|
Hi!
You might have thought about joining our appeal
to protect our people and our planet from social
media harms -- but didn't in the end. Our
misinformation team has just set camp at the
climate conference in Glasgow -- investigating
misinformation attacks around the summit. At the
same time, we're fighting tooth and nail to
pressure lawmakers in Europe, the US and Brazil
to put effective laws in place to rein in Big
Tech from sabotaging some of the biggest battles
of our times, from climate change to human
rights, and from fueling division and hatred to
threatening the mental health of our children.
But to win, we need to ramp up, NOW. Are you
in? Click below to join:
| |
|
Dear
friends, |
|
An
conservative ex-politician just claimed that
Greta Thunberg looks "slightly disturbed" and is
"clearly being used", while Brazilian
President Bolsonaro dismissed indigenous youth
leader Txai Suruí as “Indian” --
fuelling a flurry of hate messages against
her.
In just 72 hours, posts featuring
such kind of attacks racked up hundreds
of thousands of views on Facebook and
Twitter!
Avaaz has investigated social
media harms for years, from viral climate
disinformation to dangerous hate speech -- but
without effective laws in place
to force platforms to be transparent and take
responsibility for harms caused by their systems
spreading such content far and wide --
dangerous actors will continue to
detract, spew hate and climate
denialism to millions,
everywhere.
This is code red for
our democracies and planet -- we need
to change that, NOW!
Avaaz’s
misinformation squad has set up a war room at
the climate conference, investigating
misinformation attacks on the summit. And thanks
to years of ground-breaking investigations, and
explosive media coverage, our team is now in the
room with lawmakers, fighting tooth and
nail to win laws that protect us and our
privacy.
But so is Big Tech’s
lobbying machine.
If we raise enough now,
we can go all in to counter their
$100-million-dollar lobbying firepower with
effective regulation -- by funding
top-notch investigators to uncover more hard
evidence, bringing testimonies of those harmed
by social media to lawmakers, and showing up at
every key decision with headline-grabbing stunts
and ads.
This is some of our most
important work, but it's also some of
our least funded -- and with so much at
stake, we can't afford to slow down
now! Chip in now, and let's together
tame the social media beast for good:
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We’ve
seen time and again the devastating consequences
an unfettered social media can have.
When politicians and other influencers
mock and discredit these young activists, they
open the floodgates for others to do the
same — and not just online, but offline
too — ginning up viral disinformation campaigns,
when we least need it. That’s why we need
legislation that can protect us all. And to do
that, we have to bring these harms into the
light, and before governments. If we raise
enough, we can:
- Run and publish
more hard-hitting investigative reports
that show the massive harm caused by these
platforms on our societies;
- Bring together
a powerful movement of survivors and
communities fighting against online hate and
misinformation and take their voices to the
corridors of power;
- Unleash
relentless advocacy in the EU
Parliament, as well as the US Congress, and
Brazil, ensuring they don't give in to tech
pressure;
- Deliver
powerful stunts and ads at key moments
to help win the regulation we urgently
need.
This is a big
deal. Social media is eroding the
fabric of our societies in important ways. It’s
fuelling division and hatred, and sabotaging the
biggest battles of our lifetimes, from human
rights and climate change, to the mental health
of our children. We can't afford to lose this
fight! Chip in now, and let's
face down this attack on society and planet
together: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avaaz
has played a leading role in this fight for
years. Our explosive reports have made front
page news time and again, already driving
massive changes. Just weeks ago, our research
helped to pressure Google into announcing that
climate denial videos on Youtube will no longer
receive ad revenue. But we can't just rely on
the good will of Big Tech titans. We need laws
-- now! Let's make it happen,
together.
With hope and
determination,
Anneke, Marigona, Mike,
Bert, Mouhamad, Christoph, Camille and the
entire Avaaz team
|
|
|
|
| | |
