elections and Democracy or Perludem, Center for Digital Society (CfDS), Indonesian Cyber Media Association or AMSI, ICT Watch, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), GUSDURian Network, End Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT Indonesia), and Tifa Foundation.
The Damai Coalition is supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO Jakarta Communication and Information Unit Specialist Program, Ana Lomtadze, said that the role of civil society in democratizing the process of content moderation would be beneficial for Indonesian democracy. An independent civil society position will balance content moderation by digital platforms. She hopes that the birth of the Damai Coalition in Indonesia will encourage similar initiatives in other Southeast Asian countries. []
This article is translated by Catherine Natalia.
